AUDI TT ROADSTER 2008 Owners Manual

Because the occupants in th is vehicle are not using safety belts
~ page 138, fig. 122, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, un til some thing stops
them -here, the wall ~ page 138 , fig . 123.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph
(30 to 50 km/h) , the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more . At higher speeds , th ese forces are
even greater.
People who do not use safety bel ts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash . Of
course, the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they
determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions. •
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Fig . 124 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves . Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
Safety first
Safety belts
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way ~ fig. 124 . This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not
supposed to deploy in all kinds o f accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver,
must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimi ze the risk of
severe injury or death in a crash.
Remember too , that airbags will deploy only 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
already deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the
vehicle where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur. •
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!
Fig. 125 Driver is prop·
erly restrained in a
sudden braking
maneuver .
Safety belts used properly can make a big difference. Safety belts
help to keep passengers in their seats, gradually reduce energy
levels applied to the body in an accident, and help prevent the
uncontrolled movement that can cause serious injuries. In addition ,
safety belts reduce the danger of being thrown out of the vehicle. .,.
Vehicle care
I I Technical data

• ....__S_ a_ fe_ t _y=-- b_ e_ lt_s ________________________________________________ _
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit
of being slowed down more gent ly o r "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety features engineered
into today's vehicles . By "absorbing" the kinetic ene rgy over
a
longer period of time, the safety belts make the forces on the body
more "tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examp les are based on a frontal co llision, sa fety
belts can a lso substantially reduce the risk of injury in other kinds
of crashes . So, whether you're on a long trip or just go ing to the
corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Acci­
dent statistics show that vehic le occupants properly wea ring safety
belts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of
surviv ing an accident . Properly using safety belts also great ly
increases the abi lity of the supplementa l airbags to do their job in a
collision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally required in
most countries includ ing much of the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you sti ll have to wear
t he safety be lts prov ided. Fron t ai rbags, for example, are act iva ted
only in some frontal coll isions. The front airbags are not activated in
a ll frontal co llisions, in side and rear c ollisions, in rol l overs or i n
cases where there is not enough dece leration through impact to the
fron t of the vehicle . The same goes for the ot her airbag sys te m s in
your Audi . So, a lways wear your safety belt and make sure every ­
body in your vehicle is prope rly restrained! •
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be properly positioned a cross
the s trongest bones o f your b ody.
- Always w ear saf ety belts as i llus trat ed and d escrib ed in
th is cha pter .
- M ake sure that your safety b elt s ar e always read y for use
and a re not d am ag ed.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death . Safety belts can work
only when used co rrectly .
• Alway s fa sten your safety belt s corre ctly before driving off and
make sure all pa ssengers are properly restrained .
• For maximum protection , safety belts mu st always be posi ­
tioned correctly on the body .
• Never strap more than one person , including sm all children ,
into any single safety belt .
• Never pla ce a safety belt ove r a child sitting on your lap .
• Always keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
v ehicle is being dri ven .
• Never let any person ride with feet on the instrument panel or
s ticking out the window or on the seat .
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle i s moving. Doing
so will incre ase your risk of being i njured o r killed.
• Never wear belt s twi sted .
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing , such a s eye glasses , pens , key s, etc ., as the se may cau se
i njury .
• Never wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layer s of heavy clothing may interfere with correct po si­
tioning of belts and reduce their effe ctiveness .
• Alway s keep belt bu ckles free of anyth ing th at may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
s houlder belt . H owever , special clips may be required for the
c orre ct use of some child re straint system s.
• Never allow safety belt s to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat ha rdware . .,_

& WARNING !continue d)
• Torn or fr ayed safety b elt s can tear and damaged b elt hard ­
ware can bre ak in an ac cident. Inspect belt s regularly . If webb ing ,
bind ings , buckles , or retra ctors are d am aged , have belts repla ced
by an authori zed Audi dealer or qualified work shop.
• Safety belt s th at have been worn and lo aded in an accident
mu st be repl aced with the correc t replacement saf ety belt by an
autho riz ed Audi de aler o r qualified work shop . Repla cement may
be nece ssary even if d amage cannot b e clea rly seen. Anchorage s
that wer e loaded must also be inspe cted .
• Never rem ove, modif y, dis ass em ble , or tr y to r epa ir the safety
belts your self .
• Alway s keep the belt s cle an. Dirty belt s may not work properly
and can impair the fun ction of the inertia reel=>
page 212 , "Safety
belts ".•
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Safety first
Fig . 126 Belt bu ckle
a nd ton gue on th e
driv er's s eat
Safety b elts
To provid e ma ximum protec tion, sa fety belts m ust always
be pos itioned c orrect ly on the wear er's bod y.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=> page 87, "General recommend atio ns".
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
c h es t and pelvis=> &.
- Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
unti l you hea r it latch securely => fig. 126 .
- Pull on t he b elt t o mak e sur e tha t it is se curely l atc hed in
t h e buckle .
Automatic safety belt retra cto rs
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic be lt retractor on the
shoulder belt . This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
f ast, during hard braking and in an accident. The be lt may a lso lock
when you drive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
During norma l d riving the belt lets you move free ly .
Safety be lt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a be lt pretensioner that helps to
tighten the safety belt and remove slack when the pretensioner is
activated. T he funct io n of the pretensioner is mon itored by a
warning light =>
page 19, "Airbag system
t!! (USA models)/!,~ · (Canada models)".
Swit chable locking featur e
Every safety belt except the one on the driver seat is equipped with
a switchable locking feature that
must be used when the safety be lt
is used to attach a chi ld seat. Be sure to read the important info rma-
tion about this feature =>
page 177. ._
Vehicle care I I Technical data

___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious injury in an
accident =:> page
142, "Safety belt position".
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat back
is upright and belts are properly positioned on the body.
• Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat.
Attaching the belt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effectiveness and can cause serious personal injury.
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously
injured by the safety belt itself when it moves from the stronger
parts of the body into critical areas like the abdomen.
• Always lock the convertible locking retractor when you are
securing a child seat in the vehicle=:> page
179. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maximum
protection from safety belts.
Fig. 127 Head restraint
and safety belt posi­
tion as seen from the side
Use the height adjustment to change the position of the shoulder
straps of the front seat safety belts.
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat .
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body
=> fig. 127 . Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug => fig. 127. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary.
• A loose -fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner­
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation => page
140. •

Pregnant women must also be properly
restrained The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig . 128 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned correctly on the wearer's body=>
page 142.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
=> page 87, "General recommendations".
- Make sure the seat back of the rear seat bench is in
upright position and securely latched in place before
using the belt.
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis::::,
page 143, fig. 128, => &.
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
until you hear it latch securely =>
page 141, fig. 126.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
Safety first
Safety belts
& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the
safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor ­
mation ~
& in "Fastening safety belts" on page 141. •
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig . 129 Releasing the
tongue from the buckle
- Push the red release button on the buckle=> fig. 129. The
belt tongue will spring out of the buckle =>
&.
- Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you guide the belt
tongue to its stowed position.
& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is moving . Doing so
will increase your risk of being injured or killed .•
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data

......... _s_ a_ fe_ ty=-- b_ e _ lt_s ________________________________________________ _
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
ries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body. Improper seating positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating
position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi­
tion in the vehicle while traveling~&.
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation =>
page 140. •
Safety belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front and side collisions above a particular severity,
safety belts in use are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners . The
system is activated by sensors in front and side collisions of great
severity . This tightens the belt and takes up belt slack=>&. in
"Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner". Taking up the
slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement during a colli­
sion.
[ i] Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once.
• In minor frontal and side collisions, in rear-end collisions, in a
rollover and in accidents involving very little impact force, the safety
belt pretensioner are not activated.
• When the safety belt pretensioner is activated, a fine dust is
released. This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
• The relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehicle or components of the system are scrapped . A qualified deal­
ership is familiar with these regulations and will be pleased to pass
on the information to you.
• Be sure to observe all safety, environmental and other regula ­
tions if the vehicle or individual parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this service for you. •

_________________________________________________ S_ a_f _e _t .:..y _ b_ e_lt_ s __ llll
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretension er
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the safety belts on your
Audi. Installing, remov ing, servic ing or repair ing of belt preten ­
sioners can damage the safety be lt system and prevent it from
working correctly in a coll ision.
T here are some important things you have to know to make sure
that the effectiveness of the system will not be impaired and that
discarded components do not cause injury or po llute the environ­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper car e, servicing and repair proc edure s can incr ease the
ri sk of p ers onal injury and d eat h by pre venting a safety b elt
pret ensioner from activating whe n ne eded o r activating it un ex ­
p ec tedly :
• The belt preten sioner sy stem can be activated only once. If belt
p reten sion ers ha ve been activated , the syste m mu st be repl aced.
• Never repair , adju st, or chan ge any parts o f the safet y belt
s y stem .
• Safety belt sy stem s includin g safety belt preten sion ers cannot
be r epaired . Spe cial pro cedure s are requ ired for r emoval , in sta lla­
tion and di spo sal of t his sys tem .
• For an y wor k on the safet y be lt sy stem , we strongl y rec om­
mend that you see your authori zed Audi de aler or qua lifi ed techni­
cian w ho has an Aud i appro ved rep air m anu al, t ra ining a nd spe cial
equipment n ece ssa ry.
W For the sake of the environm ent
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretensioners might be c lassified
as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc .ca .gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation parts of the restraint system including airbag modules safety belts
with pretensioners are scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regu la ­
tions must be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar with
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler
perform this service for you. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safe ty a nd the safety of your passengers, before
driving o ff, a lways:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
~ page 130,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly~ page 88,
- Wear safety belts properly~ page 140,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to pro tect
children~
page 168 .
In a collision airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger are not seated proper ly . There ­
fore in order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as
a driver and as a passenger to sit properly at a ll times.
By keep ing room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fu lly and
comp letely and prov ide supplementa l protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 130, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
detai ls on the operation of the seat adjustment controls =>
page 88
and=> page 89.
It's especially important that chi ldren are proper ly restrained
=>
page 168.
There is a lot that the dr iver and the passenger can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system.
P roper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. I f you have a physical impairment or
condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat
with the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, o r if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, p lease contact your authorized Audi
dea ler or qua lif ied workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-
822 -2834 for possib le modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator wi ll fill the
airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the
steering wheel and the driver and be tween the instrument panel
and the front passenger. The airbags wil l deflate immediate ly after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind ­
shield again without interruption.
A ll of this takes p lace in the b link of an eye, so fast that many people
don't even rea lize that the airbags have dep loyed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they dep loy. Fron t airbags in combination wi th properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement.
T ogether they he lp to prevent the driver and passenger from hitting
parts of the inside the vehic le while reducing the forces acting on
the occupant during the crash. In this way they he lp to reduce the
r isk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body .
Both front airbags w ill not inflate in al l fro ntal col lisions . The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehic le deceleration
r ate caused by the colli sion and registe red by the electronic contro l
unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
cont rol unit, the airbags w ill not be t riggered, even though the car
may be bad ly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage, .,,,.

________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a_, g:::.,_ s..., y'- s_ t_ e_ m ___ !II
repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessari ly an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possible to define a range of vehicle speeds that will cover
every possible kind and ang le of impact that wil l always trigger the
airbags, since the circumstances wil l vary considerab ly between
one collision and another. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or so ft) of the object which the car hits, the angle
of impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags wi ll also not inflate
in side or rear co llisions, or in roll -overs .
Al way s rem ember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once, and on ly in certain
kinds of coll isions . Your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those situat ions in wh ich airbags are not supposed to deploy,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
strikes or is struck by another a fter the first coll ision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplementary
restraint and is not a substitute for a sa fety be lt. The airbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts. Therefore ,
a lways prope rly wea r your safety belt s =>
page 137 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or in strument panel will
de crease the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will incr ease the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
in strument panel.
• If you c annot sit more than 10 in ches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stiga te whether adaptive equipment may be available
to held you reach the pedal s and in crease your se ating dist ance
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestra ined , leaning forward , sittin g side ways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher .
• You will also receive serious injur ies and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airba g or too clo se to it when it infl ates -
ev en with an Advanced Airbag .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WAR N IN G ( continued )
• To reduce the ri sk of injury when an airbag inflate s, alw ays
wear safety belt s prope rly~ page 141 , "S afet y belt s".
• If children are not properly re strained , they may be severely
injured or killed whe n an airbag inflates .
• Never let children ride unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehi cle . Adju st the front seats properly .
• Alway s sit a s far a s po ssible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel~ page 1 30, "Proper occup ant se ati ng po si­
tions ".
• Alwa ys sit upright with yo ur b ack again st the ba ckrest of your
s eat.
• Never place your feet on the instrument p anel or on the seat .
Alway s keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent serious injurie s to the leg s and hips if the airbag infl ate s.
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be repla ced.
• U se on ly original equipment airbags app roved by Audi and
installed by a trained technici an who has the n eces sary tool s and
diagno sti c equipment to properly repl ace an y airb ag i n your
vehicle and assure sy stem effectivenes s in a crash .
• Ne ver permit salvaged or re cy cled airb ag s to be in stalled in
your vehicle . •
Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important info rmation a nd head the
WARNINGS for important details about c hildren and
Advanced Airbags~ page
168 . .-,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat . It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to comply with the Requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a child up to about one year of age restrained in one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 170.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight -sensing mat=>
page 157, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System".
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come onl. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi­
tions stored in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year-old child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed =>
page 170), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front
passenger seat .
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on .
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay litl even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=> page 130, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys , the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the
risk of injury through interaction with the airbag. "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations
as defined in the electronic control unit=>
page 157, "PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light".
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant carrier installed on
the front seat may be struck and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflating passenger's airbag in a frontal collision. The airbag
could greatly reduce the effectiveness of the child restraint and
even seriously injure the child during inflation.
For this reason, and because the back seat is the safest place for
children -when properly restrained according to their age and size
- we strongly recommend that children always sit in the back seat
=>
page 168, "Child Safety" . .,