ESP AUDI A4 2013 Owner's Guide

The accuracy of the orientation lines and blue
surfaces diminis hes if:
- the rear view camera does not prov ide a re li­
able image, for examp le, in poor vis ibility
conditions or if the lens is dirty,
- the image on the screen is not visible due to
sun g lare and reflection .
Caring for th e rear view came ra lens
The rear view camera is located above the rear
license plate b racket . Fo r the pa rking assist to
ope rate, the lens
,=:, fig. 131 must be kept
clean:
- Dampen the lens with a househo ld alcohol­
based glass cleane r, and clean the lens with
a dry cloth
,=:, CD.
- Remove s now with a hand brush and ice
prefe rably with a de-icing spray
,=:, (D .
A WARNING
- T he pa rking aid cannot repla ce the dr iv­
er's attention . The driver a lone is respon­
sible for parking and similar driving ma­
neuvers .
- Always keep your eyes on the vehicle's
su rroundings, using the rear view mirror
as well.
- Do not a llow yourse lf to be d istracted
from traffic by the rear view camera pic­
tures.
- If the position and the installation ang le
of the camera has changed, fo r example,
after a rear end collision, do not continue
to use the system for safety reasons. Have it checked by a qua lified dealership.
(D Note
- Low obstacles already signaled by a
warning can disappear from the system's
detection range as they are approached
and will not continue to be signaled . Ob­
jects such as barrier cha ins, trailer draw
bars, thin pa inted ve rtical po les o r fe n­
ces may not be detected by t he system,
pos ing risk of damage .
- Never use warm or hot water to remove
s n ow or ice from the rear view camera
.
P ark a ssis t 119
lens -dange r of crack format ion on the
lens !
- When cleani ng the lens, never use prod­
ucts that a re ab rasive.
Switching on/off
Applies to vehicles: with parking system (rear, with rear
view camera)
The rear view camera switches on automati­
cally together with the acoustic park assist
when you put the vehicle in reverse.
Switching on
"' Put the veh icle in reverse gear, the acoust ic
parking system with rear view camera is ac ­
tivated automat ica lly. Act ivat ion of the
acoust ic par king system is confirmed by a
brief ac knowledgement sou nd.
Switching off
"' Drive faster than 9 mph (15 km/h) , or
"' take the vehicle out of reverse gear . The
acoust ic park ing system is immediate ly de­
activated, and the rea r view came ra p icture
is deact ivated a utomat ically afte r a pe riod
o f abo ut 1 5 seconds , or
"' switch off the ignition.
T he de lay in deact ivat ing the camera prov ides
an unin terrup ted view beh ind the ve hicle es­
pe cially when mane uver ing in tig ht park ing
spaces and prevents the picture from t urning
off th e ev ery time you shift out of reverse .
If the wa rning mess age ap pears in the dis play
but not the rea r view came ra p icture, read and
confirm the warni ng message . T he acoustic
distance signal is always active .
If you press a fu nction button on the M MI
control console, the rea r view came ra p icture
disappears . The rear view camera picture reap­
pears the next time yo u pa rk.
Fur the r in forma tion on the warning mess age
and the MMI con tro l conso le can be found in
the MMI instruction book let.
Ill-

120 Park ass is t
@ Tips
- The rear view camera picture is avai lable
as soon as the MMI Display or the MMI is
switched on, or the start-up phase is
completed.
- Keep the sensors in the rear bumper and the rear view camera lens clean and free
of snow and ice, so that the parking sys­
tem can work properly . Please follow the
additional notes on
~ page 122.
Reverse Park ing
App lies to vehicles: with parking system (rear, wit h rear
view came ra)
Parking mod e 1 can be used when parking in
a garage or parking space.
F ig. 132 MMI Display : Aim ing at a p arkin g spot
Fig . 133 MMI Disp lay: Ali gning th e vehi cle
"' Switch the MMI on and se lect the reverse
gear.
"' Turn the steering wheel until the orange
orienta tion lines
(D appear in the parking
spot ¢
fig. 132 . Use the mark ings @to help
yo u estimate the distance from an obstacle .
Each marking corresponds to 3
ft (1 m) . T he
blue a rea represents an extension of the ve- hicle's outline by approximate
ly 16
ft (5 m)
to the rear .
"' Wh ile driving in reverse gear, adjust the
steering whee l angle to fit the parking space
w ith the aid of the orange or ientation lines
¢ 0 . @ marks the rear bumper . You should
stop d riving in reve rse as soon as and no lat­
er than when the red orientation line©
abuts an object ¢ _&. !
_& WARNING
-The rear view c amera does not show t he
e ntire area behind t he vehicle
¢ page 118, fig . 130. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and anima ls. The
rear view camera cannot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be further away
than they really a re (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle , a trailer
h itch, o r the rear of a truck). In this case,
you shou ld not use the h elp lines to help
wit h pa rking, wh ich poses danger of an
a ccident!
(D Note
- Low obstacles a lready s ignaled by a
wa rning can disappear from th e system's
detec tion range as they are approac hed
and w ill not con tinue to be signaled. Ob­
jec ts such as barr ier chains, tr ailer draw
bars, thin painted vertica l poles or fen ­
ces may not be detecte d by the system,
posing risk of damage.
- In the MMI display, t he direction of trav­
el of the vehicle rear is represented de ­
pending on the steering wheel angle.
The ve hicle fro nt swings out more tha n
the vehicle rear . Maintain plenty of d is­
tance from an obstacle so that your out­ side mirror o r a corner of you r vehicle
does not co llide w it h any obs ta cl es -d an­
ger of ac cident!

Parallel Parking
Applies to vehicles: with parking system (rear, with rear
view ca mera)
Use parking mode 2 to help you pork on the
edge of o street.
F ig. 134 MMI Display : bl ue s urface in the park ing spot
Fig. 135 MMI Display: Blue curve on t he cur b
The following steps apply only when there is
no obstacle (such as a wall) near the parking
spot. Otherwise, please read the "Tips on
Parking Next to Obstacles".
• Activate the turn signal.
• Switch the MM I on and se lect the reverse
gear. The parking aid turns on and parking
mode 1 appears on the display.
• Position your vehicle parallel to the edge of
the street, approximately 3 ft (1 m) from a parked vehicle .
• Press the
Mode ¢ fig. 134 (D control but­
ton on the MMI control console. Parking
mode 2 appears.
• Back up in reverse gear and align your vehi­
cle so that the blue area
@ borders on the
rear end of the vehicle o r on the parking
spot line . The blue area represents an exten­
sion of the vehicle's outline by approximate­ ly 16 ft (5 m) to the rear . The long s ide of
Park assist 121
the blue area shou ld be on the curb. The en­
tire blue area must fit into the parking spot.
• Wh ile the vehicle is stat ionary, turn the
steer ing whee l to the right as far as it wi ll
go.
• Back into the parking spot . Stop the vehicle
as soon as the blue curve touches the curb
¢ fig . 135 .
• Wh ile the vehicle is stationary, turn the
steering wheel to the left as far as it will go.
• Continue to back up into the parking spot
until the vehicle is parked parallel to the
curb .@ marks the rear bumper. You should
stop driving in reverse as soon as and no lat­
er than when the red orientation line@
abuts an object¢_& ! Keep an eye on the
front of your vehicle while doing this
¢ 0 .
Parking next to obstacles
When there is an obstacle (such as a wall)
next to the parking spot, choose a spot with
more space on the sides. Posit ion the long
s ide of the blue area so that there is suff ic ient
space from the curb. The area must not be on
the curb . You will also need to start tu rning
the steering wheel much earlier. There should
be a sufficient amount of space between the
c urb and the blue curve, and the blue curve
¢ fig. 135 must not touch the curb.
&_ WARNING
- The rear view camera does not show the
entire area behind the vehicle
¢ page 118, fig. 130. Watch out espe­
cially for small children and animals. The
rear view camera cannot always detect
them, posing risk of an accident!
- Please note that objects not touching the
ground can appear to be further away
than they really are (for example, the
bumper of a parked vehicle, a trailer
hitch, or the rear of a truck). In this case,
you should not use the help lines to help
with parking, which poses danger of an
accident!
.__ _____________ _J ...

Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section - for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the interest of your passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations .
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
Driving Safely 127
accident. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi :
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- belt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags ,
- special LATCH anchorages for child re-
straints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­
gether 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 cor­
rectly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
"' Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
"' Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
"' Make sure that all windows are clean and
afford good visibility to the outside.
"' Secure all luggage and other items carefully
qpage 64.
"' Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
"' Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir­
rors correctly for your height.
"' Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restraints according to their height.
"' Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children
q page 166,
and~~fy. ~
•
•

128 Driving Safel y
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
yo ur passengers do the same¢
page 58,
Seats and storage.
• Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passenge rs to fasten their
safety belts properly ¢
page 13 7.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
t ion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety o f the
vehicle and all of its occupants . If your ability
to drive is impa ired, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
9 .&, .
Therefore:
• Do not let yourself be dist racted by passen­
gers or by us ing a cellular telephone.
• NEVER drive when your dr iv in g ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, dr ugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense.
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather condit ions .
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
> Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when ­
ever a veh icle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 139 Correc t seat ing posit ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
following position:
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢.&_ .
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive .
• Adjust the steer ing whee l so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone ¢
fig. 139. If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip­ ment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
• Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• 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 your head. If that is not possible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to this posit ion as possible.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 140.

Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adj ustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore on im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re­
straint system and con help to reduce the risk of injuries in occident situations.
F ig . 140 H ead re str ain t: v ie w ed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust ­
ed to achieve the best protection .
.,. Adjus t the head restraints so the upper
edge is as even as possible with the top of
your head. If that is not possib le, try to ad­
just the head restraint so that it is as close to this position as possible
r::> fig . 140.
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear center
seating position, slide the center head re­
straint upward at least to the next notch .
Adj usting head restraints
c:;, page 61.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Driv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
tal neck injury dramat ica lly. To help reduce
the risk of in ju ry:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly adj usted head restra int.
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts their head re­
strain t. Adj ust the head restrain ts so the
upper edge is as even as poss ib le w ith
the top of your head .
If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
Dr ivin g Sa fely 131
that it is as close to this posit ion as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adj ust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­ straint .
- Ch ildren must a lways be properly re­
strained i n a child rest raint that is appro­
priate for their age and size
c:;, page 166 .
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupan t restraint system con only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore
properly seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body . Imp roper seating positions red uce the
effe ct iveness of safety belts and wi ll even in ­
c rease the r is k of injury and dea th by moving
the safety be lt to crit ica l areas o f the body.
Improper seating positions a lso increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating posit ion. A driver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu­
pants a nd espec ially for children . Therefo re :
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
c:;, .&, .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le
positions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death . Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make you more aware of seat ing po­
s itions that are dangerous .
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- neve r ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- neve r lean up aga inst the instrumen t panel ..,_

134 Driving Safely
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the sunroof and the rear lid are se ­
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk
of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment . Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
c:>page238.
-
Tie-downs
Applies to vehicles: with tie -downs
The luggage comportment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo p rop­
erly
c:> page 133, Loading the luggage com ­
portment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller i tems that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment could cause in a collision like this.
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a tie-down .

To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body .
... Adjust the front seat and head restra int
properly
r::!:> page 58, Seats and storage.
• Make sure the seatback of t he rear seat
bench is in an upright pos ition and securely
latched in place before using the belt¢,&. .
... Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis ¢ ,&. .
"" Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckle of
you r seat until you hear it latch securely
r::!:>fig . 148.
• Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
c ur ely la tched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat­
i c belt retractor on the shoulder be lt. T his fea­
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre­
tensioner that helps to tighten t he safety belt
and remove s lack when the pretensioner is ac­
tivated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a warning light¢
page 20 .
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is eq uipped with a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat . Be sure to
read the important information about this
feature¢
page 176.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious injury in an accident
r::!:> page 141, Safety belt position .
- Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
Safety belts 141
belts are proper ly positioned on the
body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
be lt is attached is securely latched when­
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used. If the backrest is not securely latched, the passenger w ill move for­
ward with the backrest during sudden
braking, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
cially in a crash .
- Never attach th e safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat . A tt ach ing the belt to
t he wrong buckle will reduce s afety be lt
effectiveness and can cause ser ious per­
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
be lt itself when it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into cr itical areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re­
tractor when you are securing a child safety seat in the vehicle
¢ page 178.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 149 Safety belt position
Standa rd features on your veh icle help you ad­
just the position of the safety belt to match you r body size.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- automatic belt height adjustment for the
rear seats .

.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi­
cle is moving. Doing so will increase your
r isk of being injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
-
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust ­
ment, the three point safety belt strap rout­
ing can be fit ted to the shoulder area , accord­
ing to body size .
;g 0 0 C) .., m
Fig. 152 Saf ety be lt height ad justme nt fo r th e fro nt
seats - loop -ar ou nd fitt ings
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body¢&.
in Safety belt
position on page 142 .
.,. Push
the loop-around fittings up ¢ fig. 152
@ , or
.. squeeze together the (D button, and push
the loop-around fitt ings down @ .
.. Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged.
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other impo rtant informat io n ¢
page 140.
@ Tips
With the front seats, the height adjust­
men t of the seat can also be used to adjust
t he pos it ion of the safety be lts.
Safety belts 143
Improperly worn safety belts
I ncorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Improper seat ing pos itions reduce
the effectiveness of safety be lts and will even
i ncrease the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety be lt to crit ica l areas o f the
body. Improper seating positions also in ­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag dep loys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for ch il­
dren . Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitt ing position in the vehicle while traveling
¢ &,. .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a ve hicle is being used.
- Always make s ure that all vehicle occu­
pa nts are co rrectly restrained and stay in
a co rrec t seating position whenever the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read and heed al l WARNINGS a nd
o ther important informat ion
¢ page 140.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front , side and rear -end collisions above a
particular severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sen­
sors in front, side and rear-end co llisions of
great seve rity . This tightens the belt and takes
u p belt slack¢.&.
in Service and disposal of Iii>

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 al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
"" Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 128,
"" Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 59,
"" Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 140,
"" Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect chi ldren ¢
page 166.
In a collision airbags must inflate within th e
blink of an eye and with considerable force.
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Th erefore in order to help the
a ir bag to do its job, it is important, both as a
driver and as a passenger to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supplemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions ¢
page 128,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or details
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 60.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained ¢
page 166.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individual
safety features installed in your Aud i work to­
gether as a system.
Proper seating pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side can do its
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con-
Airbag system 145
dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reach ing the peda ls, spec ial
modifications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler, or call
Audi Customer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener­
ator will fi ll the airbags, break open the pad ­
ded covers, and inflate between the steering
whee l and the driver and between the instru­
ment panel and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after deploy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
through the windshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don 't even realize that
the air bags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and noth ing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc ­
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senge r from hitting parts of the inside the ve­
hicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and upper body in the crash . A irbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the
body .
Both front air bags w ill not inflate in all frontal
collisions . The triggering of the air bag system
depends on the vehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
electron ic control unit.
If this rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered,
ev en though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a resu lt of the co llision . Vehicle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of ve hicle damage
is no t necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not .
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possib le kind and ..,.
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