AUDI A4 2016 Owners Manual
Manufacturer: AUDI, Model Year: 2016, Model line: A4, Model: AUDI A4 2016Pages: 278, PDF Size: 70.26 MB
Page 131 of 278

... N 
NHTSA 
U.S.  Department  of  Transporta
tion  1200  New  Jersey  Ave.,  S .E. 
West  Building 
Washington,  DC 20590 
You can  also  obtain  other  infor mation  about  motor  vehicle  safe
ty  from: 
http:/  /www.safercar.gov 
Applicable  to  Canad a 
If you  live  in  Canada  and  you  be
lieve  that  your  vehicle  has  a  de
fect  that  could  cause  a  crash,  in
jury  or  death,  you  should  immedi
ately  inform  Transport  Canada, 
Defect  Investigations  and  Recalls . 
You should  also  notify  Audi  Cana da. 
Canadian  customers  who  wish  to 
report  a  safety-related  defect  to 
Transport  Canada,  Defect  Investi
gations  and  Recalls,  may  either 
call  Transport  Canada  toll-free  at: 
Tel. : 1-800-333 -05 10  or 
Tel.:  1-819-994-3328  (Ottawa  re
gion  and  from  other  countries) 
TTY for  hearing  impaired:  Tel.: 
1 -888-67  5-6863 
~ or  contact  Transport  Canada  by 
... 
~ mail  at: 
Driving  safety 
Transpo rt  Canada 
Motor  Vehicle  Safety  Investiga
tions  Laboratory 
80  Noel  Street 
Gatineau,  QC 
J8Z  0Al 
F or  additional  road  safety  infor
mation,  please  visit  the  Road 
Safety  website  at: 
http:/  /www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ 
roadsafety/menu .htm 
1 29  
Page 132 of 278

Safety  belt s 
Safety  belts 
General  information 
Always  wear  safety  belts! 
Wearing  safe ty  belts  correctly  saves lives! 
This chapte r explains  why  safety  be lts  a re  neces
sary,  how  they  work  and  how  to  adjust  and  wear 
them  correct ly. 
..  Read  all the  information  that  follows  and  heed 
all  of the  instructions  and  WARNINGS. 
&_ WARNING 
Not  wea ring  safety  belts  or wearing  them  im
properly  increases  the  risk of  ser ious  personal 
injury  and  dea th . 
- Safety  belts  are  the  s ingle  most  effective 
mea ns ava ilab le to  reduce  the  risk of  serious 
injury  and  dea th  in automob ile  accidents . 
For yo ur protect ion  and  that  of your  passe n
gers,  alw ays  co rre ctly wea r sa fety  be lt s 
when  the  veh icle  is  moving . 
- Pregnant  wom en,  in ju re d,  o r physically  i m
paired  persons  mus t  also use  s afety  be lts. 
L ik e  all vehi cle  o ccu pants,  they  are  mo re 
li kely  to be  serio usly injure d if  th ey do  no t 
wea r safety  be lts.  The  best  way to  protect  a 
fetus  is to  protect  the  mothe r -th roughout 
the  ent ire  pregnancy . 
Number  of  seats 
Your Audi has  a total  of five  seating  positions: 
two  in the  front  and  three  in the  rear.  Each seat
i n g  position  has  a  safety  belt. 
&_ WARNING 
N ot  wea ring  safety  bel ts or weari ng  them  im
properly  increases  th e  r isk of  ser ious  personal 
inju ry and  dea th. 
- N ever  st rap  more  tha n one  perso n, includ
ing  small  ch ildren,  into  a ny  be lt . 
It is  espe
ci ally  dan gerous  to  pla ce  a  sa fety  bel t over  a 
c hild  s itting  on  you r lap. 
- N ever  le t mo re  people  ride  in t he vehicle 
t h an  t he re  are  saf ety  bel ts  availab le. 
130 
-Be sure  everyone  riding  in the  vehicle  is 
properly  restrained  with  a separate  safety 
be lt  or ch ild  restraint. 
Safety  belt  warning  light 
Your vehicle has a warning  system  for  the  driver 
and  (on  USA models  only)  front  seat  passenger 
to  remind  you  about  the  importance  of  buckling
up  . 
Fig.  141 Safety  belt  wa rning  lig ht  in  th e  in st rument  clu s
ter  -enl arged 
Before  driv ing  off , alway s: 
..  Fasten  your  sa fety  belt  and  make  sure  you  are 
wearing  it  prope rly. 
(0 
"' 
"' 0 N 
and  proper ly wea r th eir  safety  belts . 
..  Protec t your  ch ildren  with  a  ch ild  rest raint  sys
tem  app ropr iate  for  the  size  and  age  of the  chil
dren . 
The . war ning  light  i n the  instrument  cluste r 
l ights  up  when  the  ig nition  is  swi tched  on  as  a  re
minde r to  fas ten  t he safety  be lts.  In  addition, 
yo u w ill  hea r a wa rn ing  tone  for  a  ce rt ain  per io d 
of  time. 
Fasten your safety  belt  now and make  sure that 
your passengers  also  properly put  on their safe
ty belts.  
Page 133 of 278

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Why  use  safety  belts? 
Frontal collisions  and  the  law  of  physics 
Frontal crashes  create  very strong  forces  for peo
ple  riding in vehicles . 
Fig. 142 Unbelted  occupants  in a vehicle heading  for  a wall 
Fig . 143  The  vehicle  crashes  into  the  wall 
CD 
~ ± 
cle  and  the  passengers  possess  energy  which  var 
ies  with  vehicle  speed and  body  weight.  Engi
neers  call this  energy  "kinetic  energy." 
The  higher  the  speed  of the  vehicle  and  the 
greater  the  vehicle's  weight,  the  more  energy 
that  has to be  "absorbed"  in the  crash. 
Veh icle  speed  is  the  most significant  factor. 
If 
the speed  doubles  from  15  to  30  mph  (25 to 
50  km/h),  the  energy  increases  4 times! 
Because  the  passengers  of this  vehicle are  not  us
ing  safety  belts¢ 
fig.  142, they  will  keep  mov ing 
at  the  same  speed  the vehicle  was  moving  just 
before  the  crash,  until something  stops  them  -
here,  the  wall 
¢fig. 143. 
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 
Safety  belts 
(2,000  lbs.  o r 1,000  kg)  or  more . At  greater 
speeds,  these  forces  are  even  higher. 
People  who do  not  use safety  belts  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  in
jured  or killed. Always  wear your  safety  belts! 
Fig. 144  A driver  not wearing  a safety  belt  is v iolently 
thrown  forward 
Fig.  145  A rear  passenger  not  wearing  a safety  belt will f ly 
forwa rd and  strike  the 
driver 
Unbelted  occupants  are  not  able  to  resist  the tre
mendous  forces  of  impact  by holding  tight  or 
bracing  themselves . Without  the  benefit  of  safe
ty  restraint  systems,  the unrestrained  occupant 
will  slam  viol ently  into  the  steering  wheel, in
strument  panel,  windshield,  or whatever  else  is 
in  the  way 
¢fi g.  144. This  impact  with  the  vehi
cle  interior  has all  the  energy  they  had  just  be-
fore  the  crash. 
Ill>-
131  
Page 134 of 278

Safe ty  belts 
Never  rely o n airbags  alone  for  protection . Even 
when  they  deploy,  airbags  provide  only  additional 
protection.  A irbags  are  not  supposed  to  dep loy in 
all  kinds  of  accidents.  A lthough  your  Audi  is 
equipped  w ith  airbags,  all  vehicle  occupants,  in
cluding  the  driver,  must  wear  safety  belts  cor 
rectly  in order  to  minimize  the  risk of  severe  in
jury  or  death  in a  crash . 
Remember  too,  that  airbags  will deploy  only 
once  and  that  your  safety  belts  are  a lways  there 
to  offer  protect ion  in those  accidents  in wh ic h 
airbags  are  not  supposed  to  deploy  or when  they 
have  a lready  dep loyed.  Unbel ted  occupants  can 
a lso  be  thrown  o ut  of the  veh icle where  eve n 
mo re severe  or fatal  injur ies  can  occur . 
It is  also  important  for  the  rear  pass enge rs to 
wear  safety  belts  co rrectly.  Unbelted  passengers 
i n t he  rea r seats  endanger  no t on ly themse lves 
but  also  the  drive r and  other  passengers 
~ fig . 145. In  a frontal  collision  they  will  be 
thrown  forward  violently,  where  they  can  hit  and 
in jure  the  driver  and/or  front  seat  passenger. 
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 . 14 6 Driver  is correctly  restrai ned  in a sudde n braking 
m aneuver 
Safety  belts  used  properly  can  make  a  b ig  d iffer
ence.  Safety  belts  help  to  keep  passengers  in 
their  seats,  gradually  reduce  energy  levels  ap
plied  to  the  body  in  an  accident,  and  he lp  prevent 
the  uncont rolled  moveme nt  that  can  cause  seri
ous  injur ies.  In  addition,  safety  belts  reduce  the 
danger  of  being  thrown  out  of the  veh icle . 
132 
Safety  be lts  attach  passengers  to  the  car  an d give 
them  the  benefit  of being  s lowed  down  more 
gently  or  "soft ly" thro ugh  the  "give"  in the  safety 
belts,  crush  zones  and  other  safety  feat ures  engi
neered  into  today's  vehicles.  By "absorbing"  the 
k inet ic energy  over  a  longer  per iod  of t ime,  the 
safety  belts  make  the  forces  on  the  body  more 
"tole rab le"  and  less  likely to  cause  inj ury. 
Although  these  examples  are  based  on  a frontal 
collision,  safety  be lts  ca n also  substantially  re 
duce  the  r isk  o f  injury  in  ot her  kinds  of  crashes. 
So, whethe r yo u're  on  a  long  trip  or just  going  to 
the  cor ne r store,  a lways  b uckle  up  and  make  s ure 
othe rs do,  too.  Ac ciden t  stat ist ics  show  that  veh i
cl e  o ccupants  prope rly wearing  safety  bel ts  have 
a  lowe r risk of  being  injured  and  a  m uch  better 
chance  of  surviving  an  acc ident . Properly  using 
safety  be lts  also  great ly increases  the  ability  of 
the  supp lemental  airbags  to  do  their  job  in a  col
li sion.  For this  reason,  wearing  a safety  belt  is  le
gally  required  in  most  countries  including  much 
of  the  United  States  and  Canada . 
Although  your  Aud i is equipped  with  airbags,  you 
still  have  to  wear  the  safety  belts  provided.  Front 
airbags,  for  examp le,  are  activated  only  in some 
frontal  collisions.  The front  airbags  are  not  act i
vated  in all  frontal  collisions,  in side  and  rear  co l
li sions,  in  roll  overs  or  in cases  where  the re  is  not 
eno ugh  deceleration  throug h impa ct  to  the  front 
of  the  vehicle.  The  same  goes  for the  other  a irbag 
systems  in your  Audi.  So,  always  wear  your  safety 
belt  and  make  sure  everybody  in your  vehicle  is 
properly  rest rained! 
Important  safety  instructions  about  safety 
belts 
Safety  belts  must  always be correctly positioned 
across  the strongest  bones  of your  body. 
.,.  Always  wear  safety  belts  as  illustrated  and  de 
scribed  in this  chapter. 
.,.  Make sure  that  your  safety  be lts  are  always 
ready  fo r use  a nd  are  not  damaged .  
Page 135 of 278

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_& WARNING 
Not wearing  safety  belts  or wearing  them im
properly  increases  the  risk of  serious  personal 
injury  and  death . Safety  belts  can  work  only 
when  used  correct ly. 
-Always  fasten  your  safety  belts  correctly  be fore  driving  off  and  make  sure  all  passen
gers  are  cor rect ly restrained. 
- For maximum  protection,  safety  belts  must 
always  be  posit ioned  properly  on  the  body . 
- Never  strap  more  than  one  person,  includ
ing  small  ch ildren,  into  any  belt . 
- Never  place  a  safety  belt  over  a  child  sitt ing 
on  your  lap. 
- Always  keep  feet  in the  footwell  in front  of 
the  seat  wh ile the  vehicle  is  being  driven. 
- Never  let  any  person  ride  w ith  their  feet  on 
the  instrument  panel  or  st icking  out  the 
window  or  on  the  seat . 
- Never  remove  a  safety  belt  while  the  vehicle 
is  moving . Do ing  so  will  increase  your  risk  of 
being  injured  or  k illed. 
- Never  wear  belts  twisted. 
- Never  wear  belts  over  rigid  or  breakable  ob-
jects  in or  on your  clothing,  such  as  eye 
glasses,  pens,  keys,  etc.,  as  these  may  cause 
injury. 
- Never  allow  safety  belts  to  become  dam
aged  by being  caught  in door  or  seat  hard
ware. 
- Do not  wear  the  shoulder  part  of the  belt 
under  your  arm  or  otherwise  out  of  position . 
- Several  layers  of  heavy  clothing  may  inter
fere  with  correct  positioning  of  belts  and  re
duce  the  overall  effectiveness  of the  system. 
- Always  keep  belt  buckles  free  of  anything 
that  may  prevent  the  buckle  from  latching 
securely . 
- Never  use  comfort  clips  or  devices  that  cre
ate  slack  in the  shoulder  be lt .  However,  spe
cial clips  may  be  requ ired  for  the  proper  use 
of some  child  restraint  systems. 
- Torn  or frayed  safety  belts  can  tear,  and 
damaged  belt  ha rdware  can  break  in an  acc i
dent.  Inspect  belts  regularly. 
If webbing, 
bind ings,  buckles,  or  re tractors  are  dam-
Safet y bel ts 
aged,  have  belts  rep laced  by an  authorized 
Aud i dea ler . 
- Safety  belts  that  have  been  worn  and  loaded 
in an  accident  must  be  replaced  with  the 
correct  replacement  safety  belt  by an  au
thorized  Audi dealer.  Replacement  may  be 
necessary  even  if damage  cannot  be  clearly 
seen.  Anchorages  that  were  loaded  must  al
so  be  inspected. 
- Never  remove,  mod ify, d isassemble,  or  try 
to  repair  the  safety  belts  yourse lf. 
-Always  keep  the  belts  clean . Dirty belts  may 
not  work  properly  and  can  impair  the  func
tion  of  the  inert ia  reel¢ 
page  193. 
Safety  belts 
Fastening  safety  belts 
Safety  first  -everybody  buckle  up! 
F ig.  14 7 Belt  buckle  and tongu e on t he d river' s se at 
To provide  maximum  protection,  safety belts 
must  always  be  positioned  correctly  on  the wear
er 's  body . 
...  Adjust  the  front  seat  and  head  restraint proper
ly 
¢ page 59, Seats  and  storage. 
... Make sure  the seatback  of  the rear  seat  bench 
is  in an  upright  posit ion  a nd securely  latched  in 
place  before  using  the  belt 
Q _&. . 
"'  Ho ld  the  bel t by the  tongue  and  pu ll it  evenly 
across  the  chest  and  pelvis¢_&. . 
...  Insert  the  tongue  in to the  correct  buckle  of 
your  seat  unti l you  hear  it latch  securely 
Qfig.  147. 
... Pull on  the  belt  to  make  sure  that  it  is securely 
latched  in the  buckle . 
IIJ,, 
133  
Page 136 of 278

Safe ty  belts 
Autom ati c s afet y belt  retr actors 
Every safety  belt  is  equ ipped  with  an  automa tic 
be lt  retractor  on  the  shoulder  belt.  This feature 
locks the  belt  when  the  belt  is pulled  out  fast, 
during  hard  braking  and  in a n accident . The  belt 
may  a lso  lock when  you  drive  up  or  down  a steep 
hill or through  a  sharp  curve.  Dur ing  normal  driv
ing  the  belt  lets  you 
move freely . 
Safety  belt  p ret en sion ers 
The  safety  belts  are  equipped  with  a  belt  preten
sioner  that  helps  to  t ighten  the  safety  belt  and 
remove  slack  when  the  pretensioner  is activated. 
The  function  of the  pretensioner  is mon itored  by 
a warning  light 
r:::') page  19. 
Convertib le  loc king retracto r 
Every safety  be lt  except  the  one  on  the  driver 
seat  is equipped  with  a  convertible  locking  retrac
tor  that 
mus t be  used  when  the  safety  belt  is 
used  to  attach  a  child  safety  seat.  Be sure  to  read 
the  impo rtant  information  about  this  feature 
c:;, page  167. 
.&_ WARNING 
Imprope rly pos itioned  safety  be lts  can  cause 
ser ious  injury  in an  accident 
c:;, page  134, 
Safety  belt  position. 
- Safety  belts  offer  optimum  protection  only 
when  the  seatback  is upright  and  belts  are 
properly  positioned  on  the  body. 
- Always make  sure  that  the  rear  seat  back
rest  to  which  the  center  rea r safety  belt  is 
attached  is secure ly latched  whenever  the 
rear  center  safety  belt  is being  used.  If the 
backrest  is  not  securely  latched,  the  passen
ger  will  move  forward  with  the  backrest  dur
ing sudden  braking,  in a  sudden  maneuver 
and  especially  in a  crash. 
- Never  attach  the  safety  belt  to  the  buckle  for  another  seat.  Attaching  the  belt  to  the 
wrong  buckle  will  reduce  safety  belt  effec
tiveness  and  can  cause  serious  persona l in
jury. 
- A passenger  who  is not  properly  restrained  can  be  seriously  in jured  by the  safety  be lt  it
self  when  it  moves  from  the  stronger  parts 
134 
of the  body  into  critical  areas  like the  abdo men. 
- Always  lock the  convertible  locking  retractor 
when  you  are  securing  a child  safety  seat  in 
the  vehicle 
c:;, page  169. 
Safety  belt  position 
Correct  belt  position  is the  key to  getting  maxi
mum  protection  from  safety  belts . 
Fig.  148  Safety belt posit ion 
-"' .... 9 I ... a, 
Standard  features  on  your  vehicle  help  you  adjust 
the  position  of  the  safety  belt  to  match  your  body 
s ize. 
- belt  height  adjustment  for  the  front  seats, 
- automatic  belt  height  adjustment for the  rear 
seats . 
.&_ WARNING 
Improperly  positioned  safety  belts  can  cause 
serious  personal  injury  in an  acc ident. 
- The  shou lder  belt  should  lie as  close  to  the 
center  of the  collar  bone  as  possible  and 
should  fi t well  on  t he  body.  Hold  the  belt 
above  the  latch  to ng ue and  pull  it  evenly 
across  the  chest  so  tha t it s its  as  low as  pos
sible  on  the  pe lvis and  there  is no  pressure 
on  the  abdomen . The  belt  sho uld a lways f it 
snug ly 
c:;,  fig.  148 . Pull on  the  belt  to  tig hten 
if necessary. 
- The  lap  be lt  portion  of the  safety  belt  must 
be  positioned  as  low as  poss ible  across  pel 
vis and  never  over  the  abdomen.  Make  sure  the  belt  lies  flat  and  snug 
c:;, fig.  148. Pull  on 
the  belt  to  tighten  if necessary.  .,.  
Page 137 of 278

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-A  loose-fitting  safety  be lt  can  cause  serious 
injuries  by shifting  its  pos ition  on  your  body 
from  the  strong  bones  to  more  vulnerable, 
soft  tissue  and  cause  serious  injury . 
- Always  read  and  heed  all  WARNINGS and 
other  important  information 
c!) page  132. 
Pregnant  women  must  also  be correctly 
restrained 
The bes t way to pro tec t the  fe tus is  to make  sure 
that  expectant  mothers  always  wear safety  belts 
correctly  -throughout  the pregnancy . 
Fig . 14 9 Safe ty belt pos itio n dur ing  pregn an cy 
To provide  max imum  p rotection,  safety  belts 
must  always  be  positioned  correctly  on  the  wear
er's  body 
c:> page  134. 
.,.  Adjust  the  front  seat  and  head  restraint  cor
rectly ¢ 
page  59 , Seats  and storage . 
.,.  Make  su re th e seatback  of the  rear  seat  bench 
is  in an  upright  position  and  secure ly latched  in 
place  before  using  the  belt. 
.,.  Hold the  belt  by the  tongue  and  pull  it  even ly 
across  the  chest  and  pelv is 
c:> fig.  149, c:> ,& . 
.,. Inse rt  the  tongue  into  the  cor rec t buckle  of 
you r seat  until  you  hea r it  latch  securely 
,:!)page  133,  fig . 147. 
.,.  Pull  on  the  be lt  to  m ake sure  that  it  is securely 
latched  in the  bu ck le . 
& WARNING 
Improperly  positioned  safety  be lts  can  cause 
ser ious  personal  inj ury  in an  accident. 
- Expectant  mothers  must  a lways  wear  the 
lap  portion  of  the  safety  belt  as  low  as  pos
sible  across  the  pelvis  and  below  the  round ing  of the  abdomen . 
Safety bel ts 
-Always  read  and  heed  all  WARNINGS and 
other  important  informat ion ¢ 
A in Fasten
ing safety  belts  on page  134. 
Unfastening  safety  belts 
Unbuckle the  safety  belt  with the  red release 
button  only  o~er the  vehicle has stopped. 
., 
JJ 
Fig.  150 Releasi ng t he to ngue  from  the  buckle 
.,.  Push  the  red  re lease  but ton  on  the  buck le 
r:!) fig.  150 . The  belt  tongue  w ill spr ing  out  of 
t he  buck le 
c:> ,&  . 
.,. Let the  belt  wind  up  on  the  retra ctor  as yo u 
guide  the  belt  tongue  to  its  stowed  posit ion. 
& WARNING 
Never  unfasten  safety  belt  whi le  the  vehicle  is 
moving . Do ing  so  will  increase  your  r isk  of  be
i ng  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 fi tted  to  the shoulder  area,  according to 
body size . 
Fig. 1 51 Safety  belt  height  a dju stm ent  fo r th e fro nt  seat s 
0 .... N 0 
:i: .., co 
... 0 0 
0 
6 ... co 
-loop -a round  fittings Ill> 
135  
Page 138 of 278

Safety  belts 
The  shou lder  belt  should  lie as  close  to  the  center 
of  the  collar  bone  as  possib le  and  should  fit  well 
on  the  body 
c::> A in Safety  belt  position  on 
page  134. 
"' Push 
the  loop -around  fittings up c::> fig.  151 @ , 
or 
"'squeeze together  the (D button,  and push the 
loop-around  fittings  down@. 
"'Pull  the belt  to make  sure  that  the upper at
tachment  is properly  engaged . 
A WARNING 
Always  read  and  heed  all  WARNINGS and  oth er  important  informat ion 
c::> page  132. 
(D Tips 
With  the  front  seats,  the  height  adjustment  of the  seat  can  also  be  used to  adjust  the  po
sition  of  the  safety  belts. 
Improperly  worn  safety  belts 
Incorrectly  positioned  safety  belts  can cause  se
vere injuries. 
Wearing  safety  belts  improperly  can cause  seri
ous  injury  or  death.  Safety  belts  can  only work 
when  they  are  correctly  positioned  on  the  body. 
Improper  seating  positions  reduce  the  effect ive
ness  of safety  belts  and  will  even  inc rease  the 
risk of  injury and  death  by mov ing  the  safety  belt 
to  cr it ica l areas  of the  body. Improper  seating 
positions  a lso  increase  the risk of  serious  injury 
and  death  when  an  airbag  deploys  and  strikes  an 
occupant  who  is not  in the  correct  seating  pos i
tion.  A driver  is responsible  for  the  safety  of all 
veh icle  occupants  and especially  for  children. 
Therefore: 
"' Never  permit  anyone  to  assume an  incorrect 
sitting  position  in the  vehicle  while  traveling 
c>_& . 
A WARNING 
Improperly  worn  safety  belts  increase  the  risk 
of serious  personal injury  and  death  whenever 
a vehicle  is  being  used. 
136 
- Always  make  sure  that  all vehicle  occupants 
are  correctly  restrained  and  stay  in a  correct 
seating  position  whenever  the  vehicle  is be
ing  used. 
- Always  read  and  heed  all  WARNINGS and 
other  important  informat ion 
c::> page  132. 
Belt  tensioners 
How  safety  belt  pretensioners work 
In  front,  side  and  rear-end  collisions  above  a 
particular  severity,  safety  belts  ore  tensioned  au tomatically. 
The  safety  belts  are  equipped  w ith  safety  belt 
pretensioners . The  system  is activated  by sensors 
i n front,  side  and  rear-end collisions  of  great  se
verity . This t igh tens  the  belt  and  takes  up  belt 
s lack 
c::> & in Service and  disposal  of safety  belt 
pretensioner  on page  137. 
Tak ing  up  the  s lack 
helps  to  reduce  forward  occupant  movement  dur
ing  a collis ion. 
(D Note 
Never  let the  belt  remain  over  a  rear  seatback 
that  has  been folded  forward . 
@ Tips 
The  safety  belt  pretensioner  can  only  be  acti
vated  once. 
- Th e  safety  belt  pretensioners  do  not  deploy 
in  minor  frontal,  side  and  rear-end  colli
sions. 
- In  the  case  of a side  crash,  the  safety  belt 
pretensioners  will activate  on  the  driver's  or 
front  passenger's  sides  only,  depending  on 
wh ich  side  of the  vehicle  the  crash  occurs. 
- When  the  safety  belt  pretensioners  are  acti
vated,  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.  An authorized 
Audi  dealer  or  qualified  workshop  is  familiar 
with  these  regulations  and  will  be  pleased 
to  pass  on  the  information  to  you.  .,_  
Page 139 of 278

..... N 
0 ::..:: co ..... 
and  other  regulations  if  the vehicle  or  indi
v idual  parts  of the  system,  particularly  the 
safety  be lt  or  airbag,  are  to  be  disposed.  We 
recommend  you  have  your  author ized  Audi 
dealer  perform  this  serv ice for  you. 
Service and  disposal  of  safety  belt  preten
sioner 
The  safety  belt  pretens ione rs  are  parts  of the 
safety  be lts  on  yo ur Audi.  Installing,  removing, 
servicing  or  repairing  of  belt  pretensioners  can 
damage  the  safety  belt  system  and prevent  it 
from  work ing  correctly  in  a collision . 
There  are  some  important  things  you  have  to 
know  to make  sure  that the effectiveness  of the 
system  wi ll not  be  impaired  and that  discarded 
components  do  not  cause  injury  or  poll ute  the 
environment. 
A WARNING 
Improper  care,  serv icing  and  repa ir proce
dures  can  increase  the  r isk  of  personal  injury 
and  death  by preventing  a safety  be lt  preten
sioner  from  activating  when  needed  or  acti
vating  i t unexpectedly: 
- The  be lt  pretensione r system  can  be  act ivat
ed  only  once. 
If belt  pretensione rs  have 
been  ac tiva ted,  the  system  must  be  re
placed. 
- Never  repair,  adjust,  or  change  any  parts  of 
the  s afety  be lt  system. 
- Safe ty bel t systems  in cl ud ing  safe ty belt 
pretens ioners  cannot  be  repaired.  Specia l 
procedu res  are  req uired  for  removal,  insta l
lat ion  and  disposa l of this  system. 
- For  any  wor k on  the  safety  belt  system,  we 
strongly  recommend  that  you  see  your  au 
thorized  Audi dea ler  o r qualified  technician 
who  has  an  Audi  approved  repair  manual, 
train ing  and  special  equipment  necessary. 
@ For the  sake of the  environment 
Undep loyed  airbag  modu les  and  pretension 
ers  might  be  classified  as  Perch lorate  Materi
al  -special  handling  may  apply,  see 
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo-
S afet y be lts 
rate.  When  the  vehicle  or  parts  of the  re
straint  system  including airbag  modu les  safe
ty  belts  with  pretensioners  are  scrapped,  all 
applicable  laws  and  regu lations  must  be  ob
served.  Your  authorized  Audi dealer  is familiar 
with  these  requirements  and  we  recommend 
that  you  have  your  dealer  perform  this  service 
for  you. 
137  
Page 140 of 278

Airbag  syste m 
Airbag  system 
Important  information 
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 prop 
er seating  position. 
For your  safety  and  the  safety  of your  passen
ge rs ,  before  driving  off,  always : 
"' Adjust  the  driver's  seat  and  steering  wheel 
properly ¢ 
page  122, 
"'Adjust  the  front  passenge r's  seat  properly 
¢ page  60, 
"'Wear  safety  belts  p roperly ¢ page  132 , 
"'Always  properly use  the  proper  child  restraint 
to  protect  children 
¢ page  158. 
In a  coll is io n  airbags  must  inflate  wi thin  the  b link 
of  an  eye  and  with  cons iderable  force . The  sup
p lemental  airbags  can  cause  injuries  if the  driver 
or the front seat passenger is not s eated  proper · 
Ly. T herefore  in order  to  help  the  airbag  to  do  its 
job,  it  is important,  both  as  a  dr iver  and  as  a  pas
senger  to  sit  properly  at  all  t imes . 
By keeping  room  between  your  body  and  the 
steering  whee l and  the  front  of the  passenger 
compartment,  the  a irbag  can  inflate  fully  and 
completely  and  provide  supplemental  protect ion 
in  certain  frontal  collisions¢ 
page  122,  Correct 
passenger  seating  positions . 
For details  on  the 
operation  of  the  seat  adjustment  con trols 
¢ page  60. 
It's  especially  important  that  children  are  proper 
ly restra ined 
¢ page  158 . 
There  is a  lot  that  the  driver  and  the  passengers 
can  and  must  do  to  help  the  ind iv idual  safety  fea
tures  installed  in your  Audi work  together  as  a 
system . 
Proper  seating  posit ion  is important  so  that  the 
front  airbag  on  the  drive r side  can  do  its  job.  If 
you  have  a  physical  impairment  or cond ition  that 
prevents  you  from  s itting  properly  on  the  driver 
seat  with  the  safety  be lt  properly  fastened  and 
138 
reaching  the  peda ls,  special  modifications  to 
your  vehicle  may  be  necessary. 
Contact  yo ur aut ho rized  Aud i dea le r, or  call  A udi 
C u stomer  Rela tions  a t 1-800-822-2834. 
When  the  airbag  sys tem  dep loys,  a gas  generator 
will fill  the  a irbags,  b reak  open  the  padded  cov
e rs,  and  inflate  betwee n the  steering  wheel  and 
the  driver  and  between  the  inst rument  pa nel and 
the  front  passenger . The  a irbags  w ill deflate  im
mediate ly after  dep loyment  so  t hat  the  front  oc
cupants  can  see  th ro u gh  the  windsh ie ld  again 
without  interruption. 
A ll  of  th is takes  p lace  in the  blink  of  an  eye,  so 
fast  that  many  people  don't  even  rea lize  that  the 
airbags  have  deployed.  The  airbags  a lso  inflate 
with  a  great  deal  of  force  and  nothing  should  be  i n the ir way when  they  deploy.  Front  airbags  in 
combination  with  properly  worn  safety  belts  slow 
down  and  lim it  t he occupant's  forward  move
ment . T ogether  they  he lp  to  prevent  the  driver 
and  front  sea t passenger  from  h itti ng  pa rts of 
t h e  i nside  the  veh icle  w hile  reducing  the  fo rces 
acti ng  on  the  occupant  dur ing  the  cras h.  In th is 
way they  help  to  reduce  the  risk of  inju ry to  the 
head  and  uppe r body  i n the  crash.  Airbags  do  not 
protect  the  arms  or  the  lower  parts  of the  body. 
Both  front  airbags  will  not  infla te  in all  frontal 
collisions . The  trigge ring  of the  airbag  system  de 
pends  on the  vehicle  deceleration  rate  caused  by 
the  coll is ion  and  registered  by the  electronic  con
tro l unit . If  this  rate  is  be low  the  reference  value 
programmed  into  the  contro l unit,  the  airbags 
will  not  be  triggered,  even  though  the  car  may  be 
badly  damaged  as  a  resu lt  of  the  co llision.  Vehi
cle  damage,  repa ir costs  or  even  the  lack of vehi
cl e  damage  is  not  ne cessari ly an  indication  of 
whethe r an  a irbag  should  infla te  o r not. 
It  is not  possib le  to  define  a  range  of vehicle 
speeds  that  w ill cove r every  possible  k ind  and  an
gle  of  impa ct  that  will always  tr igger  the  airbags , 
s in ce  the  circumst ances  w ill vary  cons iderably  be 
tween  one  collision  and  anot her.  Important  fac
tors  include,  for  examp le,  the  natu re  (hard  or 
soft)  of the  object  which  the  car  hits,  t he  angle  of 
i mpact,  vehicle  speed,  etc . The  front  airbags  will  ..,_