AUDI A4 AVANT 2008 Owners Manual

of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the
way=> fig . 169. 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 dep loy,
airbags provide only additional protection . Airbags are not
supposed to deploy in all kinds of accidents . Although your Audi is
e quipped wi th airbags, all vehicle occupan ts , including the driver,
must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize 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.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly . Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other
passengers~ page 178,
fig. 170. In a frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently,
where they can hit and injure the driver and/or front seat
passenger. •
Safety first
Safety belts
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!
&l
9 w a, a,
Fig. 171 Driver is
correctly 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 .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give them the benefit
of being slowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety features engineered
into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the kinetic energy 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 examples are based on a frontal collision, safety belts can also substantially reduce the risk of injury in other kinds
of crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to the
corner store, a lways buckle up and make sure others do, too . Acci­
dent statistics show that vehicle occupants properly wearing safety
belts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of
surviving an accident . Properly using safety belts also greatly .,,_
irechnical data

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increases the ability of the supplemental airbags to do their job in a
collision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally required in
most countries including much of the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you still have to wear
the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front airbags are not activated in
all frontal collisions, in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration through impact to the
front of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt and make sure every­
body in your vehicle is properly restrained!
•
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 described in
this chapter.
- Make sure that your safety belts are always ready for use
and are not damaged.
& 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 correctly.
• Always fasten your safety belts correctly before driving off and
make sure all passengers are correctly restrained.
• For maximum protection, safety belts must always be posi­
tioned properly on the body.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt.
& WARNING (continued)
• Never place a safety belt over a child sitting on your lap.
• Always keep feet in the footwell in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven.
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct posi­
tioning of belts and reduce 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 create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer . Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
.,_

/b, WARNIN G (conti nued )
• Never remove , modify , di sass emble , or try to repair the safety
belt s yourself .
• Always keep the belt s cl ean . Dirty belt s may not work properly
and can impair the fun ction of the i nertia ree l
=> pag e 265, "S afety
belt s".•
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first
-everyb ody buckle up!
Fig . 17 2 Bel t buckle
an d to n g ue on th e
driver' s se at
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned co rrect ly on the wearer's body.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=> page 95, "General recommendat ions".
Safety first
Safety b elts
-Make sure the seat back of the rea r sea t bench is in an
uprig ht p osit ion and sec ure ly la tch ed in place before
us ing the
belt=> &-
-Ho ld the belt by t he to n gue and pull it evenly across the
c h es t an d
pelvis => &-
-Insert t he tongue into the correct buckle of you r seat
unti l you hear it latch
securely => fig. 172.
-Pu ll on the belt to make su re that it is securely latched in
t h e buckle.
Automati c safety b elt r etr ac tors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automatic belt retractor on the
shoulder belt. This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock
when you dr ive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
Dur ing normal d riving the belt lets you move free ly .
Sa fety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equip ped with a belt pretensioner tha t he lps to
tighten the safety belt and remove slack when the pretensioner is activated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a
warning
light=> page 20.
Sw itchable l ocking featur e
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver seat is equipped with
a switchable locking feature that
mu st be used when the safety be lt
is used to attach a child safety seat . Be sure to read the important
informat ion about this
feature => page 220.
& WARNING
Improperly po sitioned safety belt s can cau se seriou s injury in an
a c cident =>
page 182 , "Safety belt p osition ". ...
irechnical data

___ s_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
& W ARNING (continued )
• Safety belts offer optimum protection only when the seat back
is upright and belts are properly positioned on the body.
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is securely latched whenever
the rear center safety belt is being used. If the backrest is not securely latched, the passenger will move forward with the back ­
rest 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
effectiveness and can cause ser ious personal injury .
• A passenger who is not properly restrained can be ser iously
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 safety seat in the vehicle
=> page 222. •
Safety belt position
Corre ct be lt posit ion is th e key to get ting maximum
p ro te ct ion fro m sa fe ty belt s.
Fig . 17 3 Head restraint
and safety belt posi ­
tion as seen from the
side
Sta ndard fea tures on you r veh icl e help yo u a djust the po sit io n of
the safety belt to match your body size .
• b elt heig ht adj ustm ent for th e fron t sea ts ,
• automatic belt height ad justment for the rear se ats .
& 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 . 173. 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 _.

/b, WARNING (continued)
sure the belt lies flat and snug=> fig. 173. 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 180. •
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig . 174 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To prov ide maximum protection, safety be lts must always
be positioned correctly on the wearer's
body ~ page 182.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
~ page 95, "General recommendations".
Safety first
Safety belts
-Make sure the seat back of th e rear seat bench is in an
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 ~ fig. 174, ~ & -
-Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
until you hear it latch
securely ~ page 181, fig. 172.
-Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
& 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 181. •
irechnical data

___ s_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release button only
after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig . 175 Releasing the
tongue from the buckle
-Push the red release button on the buckle ~ fig. 175. 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. •
Adjusting safety belt height
Use the safety belt height adjustment to change belt posi­
tion on the shoulder.
Fig . 176 Safety belt
height adjustor
The safety belt height adjustors for the front seats can be
used to adjust the height of the shoulder portion of the seat
belt so that it is positioned properly.
-The height adjustor can only be pushed down if the catch
is squeezed at the same
time => fig. 176 G).
-Press the handle slowly up or down 0 so that the
shoulder portion of the safety belt is positioned nearly
midway over the
shoulder~ &, in "Safety belt position"
on page
182.
-Pull the belt to make sure that the upper attachment is
properly engaged.
.,

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;,;;..;; e.;.lt ;;,,; s;;...__1111
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important informa­
tion
=> page 180.
[ i] Tips
The seat height adjustment on the front seats can also be used the adjust the position of the safety belts .•
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
nes.
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.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(continued)
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
=> page 180. •
Safety belt tensioner
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear 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, side and rear collisions of
great severity. This tightens the belt and takes up belt
slack=> & in
"Care, service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner". Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant movement during a collision .
0 Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat back that has been folded
forward. The rear belt pretensioner will be activated unnecessarily
in a collision and then has to be replaced .
[ i] Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once.
• In minor frontal, side and rear -end collisions, in a rollover and in
accidents involving very little impact force, the safety belt preten­
sioner 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 -_,,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ S_a _f_e _t ..:.y _ b
_ e_lt _s ______________________________________________ _
ership is familiar with these regulations and will be p leased to pass
on the informat ion to you .
• Be sure to observe al l safety, environmental and other regula ­
tions if the veh icle or individual parts of the system, particu lar ly t he
safety be lt or airbag, are to be disposed . We recommend you have
your author ized Audi dea ler perform this service for you .•
Care, service and disposal of safety belt
pretension er
The safety belt pre -tens ioners are parts of the safety belt and
insta lled at the outboard seating positions on your Audi. Installing,
r e m oving, servici ng or repairing of belt pre-tensioners can damage
the safety be lt system and prevent that system from working prop ­
erly in a co llision .
T here are some important things you have to know to make sure
that the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red and that
d iscarded components do not cause injury or po llute t he environ ­
ment .
& WARNING
Improp er care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
ri sk of per sonal injury and death by pre venting a safety belt
tens ioner from a ctivating when needed or a ctivating it unexpect­
edly:
• Never repair , adjust , or change any parts of the safety belt
s y stem .
• Safety belt sy stem s including safety belt pre -tensioner s cannot
be repaired . Sp eci al pr ocedu re s a re required for removal , in sta lla ­
tion and di sposal of this system .
• For any w ork on the safety belt system , we strongl y re com ­
mend tha t you see your authori zed Audi dealer or qualified techni ­
c ia n who ha s a Audi appro ved repair m anual , training and spe cial
e quipment nece ssary .
& WARNING (continu ed )
• The safety belt pre-tens ioner sy stem can be activated only
on ce . If safety belt pre -ten sioners ha ve been activ ated , then they
mu st be repl aced .
ffi For the sake of the environment
U ndeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified
as Perchlorate Mater ial -specia l handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate. When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system inc luding airbag modu les safety be lts
with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicab le laws and regu la ­
t ions must be observed . Your author ized Audi dealer is fa miliar wi th
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dealer
perform this serv ice for you .•

________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a..: g:::- s..: y:.. s_ t_ e_ m __ .... ffllll
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 safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=> page 168,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 96,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 180 ,
- Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children
=> page 210 .
In a col lision airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force . The suppl emental airbags can caus e injuries if
t he driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. 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 keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplementa l protect ion in certain frontal
collisions => page 168, "Proper occupant seating positions" . For
detai ls on the operation of the seat adjustment
contro ls => page 97.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=> page 210.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system .
Proper sea ting position is important so that the fron t airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If 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, or if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi
dea ler or qualified workshop, or ca ll Audi Customer CARE at 1 -800-
822 -2834 for possible 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 whee l and the driver and between the instrument pane l
and the front passenger. The airbags will deflate immediately after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind ­
shie ld again without interruption .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy. Front airbags in combination with proper ly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement .
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside the vehicle while reducing the forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help to
reduce the risk 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 wi ll not inflate in all frontal collisions. The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehic le dece leration
rate caused by the collision and registered by the electronic contro l
unit . If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car
may be badly damaged as a result of the collision . Vehicle damage, _,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_b _ a_ g=- s--=- y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
repair costs or even the lack of vehicle damage is not necessarily an
indication of whether an airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle speeds that will cover
every possible kind and ang le of impact that wil l always trigger the
a irbags, since the circumstances wi ll vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another . Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of impact, vehicle speed , etc . The front airbags will also not inf late
in s ide or rear co llisio ns, or in rol l-overs .
Al way s remember : Airbags wi ll deploy only once , and on ly in certain
kinds of collisions. Yo ur safety belts are a lways there to offer protec ­
tion in those situat ions in which airbags are not supposed to deploy ,
or when they have already deployed; for example, when your vehic le
str ikes or is struck by another after the first co llision.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplem entary
r es tra int and is not a substitute for a safety be lt. The a irbag system
works most effective ly when used with the safety be lts . T herefore,
a lways properly wear your safety
be lts ~ page 176 .
& WARNING
Sitting too clo se to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
de cre ase the effect ivene ss of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a colli sion.
• N ever si t closer than 10 in ches (25 cm) to the steer ing wheel or
in strument panel .
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , inve stigate whether ad aptive equipment may be available
to held you re ach the pedal s and in crease your s eating distanc e
from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestr ained , le aning forward , sitting sideways or out
of position in any way , your risk of injury i s much higher.
• You will also receive seriou s injuries and could even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it infl ates
-
even with an Advanced A irbag .
& WARNING (continued )
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates , always
we ar s afety belt s
properly ~ page 181, "Safety belt s".
• Alway s make certain that children age 12 or young er always
ride in the rear sea t. If children are not properl y re st ra ined , they
may b e severely injured or killed when an airbag inflate s.
• Never let children ride unre str ained or improperly restr ained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seat s properly .
• Ne ver rid e w ith the b ackrest re clined.
• Alway s sit as far a s po ssible from the steering wheel or the
i nst rument
panel ~ page 168.
• Alway s sit upright with your ba ck ag ain st th e ba ckre st of your
s eat.
• Ne ver pla ce your feet on the in strument panel or on the seat.
Alwa ys keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent seriou s injuri es to th e le gs and hips if the airbag infl ates.
• Never re cline the front pa ssenger's seat to tran sport object s.
Item s can al so mo ve into the a re a of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden m aneuver. Objects near the
airbags can becom e projectile s and cau se injury wh en an airbag
i nflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deplo yed in a cr ash must be replaced .
• Use only original equipment airb ag s a pproved by Audi and
in stalled by a trained techni cian who has the nece ssary tool s and
diagno stic equipment to pr operly repl ace any airbag in y our
vehicle and a ssure sys tem effectiv enes s in a crash .
• N ever p ermit salv aged or re cycled airb ags to be in sta lled in
y our vehicle. •