ABS AUDI A4 SEDAN 2013 Owners Manual

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
Engine cooling system Tire pressure monitor ing
¢ page 18
system,/
¢page249
Steering column lock Tire pressure monitoring system
¢ page 18
1181~1 ¢page249
Ignition lock
Im
Electronic power cont ro l ,/
r:::;,page 18
c:>page20
U SA mod els:
•
Malfunction indicator Lamp
Speed warning system (MIL),/
r:::;, page 79
c:> page 20
Canada models :
•
Engine speed limitation
Speed warning system c:>page 21
r:::;,page 79
Engine oil level
Aud i adapt ive cru ise control./
•
c:>page 17
¢ page 100
•
Engine o il sensor
Yellow indic ato r lights c:> page 21
Yellow symbols indicate a priority 2 ma lfunc-
-
&1
Battery
tion -Warning!
c:>page 17
Jj]
Electron ic Stabilization Control
Ill
Tank system
(ESC) ,/
c:>page 21
r:::;, page 19
-Electronic Stabilization Control
•
Warm up engine *
ti
(ESC) ./ c:>
page 211
r:::;, page 19
•
Windshie ld washer fluid level
U SA m odel s: c:>page 21
~
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
defective ,/
m
Windshield wipers
r:::;, page 19 c:>page
21
Canada models :
le
Remote control key
[I]
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
c:>page 75
defective ,/
r:::;, page 19
I!
Battery in remote control key
USA models: c:>page 34
I
Safety systems ,/ --
l:J
Defective light bulb warning ' r:::;, page 20
c:>page 21
Canada models :
El
Safety systems ,/
•
Fog lights
<=>page20 c:>
page 21
•
Worn brake pads
E
Rear fog light(s)*
<=> page 20
c:>page 21
•
Electromechanical parking brake
II
Headlight range control *
<=>page
77 c:> page 22

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
ml
adaptive light *
¢page22
m
Light-/rain sensor*
¢page22
-
B
Adaptive dampers*
¢page 22
Ill
Sport differential *
¢page22
m
Ignition lock
¢page 23
Ill
Steering column lock
¢page 18
,1,ij
Electromechanical steering, dy-
namic steering*./
¢page 188
Transmission
g
-multitronic®, tiptronic
¢page88
- S tronic® ¢ page 95
m
Transmission
-S t ro nic ® ¢ page 95
Other indicator l ight s
11
1!11 Turn signals
llfa ¢page23
CRUISE
•
I
•
USA models: Cruise control
¢page81
Canada models : Cruise control
¢page 81
Audi adaptive cruise control *
¢page 100
Audi adaptive cru ise control *
¢page 100
-High beam
¢page45
BRAKE /((J)) Brake system
The ligh t illum ina tes when the ignition is
sw itche d on.
It goes out a fter the eng ine has been started. This
indicates that the b rake
warning light is functioning properly.
If th e brake warning light doe s not light up
when the engine is cranking, th ere may be a
malfunction in the electrical system . In thi s
case, contact your Audi dealer .
If the brake system wa rn ing/ indica tor light
t u rns o n, there is a b ra ke sys tem ma lfunction .
1111 (USA model s)/. (Canada model s)
Stop v ehicl e and check brake fluid lev el
If the indicator l ight turns on and the mes­
sage appears , proceed as follows:
.,. Pull off the road.
.,. Stop the vehicle.
.,. Tu rn off the engine.
.,. Check the b rake fluid level¢
page 224.
.,. Contact your nearest autho rized repair fa-
cility if necessa ry.
Warning! Fault in brake system . Contact
d ealer
If the ABS indicator light fl!S (USA models)/
(11 (Canada mode ls), the ESC ind icator light
Ji1 and the b rake system indicator light
1111 (U SA mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) turn
o n and the message appears, the ABS, ESC
and braking d is tribut ion are not worki ng ¢ ,&. .
Carefully drive to your author ized Audi dealer
immediately to have the malfunct ion correct­
ed ¢,&. .
1111 (USA models )/. (Canada models)
Parking brake system fault! See owner' s
manual
- If the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
when stationary or after switch ing the
ignition on ,
check if you can release the
park ing brake . Afte r releasing the parki ng
brake, carefully d rive to your au thor ized
Audi dea le r i mmedia tely t o have the ma l­
fu nction corre cted. If yo u can not release the
parking brake, see k professiona l assistance .
-If the ind icator light and the message ap-
pea r
while driving , th e e mergen cy b ra ki ng
fu nction may not be avail able.
It may not be .,..

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
possible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set. Seek professional as ­
s istance .
(USA models): If the warning light
1111 and
the warning light
liJ appear together, imme­
diate ly contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
¢ page 20.
When the light comes on, an audib le warning
signal is also given .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 208, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake flu id .
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- USA models: If the 1111 warn ing light,
the
G1 warning light and the m;B warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels co uld lock up first unde r hard
braking. Rear wheel lock-up can cause
loss of vehicle con tro l an d an accident .
Have your vehicle repai red immedia tely
by your aut ho rized Audi dea le r or a quali ­
fied workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applications.
- Canada models: If the brake warn ing
light ., the
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
BJ come on together,
the rear wheels could lock up first unde r
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acc i­
dent . Have yo ur vehicle repaired immed i­
ately by your authori zed A udi dealer or a
qu alifie d wo rkshop. Dr ive slowly and
avo id su dden, hard brake appli cat ions.
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
no t go out afte r a few se con ds and the
par king brake is released, or lights up
whi le you are driving, the fluid level in
the brake f luid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Audi dealer or qualified repair facility and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in mind that after severa l
brake applications, you will need greater
pressure on the brake pedal to stop your
veh icle. Do not rely on strained brakes to
respond with max imum stopping power
in critical s ituations . You must allow for
increased braking distances. The extra
d istance used up by fading bra kes could
le ad to an ac cident.
:l~/(®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light. (USA models)/ .
(Canada models) turns on, the pa rking brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the
ignition is off, the ind icator light turns off af­
ter abo ut 20 seconds.
The wa rning/i ndicator lig ht will go out when
the pa rking brake is re leased .
• (USA models ) /. (Can ada model s) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too ste ep
If the indicator light b links and the message
appears, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from roll ing . The brakes have
overheated . The veh icle cou ld roll away eve n
o n a sma ll incline .
Press brake pedal to release parking bra ke
To re lease the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press t he button(® or start driving
with starting assist at the same time
¢ page 78.
Please relea se park ing brake
T o re lease the par king b rake manually , p ress
t h e b rake peda l and press the button{®) at
the same time. The pa rking brake on ly releas­
es automatically if the driver's safety be lt is
fastened.
Ill Parking brake!
If the 11,1 indicator light turns on and t his
message appears, the re is a parki ng b rake

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
@ Tips
The symbol's appearance might be differ­
ent in some models .
n,/{J Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the G1 indicator lamp blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Ant i-S lip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating.
If the G1 indicator lamp illuminates, the sys­
tem has switched the ESC off. In this case , you
can switch the ignition off and then on to
sw itch the ESC on again . The system is func­
tioning completely when the indicator lamp
switches off .
I f the
Ii indicator lamp illuminates, the ESC
was switched off with the
I.!? O FF ! button.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the indicator light G1 and the ABS indicator
light
l!SJ (USA models) / li] (Canada mod­
els) turn on and the message appears, there is
a malfunct ion in the ABS system or electronic
differential lock. This also interrupts the ESC.
The brakes still function with their normal
power, but ABS is not active.
Drive to your autho rized Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
For more informat ion about the ESC
c> page 184.
ABS /(8) Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL) .
T he warning/indicator light
E (USA mod­
els)l[i] (Canada models) will come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on .
T he light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is completed .
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
- The warning/indicator light does not illumi ­
nate when you switch the ignition on. -
The warning/indicator light does not go out
after a few seconds.
- The warning/indicator light il luminates
while driving.
T he ESC indicator lig ht also illuminates if
there is a ma lfunct ion in the ABS. The mes­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC): Fault! See
owner 's manual
also appears in the instru­
ment cluster display and a warning tone
sounds.
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more information regarding the ABS
c> page 184.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warning light c> page 15 and the
ABS warning illuminate together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may a lso
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
c> .&. . The ABS will not work and you will no­
tice a change in braking response and per­
formance.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/indicator light 1111
(USA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in ­
strument cluster flashes
c> page 15 .
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together w ith the ABS . The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a
malfu nction in the EDL system ¢ page 184 .
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
poss ible.
A WARNING
-If the ma:1 (USA mode ls)/ [i] (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on whi le dr iving, the ABS
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only w ith the
standard brakes (without ABS). You w ill
not have the protect ion ABS provides.
-
...

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

Starting and autom ati call y relea sing the
pa rking b rake
~ When you start to drive as usua l, the park­
ing brake is automatically re leased and your
vehicle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signa l or stopp ing
in city traffic on vehicles with an automatic
transmission, the parking brake can be ap­ plied. The vehicle does not have to be held
w ith the footbrake . The park ing brake elimi­
nates the tendency to creep with a drive range
engaged. As soon as you dr ive off as usual,
the park ing brake is released automatically
and the vehicle starts to move .
Starting on slop es
When starting on inclines, the start ing ass ist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll­
ing back. The braking force of the parking
brake is not released until sufficient dr iving
force has been b uilt up at the whee ls.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re­
leased automatically only when the dr iv­
er 's safety belt is engaged in the bu ckle.
Starting off with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an
incline, do the following:
~ Keep the switch@¢ page 77, fig. 77
pulled and depress the accelerator . The
park ing b rake stays app lied and p revents
the vehi cle from rolling backward.
~ You can release the switch @once you are
s u re that yo u are developing enough driving
force at the wheels by depressing the accel­ erator.
D epending on the weight of the rig (vehicle
and trai ler) and the severity of the incline, you
may roll backwards as you start. Yo u can pre­
vent roll ing backwards by holding the parking
brake switch @pulled out and accelerating -
just as you would when starting on a hill wit h
a conventional hand brake .
On the ro ad 79
Emergency braking
In the event that the conventional brake sys­
tem fails or locks .
~ In an emergency, pull the sw itch @
¢
page 77, fig. 77 and continue to pull it to
slow your vehicle down with the parking
brake .
~ As soon as you release the switch @ or ac-
celerate, the b ra ki ng process s tops.
If you pull the switch @and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h), the eme rgen­
cy bra king funct ion is initia ted . T he ve hicle is
braked at all four whee ls by activating the hy­
draulic brake system. The brake performa nce
is similar to making an emergency stop¢&..
In order not to act ivate the eme rgency brak­
ing by mis take, an audib le warning tone (buz ­
zer) so unds when the switch @is pulled. As
soon as the switch @ is re leased, or the acce l­
erato r peda l is depressed, emergency braking
stops.
A WARNING
...--
Emergency braking should only be used in
an emergency, when the normal foot brake has fa iled or the brake pedal is obstructed .
Using the par king b rake to pe rform eme r­
gency brak ing will slow your vehicle down
as if you had made a full bra ke application.
The laws of physics cannot be suspended
even with ESC and its associated compo ­
nents (ABS, ASR, EDS) . In corners and
when road or weather conditions are bad,
a full brake application can ca use the vehi­
cle to sk id or the rear end to break away -
risking an accident.
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep
your driving speed below a set speed limit.
The speed warn ing system warns if the driver
exceeds a p reviously sto red max imum speed .
A warn ing tone w ill sound as soon as the
Ill>

Homelink®
Universal remote
control
Description
Appl ies to vehicles: with Horne Link
The Homelink universal remote control can
be programmed with the remo te control for
devices that are already present.
With Home Link, you can control devices such
as the garage door, security systems, house
l ights , etc. comfortab ly from the inside of you
veh icle .
H ome Link ma kes it possible for you to rep lace
three differen t remote controls from dev ices
in your home with one universal remote. This
feature works for most garage door and exte­
rior door motor signals. Programming the in­
dividual remote control for your remote con ­
trol takes p lace near the center of the radiator
grille. There is a control module attached at
this location .
A one-t ime programming of the sensor must
be perfo rmed before you are able to use sys­
t ems w ith Homelink. If the system does not
activate after performing the one-t ime pro­
gramming, check whether the system uses a rolling codec:>
page 124 for veh icles without
the M MI*.
_& WARNING
- Never use the Homelink ® transmi tte r
with any garage door opener that does have not the sa fety stop and reverse fea ­
tu re as req uired by federa l safety stand­
ards. Th is includes any garage door open­
er mode l manufact ured before April 1,
1982.
- A garage door opener which cannot de­
tect an object, signaling the door to stop
and reverse does not meet current feder­
al safety standards . Us ing a ga rage door
opener without these features increases
risk of serious in ju ry or death.
Homelink ® 121
-For safety reasons never re lease the
parking brake or start the engine while
anyone is standing in front of the vehicle.
- A garage door or an estate gate may
sometimes be set in mot ion when the
Homelink ® remote control is being pro­
grammed . If the device is repeatedly ac ­
tivated, th is can overstrain motor and
damage its e lectrical components -an
overhea ted mo to r i s a fire hazard !
- To avo id possib le injuries or p roperty
damage, please always make abso lutely
certain that no persons o r ob je cts are lo­
ca ted in the range of mo tion of any
equi pment being ope rated .
(D Tips
- If you would li ke more information on
H ome link ®, where to purchase the
Home link ® compa tib le produc ts, or
would like to purchase the Homelink ®
Home Lighting Package, please call to ll­
free: 1-800-355-3515.
- For Declaration of Compliance to United
States FCC and Ind ustry Canada reg ula­
tions c:>
page 275.

132 Driving Safel y
-Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwe ll wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
contro l.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secur ed in the luggage com­
partment.
Fig. 128 S afe load positio nin g: place heavy objects as
l ow a nd a s far forward as pos sible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle hand ling
characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment .
.,. Always p lace and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible
c> fig. 128.
.,. Secure the load with the cargo net* or with
non -elastic straps secured to the tie-downs
<=> page 65.
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly throug h the vehicle ca using serious
personal inj ury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an accident. To help reduce the r isk
of serious personal injury: -
Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com ­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the t ie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
.&_ WARNING
-
Heavy loads w ill influence the way your ve­
hicle handles . To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
in jury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling :
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible .
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
miss ible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe dr iv­
ing
c:> page 126.
.&_ WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
a rea because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely m ust dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
red uce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the sunroof,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switc h off the ai r rec irc ulat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.

Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 130 Unbelted occupant s in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 131 The vehicle c ras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies with vehicle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
ergy ."
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 .
Vehicle 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
using safety belts
r::;, fig. 130, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
moving just before the crash, until something
stops them -here, the wall
c:> fig . 131 .
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 Safety belts
13 7
reach one ton (2,000 lbs. or 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 colli­
sion 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 col ­
lisions .
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. 132 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is vio lently
thrown forward
Fig. 133 A rear passeng er not wearing a safety belt
w ill fly forward and strike the driver
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 oc­
cupant will slam violently into the steer ing
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way ¢ fig. 132 . This impact Ill-

138 Safet y belt s
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Neve r rely on airbags a lone for p rotec tion.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
addit io nal p rotection . Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with a irbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to min i­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash .
Remember too, that airbags wi ll deploy on ly
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have a lready deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle whe re even more severe o r fatal in juries
can occu r.
It is also impo rtant for the rear passenge rs to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the re ar seats end anger no t on ly them­
selves but a lso the d river a nd other passen­
gers ~
fig. 133. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violent ly, where they can
h it and injure the dr iver and/or front seat pas ­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!
F ig . 13 4 Driver is co rrectly re st ra ined in a s udden b rak ·
i n g m an euve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference . Safety be lts he lp to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the
uncontrolled movement that can
ca use serio us in juries . In addition, safety be lts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and
give 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
"abso rbing" t he kinetic energy over a longer
per iod of t ime, the safety belts make the
forces o n the body more " tolerable" and less
l ikely to ca u se inju ry.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
ta l co llision, saf ety belts can a lso substantia l­
ly red uce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
cr ashes. So, whether you're on a long t rip o r
j u st going to the corner store, a lways buckle
u p and make sure others do, too. Accident sta ­
tistics show that veh icle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of be ing
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety be lts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen ­
tal airbags to do the ir job i n a collision. Fo r
t hi s reason, wea ring a safety belt is legally re­
quired in mos t countr ies includi ng mu ch of
t h e Un ited States and C anada .
Althoug h your Aud i is equipped with a irbags,
you still have to wear the safety be lts prov id­
ed . F ront ai rbags, fo r example , a re ac tivated
o nly in some front al coll isions. The fron t air­
bags are not act ivated in a ll fron tal collis ions,
in side and rear co llisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not eno ugh deceleration
through impact to the front o f the veh icle.
The same goes for the other a irbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt and make su re everybody in your veh icle is
properly restrai ned !