AUDI A6 2012 Owners Manual

Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at ­
tached to these fast eners. Proper ly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from s lid ing
into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can resu lt
in a loss of veh icle contro l and increase the
r isk o f se rious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or o ther
floo r coverings in the veh icle that cannot
be properly secured in pla ce to prevent
them from slipping and inte rfering w ith
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place o r inst all floo r ma ts or o ther
floo r coverings on top of already insta l­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings wi ll reduce the size of
the pedal a rea and interfere with the
peda ls.
- Always properly reinstall and secure f loor
mats t hat have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that ob jects cannot
fall into the driver footwe ll wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
t rapped under the brake pedal and accel ­
erator peda l causing a loss of veh icle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop ­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com ­
partment.
L oose items in the luggage compar tment can
shift suddenly , changing vehicle hand ling
characterist ics. Loose items can also increase
the r isk of se rious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuve r or in a collision .
Driving S afel y 129
"" Dis tribute the load even ly in the luggage
compa rtment .
... Always place and proper ly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as fa r
forward as possible .
"" Secure luggage using the tie -downs prov id ­
ed
c:> page 59, Luggage compartment.
"" Make s ure that the rear seatback is securely
la tched in place.
A WARNING
I mproperly store d luggage or other items
can fly t hro ugh the ve hicle causing ser ious
personal injury in the event of hard brak ­
ing or an accident. To help reduce the risk
of ser ious persona l injury:
- Always put objects, for exam ple, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the t ie-down hoo ks
a nd suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way yo ur ve­
h icle handles . To help reduce the risk of a
loss of cont ro l leading to serious pe rsonal
injury :
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle han dling:
- 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 G ross Vehicle We ight Rating
specified on the sa fety comp liance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
miss ible weight standards can cause the
ve hicle to slide and hand le different ly .
- Please observe informat ion on safe dr iv­
ing
c:>page 123.
•
•

130 Driving Safely
&_ 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
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
&_ WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are
securely 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
r::!) page 2 3 9.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly ¢
page 129, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items 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.
&_ 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
forward 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.
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause
a crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in addition to notify­
ing Audi of America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com­
plaints, it may open an investi­
gation, and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group
of vehicles, it may order a recall
and remedy campaign. Howev­
er, NHTSA cannot become in­
volved in individual problems
between you, your dealer, or
Audi of America, Inc.
Driving Safely 131
To contact NHTSA, you may call
the Vehicle Safety Hotline toll­
free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800-424-9153)
or write to:
Administrator NHTSA 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other infor­
mation about motor vehicle
safety from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
Canadian customers who wish
to report a safety-related de­
fect to Transport Canada, De­
fect Investigations and Recalls, may telephone the toll free hot­
line:
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or
Tel.: 1-613-998-8616 if you are
in the Ottawa area
TTY for hearing impaired:
1-888-67 5-6863
email comments/questions to:
[email protected]
or contact Transport Canada by
mail at:
111-
•
•
'

132 Driving Safely
Road Safety and Motor Vehicle
Regulation Directorate
Transport Canada
Tower C, Place de Ville, 330 Sparks Street
Ottawa, Ontario
KlA ONS
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsaf­
ety/i ndex . htm

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts a re nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that fo llows and
heed all of the inst ruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means availab le to red uce the r isk of se­
rious injury and death in a utomob ile acci­
de nts . For your prot ecti on and that of
yo ur passenge rs, always co rrec tly wear
sa fe ty bel ts when the ve hicle is mov ing.
- P re g nant women, injured, or physically
imp aired perso ns must also use safe ty
belts. L ike a ll vehicle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser ious ly injure d if they
do not wea r safety be lts . The best way to
protect a fet us is to protect the mother -
thro ughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating posit ions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
N ot wea ring safety belts or wea ring the m
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
perso nal i njur y an d deat h.
- Never st rap more than one pe rson, in­
cl ud ing s mall ch ild ren, into any belt . It is
e speci ally dangerous t o pl ac e a safety
bel t over a child s itting on yo ur lap.
- N ever le t mo re peo ple ride in t he ve hicle
th an there are s afety be lts availab le.
Safety belts 13 3
- Be s ure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained w ith a separate sa fe­
ty belt or child restra int.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up.
Fig . 1 33 Safety belt warning lig ht in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, alway s:
~ Fasten your safety be lt and make su re you
are wearing it properly .
~ Make sure that yo ur passengers a lso buck le
up and properly wear their safety be lts.
~ Protect children w it h a child restraint sys-
t em approp riate for the s ize and age .
The warning lig ht . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ig nit io n is on as a reminder
to fasten the safety belts. In add it ion, you will
hear a wa rning tone fo r a ce rtain per iod of
t im e.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belt s.
A WARNING
- Safety b elts are th e single most eff ect ive
mean s ava ilable to reduce the r is k o f se­
rio us inju ry and dea th in au tomobile a cci­
dents. Fo r you r protection and that of
your passe ngers, a lways correctly wear
safety belts when t he ve hicle is m oving . •
•

134 Safety belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
Fig. 134 Unbe lted occupants in a vehicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 135 Th e vehicle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
e rgy."
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 veh icle are not
using safety belts¢
fig. 134, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, until something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 135.
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or
more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher.
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli­
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was t ravell ing 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. 136 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown fo rwa rd
Fig . 137 A rear passe nge r not wearing a safety belt
will fly forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of i mpac t by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems, the unrestrained
ll-

occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 136. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize 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 vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers
c::> fig. 137. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver 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!
Fig. 138 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudden brak­
ing maneuver
Safety belts 135
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. 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 fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also su bsta ntia l­
ly 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, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics 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 increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired 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 provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags 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 everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

136 Safety belts
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned 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.
A 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 pas­
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person , in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­ ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- 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 ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing 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 dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder pa rt of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos i­
tion . -
Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly .
If web­
bing, bindings, buck les, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au ­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- 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 . Replace­
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen . Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inert ia reel
¢ page 213, Safety belts .
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 139 B elt buck le and to ngue o n th e drive r's sea t

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
c::> page SO, General recommenda­
tions .
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt
c::> ,&. .
... Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis
c::> ,&..
... Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hea r it latch securely
c::>fig. 139.
... Pull on t he be lt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat­
i c belt retractor on the shoulder be lt. This fea­
ture locks the be lt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing 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 the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac­
tivated
c::> page 140. The function of the pre­
tensioner is mon itored by a warning light
c::> page 18 .
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped w ith a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
c::> page 179 .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious injury in an accident
c::> page 13 7, Safety belt position.
Safety belts 13 7
-Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
belts are properly posit ioned on the
body .
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt* is attached is secu rely latched
whenever the rear cente r safety belt is
being used. If the backrest is not secu re­
ly latched, the passenger will move fo r­
ward with the backrest during s udden
braking, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
cially in a crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat. Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety 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
belt 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 seat in the veh icle
c::> page 181.
(!} Tips
For information on safety belt pretension­
ers, refer to
c::> page 140 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 140 Head restra int and safety be lt pos itio n as
see n fr om the side

138 Safety belts
Use the height adjustment to change the posi­
t ion of the shoulder belt of the front safety
belts.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent .
- 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
c:> fig . 140 .
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 abdo­
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug
c:> fig . 140. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
- A loose-fitting sc1fety belt can cause seri­
ous injuries by shifting its position 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 136.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectan t mothers always wear
safety belts correctly- throughout the preg­ nancy.
Fig. 141 Safe ty belt pos it ion during p regnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
c:> page 137.
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rectly
c:> page 50, General recommenda­
tions.
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis
¢ fig. 141, q A..
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
c:>page 136, fig . 139 .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- 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 information
c:> A in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 137 .
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
}~
Fig. 142 Re leas ing the tong ue from the bu ckle
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
c:> fig. 142 . The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle
c:> ,& .
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position . ..,.