weight AUDI Q3 2016 Owners Manual

Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Airbag system ............... .... . 112
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Front airbags ...................... . 116
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System . 122
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Child seats ............... ...... ... . 13 7
Securing child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
LATCH system (Lower anchorages and
tethers for children) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
144
Addit ional information 149
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . 150
Notice about data recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and vehicle control
modul es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
150
Electronic Stabilization Control ( ESC) . . . . 151
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Electromechanical steering . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
All wheel drive (quattro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Driving and the environment . . . . 159
Breaking in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Shutting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
160
Driving offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Trailer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Trailer mode notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Operating instructions . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . . . . 169
Table of contents
Fuel and Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
173
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
E ngine compa rtment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Windshield washer system 190
Wheels ........ .. ................. 191
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Tire pressure monitoring system 208
Troubleshooting ............. .. .. 211
Emergency assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 211
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Folding chocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Removing the subwoofer............. . 212
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire).. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. .. ..
212
Replacing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fuses. .... .. .. .. .. ....... ........ .. 219
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Emergency s ituations . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . . . . 223
Start ing with jumper cables ........... 223
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Towing with a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Raising the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 9
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
D . . 1mens1ons
.. .. . ... ................ . 230
3

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force of the rear lid is limited, you can still
seriously injure yourself or others.
- Always ensure that no one is within range of
the rear lid when it is moving, in particular
close to the hinges and the upper and lower
edges - fingers or hands can be pinched.
- 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 which fit
completely into the luggage area, because
then the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially w ith the rear lid left open . A chi ld
cou ld crawl into the car through the luggage
compartment and pull the lid sh ut, becom­
ing trapped and unable to ge t out. To re­
duce the risk of persona l injury, never let
children p lay in or around your vehicle. Al­
ways keep the rear lid as well as the vehicle doors closed when not in use.
- If there is a luggage rack or bicycle rack
mounted on the rear lid , it may not be able
to open completely or an opened rear lid
may close by itself because of the added
we ight. So the open rear l id must be sup­
ported or the weight must be removed from
the luggage rack first.
(D Tips
- When the vehicle is locked, the rear lid can
be unlocked separately by press ing the but­
ton
c:> on the master key . When the rear lid
i s closed again, it loc ks automatically.
- The following applies to veh icles equipped
with the conven ience key* feature: if the re­
mote control key is left in the luggage com­
partment, luggage compartment wi ll auto­
matically unlock itself after you lock the ve­
hicle . This prevents you from unintentional­
ly locking your key in the luggage compart­
ment .
- If the vehicle battery charge drops below a
certain level, you can still open or close the
rear lid manually, however, you will need to
apply more force to close it .
Openin g an d clos ing
Luggage compartment lid emergency
release
The luggage compartment lid can be released in
an emergency from inside the luggage compart­
ment.
Fig. 29 L ug gage compar tment lid emergen cy rele ase
.,._ Pry the cover off using the key .
.,. Press the lever with the key in the direc tion of
the arrow to release the luggage compartment lid .
Child safety lock
Mechanical child safety lock
Appl ies to vehicles : wit h mechanical chi ld safety lock
The child safety locks f prevent the rear doors
from opening from the inside.
F ig. 30 Opened rea r doo rs: child safety lock
.,. To switch on the child safety lock, turn the key
in the direction of the arrow .
.,. To switch off the child safety lock , turn the key
in the oppos ite direct ion of the a rrow.
When the c hild safety locks are activated, the in ­
s ide door handles do not work and the doors can
only be opened from the outside .
35

Sea ts and stor age
of injuries, never leave ch ildren unattended in
the vehicle with the veh icle key.
(D Note
- To reduce the risk of damage to the vehicle
electrica l system, never attempt to charge
the vehicle battery by connecting accesso­
ries that prov ide power , such as solar panels
or battery chargers, to the 12 Volt sockets
or the cigarette lighter .
- To reduce the risk of damage to the sockets,
only use plugs that fit correct ly.
{!) Tips
The vehicle battery drains when accessories
are turned on but the engine is off.
Storage
General overview
A WARNING
- Always remove objects from the instrument panel. Any items not put away could slide
around inside the vehicle wh ile driving or
when accelerat ing or when applying the
brakes or when drivi ng a round a corner .
- When you are dr iving make sure that any­
thing you may have placed in the center con­
so le or othe r storage locations cannot fall
o ut into the footwells. In case of sudden
br ak in g you would not be able to brake or
acce lerate .
- Any pieces of cloth ing that you have hung
up mus t not in te rfe re with the driver 's view.
The coat hooks a re designed only fo r light ­
weight clothing. Never hang any clothing
with hard, pointed or heavy objects in the
pockets on the coat hooks. Dur ing sudden
braking or in an accident- especially if the
airbag is deployed -these objects could in­
jure any passengers inside the vehicle .
54
Beverage holders
Fig. 61 Center consol e: fr ont cup holders
Fi g. 62 Rea r cen te r armrest : rea r cup ho lde rs
Opening the re a r cup ho lder s
.. To open the cup holder , tap on the~ symbol @
¢fig. 62.
.. To adjust the cup holder to fit the beverage
container, push the correspond ing arm ® in
the direction of the ar row .
.,. Place the beverage in the holder and release
t he arm. The a rm swings ba ck by i tself and se­
cures the beverage .
Closing the rear cup holders
.,. To close the cup holders , press the center piece
between both arms and push the cup holders
all the way back into the slot.
A WARNING
Spilled ho t liqui d can cause a n accident and
personal injury .
- Never carry any beverage containers with
ho t liquids, such as hot coffee or hot tea, i n
the vehicle while it is moving . In case of an
accident, s udden braking or other vehicle
movement, hot liquid cou ld spill , causing
-

Seats and storage
To switch the cooling off
.,. Turn the rotary switch @clockwise to switch
the cooling off.
The cooling box works only in the cooling mode.
If the climate control is in the heating mode, we
recommend switching the cooling box off.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury in an acci­
dent or sudden stop, always keep the glove
compartment closed while driving.
Additional storage
There are a variety of storage compartments and
fasteners in various places in the vehicle.
- In the front center console.
- At the front end of the front seats*. You can
store objects weighing up to 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) in
the drawer and objects weighing up to 2.2 lbs (1 kg) in the hinged compartment.
- In the door trim.
- Coat hooks next to and above the rear doors.
- Nets* on the backrests of the front seats.
- Coat hooks/retaining hooks in the luggage
compartment.
& WARNING
- When driving, do not leave any hard objects
on the rear window shelf or allow your pet
to sit on the shelf. They could become a haz­
ard for vehicle occupants in the event of
sudden braking or a crash.
- Always remove objects from the instrument
panel. Any items not stored could slide
around inside the vehicle while driving or
when accelerating or when applying the
brakes or when driving around a corner.
- When you are driving make sure that any­
thing you may have placed in the center con­
sole or other storage locations cannot fall
out into the footwells. In case of sudden
braking you would not be able to brake or
accelerate.
- Any articles of clothing that you have hung
up must not interfere with the driver's view.
56
The coat hooks are designed only for light­
weight clothing. Never hang any clothing
with hard, pointed or heavy objects in the pockets on the coat hooks. During sudden
braking or in an accident - especially if the
airbag is deployed - these objects could in­
jure any passengers inside the vehicle.
- To reduce the risk of personal injury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
glove compartment closed while driving.
- Read and follow all WARNINGS
~ page 128, Important safety instructions
on the side airbag system.
-Hang clothes in such a way that they do not
impair the driver's vision.
- The coat hooks must only be used for light­
weight clothing. Do not leave any heavy or
sharp edged objects in the pockets which
may interfere with the side curtain airbag
deployment and can cause personal injury in
a crash.
- Do not use coat hangers for hanging cloth­
ing on the coat hooks as this can interfere
with proper deployment of the side curtain airbags in an accident.
- Do not hang heavy objects on the coat
hooks, as they could cause personal injury in
a sudden stop.
- Always keep the compartment above the
rearview mirror closed while driving to re­
duce the risk of injury in the event of sudden
braking maneuvers or a collision.
(D Note
Objects located on the rear shelf that rub
against the rear window could damage the heating wires for the rear window defogger.
(D Tips
-A vent slot is located between the shelf and
the rear window. Do not block the vent with
any items you may place on the rear window
shelf.
- Do not place bulky items on the rear window shelf as they could restrict or block the driv­
er's vision in the rear view mirror.

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Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof lug­
gage rack.
Fig. 6 6 Roof rack attach ment points
.. Always read and follow the inst ruct ions prov id ­
ed by the roof rack man ufacturer when instal­
l ing the roof rack system .
If luggage or cargo is to be carried on the roof,
you must observe the following:
- Only use roof rac ks approved fo r you r vehicle.
T hese app roved roof racks a re the bas is for a
complete roof ra ck system . Additional attach­
ments or carrier systems are needed to trans ­
port luggage and sports equipment . We recom ­
mend using roof racks from the Audi orig inal
accessor ies program .
- When installing the roof rack, make sure it is
only mounted on the designated locations on
the roof¢
fig. 66.
- We recommend that you keep the installat ion
instruct ions for your roof rack system together
with your Owner's literature in the veh icle.
When should th e roof rack b e re mov ed?
- Before going through an au tomatic car wash (it
is best to ask the car wash operator for advice).
- When not in use, to reduce fue l consumption,
wind noise and to guard against theft .
_& WARNING
-Use of an unapproved roof rack or i ncorrect
mounting of an approved roof rack can
cause the roof rack o r the items attached to
it to fall off the roof onto the road .
Seats and storage
-Objects falling from the roof of a vehicle can
cause a crash and personal injury.
- On ly mount the roof rack on the designated
locations on the roof¢
fig. 66.
- The roof rack system must be insta lled ex­
actly accord ing to the instr uctions provided .
- W hen driving with a roof rac k system,
changes to the center of grav ity and w ind
resistance can change the vehicle handling
and lead to a co llision. Always adapt your
driving and your speed to the current cond i­
tions.
(D Note
- Your vehicle warranty does not cover any
damages to the vehicle caused by using roof
racks or mount ing structu res not approved
by Audi for yo ur vehicle . The same app lies to
damage resulting from incorrect roof rack
installat ion.
- Always check the roof rack mountings and
hardwa re before each trip and during a t rip
to ma ke sure eve rything is se cu rely t ight­
ened. If ne cess ary, retighte n the mountings
and check the entire sys tem from time to
t ime.
- After moun ting a roof ra ck system, or when
yo u transport objects on the roof o f you r ve­
hicle, the he ight of the vehicle is natura lly
increased. Be caref ul when driving under
low bridges or in pa rking garages for exam­
ple. This cou ld cause damage to the load
and eve n the vehicle itse lf.
- Make sure that the open rear lid and the sunroof do not come into contact with ob­
jects on the roof.
Loading the roof rack
Always distribute loads evenly. Make sure any­
thing on the roof rack is securely tied down.
.. Always distr ibute the loads on the roof rack
eve nly .
.. Always attach items to the roof rack secu rely
before you drive off .
The maxim um permissible roof weig ht is
165 lb
(75 kg) . The roof weight is the total of the Ill>
57

Sea ts and stor age
weight of the roof rack, the attachments and the
cargo you are carrying. You must also not exceed
the maximum load we ight for the roof rack you
are us ing.
When us ing a roof rack system which has a lower
load carrying capacity, you must not use up the
tota l maximum permissible load carrying capaci­
ty spec ified above. Instead, you should load the
roof rack system only to the maximum capacity
specified by the manufacturer of the roof rack
system.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged o r improper st raps us ed to
sec ure i tems to the roof rack can fa il dur ing
h ard br aking or in a collision and ca use seri­
ous person al injury.
- Make s ure the roof rack is installed exact ly
as specified above
¢page 57.
- Always use suitab le mounting s traps for se­
c u ring i tems to the roof rack to help prevent
items from sh ifting or f ly ing fo rward.
- Items on t he roof ra ck m ust always be se­
c ur ely moun ted.
- T he use of a roof rack can negatively affect
the way a vehicle h andles. Ca rgo that is
la rge, heavy, bulky, long or fla t will have a
greate r negative influence on the ve hicle's
aerodynamics, center of gravity and overall handling. Always drive slowly, avoid sudden
braking and maneuvers when transporting
cargo on the roof of your vehicle.
- Never exceed the maximum permissible
load carryi ng capacity of the roof of your
ve­
hicle, the permissible axle we ights a nd the
permissible total weight of your vehicle
¢ page 229, Weights.
(D Note
- Make sure the rear lid does not hit the cargo
on the roof rack when you open it. On
vehicles with automatic rear lid/trunk lid
operation* you may have to adjust the open position of the rear lid ¢
page 34.
-Remove the roof rack and attachment be­
fo re tak ing your vehicl e through an auto­
mati c car wash to avo id damage.
58
-
@) For the sake of the environment
As a resu lt of the increased wind resistance
created by a roof rac k, yo ur vehicle is using
f u el unnecessa rily. So remove the roof rack
after using it.
Luggage compartment
General information
A WARNING
Read and heed the important safety precau­
tions o n¢
page 100 , Storing cargo correctly.
Luggage compartment cover
App lies to vehicles: wit h lu ggage compartment cover
Fi g. 6 7 Luggage compartment: cover attached
Fig . 68 R ight front section of the l uggage compartment:
r emov ing the luggage compartment cover
Attaching
-
.,. Pull the cover out and attach it into position in
the mounting eyelets in the side trim¢
fig. 67.
Remo ving
.,. Pull both levers all the way in the direction of
the arrow ¢
fig. 68.
.,. Pull the cover upward to remove.

the parking brake releases automatically and the
vehicle starts to move.
Starting on hills
When start ing on inclines, the hill start ass ist
prevents the vehicle from unintentionally roll ing
back. The braking force of the parking brake is
only released if sufficient drive power has been
bui lt up at the whee ls.
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking brake is re­
leased automatically only when the driver's
safety belt is fastened and the driver's door is
locked.
Starting to drive with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on an in­
cline, do the following:
.. Keep pulling the<®> switch and press the acce l­
erator pedal. The parking brake stays applied
and prevents the vehicle from ro lling backward.
.. You can re lease the<®> switch once you are sure
that you are transferring enough dr iving force
to the whee ls by pressing the accelerator pedal.
Depending on the weight of the rig (vehicle and
trailer) and the severity of the incline, you may
roll backwards as you start.
Hill hold
A ppl ies to vehicles: with H ill Hol d
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills .
Requirement: The driver's door must be closed,
the seat belt must be buckled and the engine
must be running.
The system is activated when the brake pedal is
p ressed
for a few seconds.
To prevent the vehicle from roll ing back when
starting, the brake power is held for a brief mo­
ment after releasing the brake pedal. During this
~ time, you can easi ly begin to move you r vehicle .
ci ::, co ,...., N Driving
A WARNING
- The intelligent technology of Hill Hold can­
not overcome the limitat ions imposed by
natural physical laws. The increased comfort
offered by Hill Hold should not cause you to
take safety risks.
- Hill Hold cannot hold the vehicle in all hill
start situations (for example, if the g round
is slippery or icy).
- If you do not beg in moving immediately af­
ter releasing the brake peda l, the vehicle
could begin to roll backward under certain
circumstances . Press the brake pedal or set
the parking brake immediately.
-If the engine "stalls", press the brake pedal
or set the parking bra ke immediate ly.
- To prevent the vehicle from roll ing back un­
intentionally when starting in s top-and-go
traffic, keep the brake pedal pressed for a
few seconds before driving off .
(D Tips
You can find out if your vehicle is eq uipped
wi th Hill Hold by checking at an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty.
Emergency braking function
This is used if the conventional brake system
fails or locks up.
.,. To brake your veh icle using the parking brake in
an emergency, pu ll the(®) switch and keep it
pulled.
.. The braking stops as soon as you release the<®>
switch or acce lerate .
If you pu ll the(®) switch and hold it above a
speed of about 5 mph (8 km/h) , the emergency
braking function is activated. The vehicle brakes
at all four whee ls by activating the braking hy­
draulics. The brake performance is similar to
heavy brak ing .
c::> .&.
In order not to activate the emergency brake
function by mistake, a warning tone (buzzer)
sounds when the(®) switch is pulled. As soon as .,.
73

-Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles . To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- 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 Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 95.
A 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 be­
cause 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 Pano ramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
Driving safety
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof* and the
rear lid are securely closed and locked to re­
duce 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 espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog­
ging . 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 label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capac ity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured. For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­
ter ¢
page 201.
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 properly
<=? page 100, Loading the luggage compartment. ..,_
101

Driving sa fe ty
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause ser ious in­
jury. Items in the veh icle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Veh icle speed is the most s ignificant factor .
For examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing on a 10-lb
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item . Th is 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 free ly through
the passenge r compartmen t could c ause in a co l­
lision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail d uring hard
brak ing or in a collision and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always use suitab le mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help p revent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan­
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitab le mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help p revent
items from flying forwa rd as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment.
- Never a ttach a child safety seat tethe r strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u b eliev e that your vehi cle
h as a defect which could cause a
c ra sh or could cau se injur y or
d ea th, you should immedi ately in­
form th e National Highw ay Tr affi c
Safet y Admini str ation (NHTSA ) in
102
ad dition t o notif yin g Audi of
Amer ic a, Inc .
If NHTSA re ce iv es similar com­
pl aint s, it ma y op en an in vestiga ­
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defect s ex ists in a group of
vehicles, it m ay order a recall and
remedy campaign. Howe ver,
NHTS A cann ot b ecome in volved in
indi vidual probl em s bet ween you,
your dealer, or Audi of America,
Inc.
To conta ct th e NHT SA, you ma y
e ither call:
T el.: 1-888- 327-4236 (TT Y:
1-800-4 24-9 153) o r
1-800-424-9393
or you ma y write t o:
NHTSA
U .S. Dep art ment of Tran sp o rta­
tion 1200 Ne w Jers ey Ave ., S. E.
W est Building
W ashington , DC 20590
You can also obtain other info r­
mation about motor vehicle safe­
ty from:
http: / /www. safer car.go v

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-Failure to pay attention to the warn ing light
that come on, could lead to persona l injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 111 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a wall
Fig. 112 The vehicle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
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 we ight, 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 t imes!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety belts
¢fig. 111, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall¢
fig. 112 .
Safety belts
The same p rinciples apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is invo lved in a fronta l co llision. 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.
People who do not use safety belts are a lso not
attached to the ir vehicle. In a frontal collis ion
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 wea ring
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 113 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
th row n forwar d
Fig. 114 A rear passe nger not wearing a safety belt will fly
forward a nd 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 th e steering wheel, .,.
105