airbag AUDI TT ROADSTER 2011 User Guide

80 On the road
On the road
Steering
Adjusting the steering wheel column
The steering wheel position can be continu­
ously adjusted in height and distance .
Fig. 89 Lever under the steer ing co lu m n
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly .
• Push the lever
c::> fig . 89 -Arrow -c::> ,&.
• Move the steer ing wheel to the desired posi­
t ion.
• Push the lever against the steering column
until it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the steer­
i ng wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering whee l.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c::> page 68.
A WARNING
Improper use of steeri ng wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l co lumn on ly
when the vehicle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel
¢ page 99 , fig. 107. If
yo u cannot maintain this min imum dis- tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you proper ly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive equ ipment is ava ilable .
- If the steer ing wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplementa l driver's a irbag
cannot provide as much protection in an
accident . Always make sure that the
steer ing wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of persona l injury
if the driver's airbag dep loys .
- Never hold the stee ring wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steeri ng wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock and
ignition switch
Ignition lock
The ignition key starts or stops the engine.
Fig . 90 Ign iti on lock pos it ions
Igniti on off ©
In pos ition c::> fig . 90 @ both the ignition and
engine are off , and the steering is locked .
T o
loc k th e steering after you have removed
the ignition key, turn the steering whee l in ei ­
ther direction until you hear it lock into place .
1)),-

98 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as for that of your passengers.
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standa rd equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Make certain that you follow the instruc­
t ions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers .
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will a lways be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if yo u have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
reduce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a lis ting o f just a
few of the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- safety belt pre-tensione rs,
- fro nt airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- ad justab le steering column .
T hese ind iv idual safety features can wor k to­
ge ther as a sys tem to he lp p rotec t you and
you r passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot wo rk as a system if
they are not always p roper ly adjusted and
properly used!
Safet y is everybody's re sponsibilit y!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For yo ur safe ty and the safety of you r passen­
gers,
befor e driving alwa ys:
"' Make s ure that all lights and signa ls are op­
erati ng correctly .
"' Ma ke su re t hat the t ire p ressu re is co rrec t.
"' Mak e su re that all windows are clean and a f­
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide.
"' Sec ure all luggage and other items caref ully
I:!) page 7 3.
"'Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
"' Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
"' Inst ruct passe ngers to adjust the head re­
st raints accord ing to the ir height .
"' Ma ke sur e to use the r igh t chi ld restraint
correc tly to protect c hild ren
¢ page 136,
Child Safety .
"'Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
I:!) page 66,
General recommendations. .,_

100 Driving Safely
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as
possible but no lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
t::;> fig. 108 .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢page 67 .
.&_ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it deploys. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and
the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag in­
flates
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving. Your seat may move unexpect­
ed Ly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child seats
t::;> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
t::;> page 115.
Proper seat ing position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
• Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge is as even with the top of your head as possible but not lower than eye level and so
that it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
¢ page 101.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
t::;> page 110.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 66.

A WARNING 1-=
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas­
senger's knees and the lower part of the
instrument panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop ­
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat . Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child seats
c> page 136. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
c> page 115.
Driving Safely 101
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant re­ straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 109 Corre ctl y adju sted head restra int vi ewe d fro m
the side
The head restraints must be correctly adjust ­
ed to achieve the best protection.
.. Adjust the head restraint so that the upper
edge of the restraint is level with the top of
your head, but no lower than eye level and
so it is as close to the back of your head as
possible
c> fig . 109.
Adjusting head restraints c> page 70 .
A WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of serious or fatal
neck injuriy dramatically . To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts their head re­
straint. Each head restraint must be ad­
justed according to occupants' size so that the upper edge is as even with the
top of the person's head, but no lower
than eye level and so it is as close to the
back of to the head as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
•
•

102 Driving Safel y
must adjust the driver headrest for any
r eason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­ straint.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro­
pr iate for their age and s ize <=>
page 136.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated .
Improper seating posit ions can ca use serio us
inj ury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body . Imprope r seat ing pos itions reduce the
effectiveness of safety be lts and will even in­
crease the risk of i njury and death by moving
the safety bel t to critical a rea s of the body .
I mpro per sea ting posit io ns also i ncrease the
ris k of serious injury and dea th when an air ­
bag de ploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the prope r seat ing pos ition. A drive r is
respons ible for the safety of a ll vehicle occu­
pants and especially for c hildren. Therefore:
• Never allow anyone to ass ume an inco rrect
seat ing position when the ve hicle is being
used <=>.&, .
The fo llowing bullets list only some sample
positions that wi ll increase the risk of ser ious
in ju ry and deat h. Our hope is that these exam­
p les w ill make you more awa re of seating po­
sitions that are dangero us.
The refore, whenever the vehicle is
moving :
- never stand up in t he vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- n ever ride w ith the seatbac k reclined
- n ever lie dow n on t he rear seat
- never lean up aga inst the inst rument pa nel
- never sit o n the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never lean out the w indow -
neve r put your feet o ut the window
- neve r pu t your feet on t he instr ument pane l
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cus hion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the ca rgo area
.&_ WARNING
---Im proper sea ting posit ions increase the
r isk of ser ious persona l inju ry and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always ma ke sur e that all vehi cle occ u­
pa nts stay in a proper seating position
a nd ar e prop erly rest rained whenever the
veh icle is being used.
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
.&_ WARNING ~
A lways make sure that the knee airbag can
i nflate witho ut interference. Objects be­
tween yourself and the a irbag can increase
the r isk of injury in a n accident by interfer­
i ng with the way the airbag deploys or by
b eing pushed into you as the airbag de ­
pl oys.
- No persons (children) or animals shou ld
rid e in t he footwell in front of the pas­
s enger seat. If the ai rbag dep loys, this
c an result in ser ious or fatal in juries.
- No ob jec ts of any kin d should be carried
in the footwell area in fr ont of the driv­
er 's or p assenge r's se at. B ulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham ­
pe r o r prevent proper deployment of the
airbag . Small ob jects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and inj ure you or your passenge rs.
-

108 Safety belts
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 111 Unbe lted occupa nts in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig . 11 2 The ve hicle c ras hes into t he wa ll.
The physical principles are simp le. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call th is 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 doub les from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h) , the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the occupants in this vehicle are not
using safety belts ¢
fig. 111, they will keep
mov ing at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, unti l something
stops them -here, the wall¢
fig. 112 .
The same pr inc iples 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 act ing on the body can reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1
,000 kg) or
more. At h igher speeds, these forces are even
greater.
Peop le who do not use sa fety belts are also
not a ttached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli ­
sion they wi ll also keep moving forward at t he
speed their vehicle was travell ing just before
the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't
just app ly to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of acc idents and col ­
lis ions .
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 safe ty belts!
Fig . 11 3 A driver not wea ring a safety belt is vio le n tl y
t hrown forward
Unbelted occ upants a re not able to resist the
tremendous forces of impact by hold ing tight
or bracing themse lves. Without the benefit of
safety restra int systems, the unrestrained oc­
cupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instr ument panel, w indshield, or what ­
ever else is in the way ¢ fig. 113. This impact
with the veh icle i nte rior has all the energy
t h ey had j ust before the c rash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection .
Even when they deploy, a irbags provide only
additional prote ction . Airbags a re not sup ­
posed to deploy in all k inds of accidents. Al ­
t h ough your Aud i is equipped wi th airbags, all
vehicle occupants, i ncluding the driver, must
wear safety be lts cor rectly in o rder to m ini ­
mize the risk of severe in jury or death in a
crash .

Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are 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 .
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 . 114 Driver is properly restrained in a sudden b rak­
i ng ma neuve r.
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 substantial­ 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
Safety belts 109
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 the ir 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 a irbags,
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!
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be properly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body .
"' Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in th is 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 properly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned correctly on
the body .

112 Safet y belt s
Pregnant women must also be properly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy.
Fig. 117 S afety be lt pos it io n during p regnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
c> page 111 .
• Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rectly
c> page 66, General recommenda­
tions.
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in upright posit ion and securely
latched in p lace before using the belt .
• Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the ches t and pelvis
c> fig. 117,
c> ,& .
• Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
yo ur seat until you hear it latch securely
c> poge 110 , fig. 115.
•Pullon the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
-
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap po rtion of the safety belt as low as
poss ible ac ross the pe lv is and be low the
rounding of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
ot her impo rtan t info rmat ion
c> .&. in Fas­
tening safety belts on page
111.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only o~er the vehicle has stopped .
,,
}_
Fig . 1 18 Releas ing the tongue from the buc kle
• Push the red release b utton on the buckle
c> fig. 118. T he be lt tongue will spring out
of t he b uckle
c> ,& .
N 0 ;c
a1i
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
-
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi-
cle is mov ing . Do ing so will increase your
risk of being i njured or k illed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts con cause
severe injuries.
Wearing safety belts improper ly can ca use se­
rious injury or deat h. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Improper seat ing positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety be lts and will even
increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety be lt to crit ica l areas of the
body . Imp roper seati ng posi tions a lso in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
whe n an airbag dep loys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi ­
t ion. A driver is respons ible for the safety of
all veh icle occupants and especially for chil­
dren. Therefore:
• Never pe rmit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c> ,& . ~

& 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 occu­
pants are correctly restrained and stay in
a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
Q page 109.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front and side collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts in use are tensioned au­
tomatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners. The system is activated by sen­
sors in front and side collisions of great se­
verity. This tightens the belt and takes up belt
slack
Q &. in Service and disposal of safety
belt preten sioner on page 113.
Taking up the
slack helps to reduce forward occupant move­
ment during a collision .
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be
activated once.
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions, in a rollover and in
accidents involving very little impact
force, the safety belt pretensioner are not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensioner is ac ­
tivated, 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 compo­
nents of the system are scrapped. A
qualified dealership is familiar with
these regulations and will be pleased to
pass on the information to you.
Safety belts 113
-Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
mental and other regulations if the vehi­
cle or individual parts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing of belt pretension­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working cor rectly in a colli­
sion.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and tha t dis­
carded componen ts do no t cause injury or pol­
lute the environment .
& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt
pretensioner from activating when needed
or activating it unexpectedly :
- The belt pretensioner system can be acti­
vated only once. If belt pretensioners
have been activated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety belt system .
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired. Spe­
cial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re­ pair manual, training and special equip­
ment necessary . •
•

114 Safety belt s
@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -specia l hand ling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts w ith pretens ioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulat ions
mu st be observed. Yo ur autho riz e d Au di
dea ler is familiar with these requ irements
and we recommend that you have your
dea le r perform this service for you.