airbag AUDI TT ROADSTER 2015 User Guide

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, airbags, child restraints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the information
and warnings in this section - for your own
safety as well as for that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the
features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others. If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Make certain that you follow the instruc­
tions 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
your vehicle so that this important infor­
mation will always be available to the
driver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it easily if you have
questions.
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 passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an
Driving Safely 91
accident. The following is a listing of just a
few of the safety features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all
passenger seating positions,
- safety belt pre-tensioners,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always properly adjusted and
properly used!
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
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 your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
~ Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
~ Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
~ Make sure that all windows are clean and af­
ford good visibility to the outside.
~ Secure all luggage and other items carefully
c::> page 65.
~ Make sure that nothing can interfere with
the pedals.
~ Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height .
~ Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height .
~ Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children¢
page 129,
Child Safety.
~ Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 59,
General recommendations. .,..
•
•

92 Driving Safel y
• Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly .
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts proper ly ¢
page 100.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the rood
without being distracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety risks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road ¢
.&,.
Therefore:
• Do not let yourself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEVER drive when your dr iving ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.) .
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense.
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips . Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch .
• Do NOT drive when you are tired , under
pressure or when you are stressed.
A WARNING ,.
Impai red driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 99 The correct distance between driver and steer­
ing whee l
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
f o llow ing position:
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floo r
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
q &_.
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast bone¢
fig. 99 . If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face.
• Grasp the top of the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the he ad restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head . If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le.
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 103.

~ 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
c:> page 60.
A 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-
Driving Safely 93
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
c:> page 129 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front passenger seat
c:> page 108.
Proper seating 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 w ith 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
c:> page 94.
~ Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:> page 103.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:> page 59 .
A WARNING
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:
•
•

94 Driving Safely
-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
¢
page 129. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat ¢
page 108.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re­ straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in occident situations.
Fig. 100 Head restra int: v iewed from the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection.
" For adjustable head restraints: adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of your head. If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible¢
fig. 100.
Adjusting head restraints ¢ page 62.
A WARNING
-
All seats are equipped with head re-
straints. Driving without head restraints or
with head restraints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of serious or fa­
tal neck injuriy dramatically . To help re­
duce 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
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
straint.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their age and size¢
page 129.
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 positions can cause serious
injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in­
crease the risk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to critical areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air ­
bag deploys and strikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position. A driver is
responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢,&. .
T he following bullets list only some sample
positions that will increase the risk of serious
injury and death. Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make you more aware of seating po ­
sitions that are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
Driving Safely 95
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING ,~
Improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
vehicle is being used.
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING ~
Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween yourself and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag deploys or by
being pushed into you as the airbag de­
ploys.
- No persons (children) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried
in the footwell area in front of the driv­
er's or passenger's seat. Bulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham­
per or prevent proper deployment of the
airbag. Small objects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and injure you or your passengers.
-
•
•

Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles .
Fig. 102 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 103 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 occupants in this vehicle are not
using safety belts
r::;, fig. 102, 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 . 103 .
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 101
reach one ton (2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or
more. At higher speeds, these forces are even
greater.
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. 104 A driver not wear ing a safety belt is v io len tly
thrown forward
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 steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way r::;, fig . 104 . 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.

102 Safet y belt s
Remember too, that airbags wi ll deploy on ly
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protect ion in those accidents in
which airbag s are not suppo sed to deploy or
when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi ­
cle where even more severe o r fatal inju ries
can occu r.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not tru e!
Fig . 10 5 Driver is properl y re strain ed in a sudd en br ak­
ing man euve r.
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif ­
ference . Safety be lts help to keep passengers
in their seats , g radually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
preven t the uncontro lled moveme nt that can
cause serious injur ies . In additio n, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
ve hicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
g ive them the benefit of being s lowed down
more gently or "softly" t hrough t he "give" in
the safety belts , crush zones and other safety
fe atures engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorb ing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "to lerable" and less
likely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based on a fron­ tal collision , safety belts can also subs tan tial­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other k inds of
crashes . So, whether you' re on a long tr ip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle u
p and make sure others do, too. Accident sta ­
tist ics 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 belts 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 m uch of
t h e Un ited States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped wi th a irbags,
you still have to wear the safety be lts prov id­
ed. Front ai rbags , fo r example , a re activated
only in some front al collisions. The fron t air­
bags are not act ivated in a ll frontal coll is 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 of the veh icle.
The same goes for the other a irbag systems in
your Aud i. So, always wear yo ur safety belt
and make su re everybody in your veh icle is
properly restrai ned!
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 illust rated and
descr ibed in th is chapte r.
" Ma ke su re that yo ur safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
-
Not wear ing safety be lts or wearing them
i mproperly i ncreases the r is k of se rious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work on ly when used correctly.
- Always fasten your safety belts correct ly
befo re driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are properly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts
must always be pos itioned c orrectly on
the body .

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.
F ig. 108 Safety belt pos itio n during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the
wearer's body
¢ page 104.
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rect ly
¢ page 59, General recommenda­
tions .
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in upright pos it ion and securely
latched in place before using the belt .
.. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis¢
fig. 108,
¢.&, .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢ page 103, fig . 106.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
de nt.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap po rtion of the safety belt as low as
poss ible across the pe lv is and be low the
rounding of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS and
other impor tan t in forma tion¢ .&.
in Fas­
tening safety belts on page
104.
Safety belts 105
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only o~er the vehicle hos stopped .
Fig . 1 09 Releas ing the tongue from t he buck le
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
¢
fig. 109. T he be lt tongue will spring out
of the buckle ¢ .&, .
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi­
cle is mov ing . Doing so will increase your
risk of being inj ured or k illed.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Improper seating pos itions 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. Improper seating positions a lso in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag dep loys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seati ng posi­
tion. A driver is respons ible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for chil­
dren. Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
¢ .&, .
~

106 Safety belts
_& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu-
pants are cor rect ly restrained and stay in
a correct seating posit ion whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c::>page 102.
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 safe ty belts are equippe d with safety be lt
pretensioners. The sys tem is activated by sen ­
sors in front and side collisions of great se­
verity. This tightens the belt and takes up belt
slack
c::> .&. in Service and disposal of safety
belt pretensioner on page 106.
Tak ing up the
slack helps to reduce forward occupant move­
ment during a co llision .
(D Tips
The safety be lt pretensioner can only be
activated once.
- In m inor frontal and side coll isions, in
rear-end collisions, in a rollover and in
accidents involving very little impact
fo rce , the safety belt pretens io ner are
not act ivated.
- When the safety be lt pretensioner is ac­
tivated, a fine dust is released . This is
no rma l and is not caused by a fi re in the
vehicle.
- The rel eva nt safety requirements must
be obse rved when t he vehicle or compo­
nen ts of the system are scr ap ped . A
q ualified dea le rship is famili ar wi th
these re gulations and w ill be pleased to
p ass on the informat io n to you. - Be sure to observe all safety, env
iron ­
menta l and other regu lations if the ve hi­
cle or individual parts of the system, par­
ticu larly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this service fo r you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
T he safety belt pretens ioners a re parts o f the
safety belts on your Audi . Insta lling, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing of be lt pretension­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working correctly in a co lli­
s io n.
There are some important t hings yo u have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness o f
the system w ill not be impaired and that dis­
ca rded components do not cause injury o r pol­
l u te the environment .
_& WARNING
-Improper care, serv ic ing and repair p roce-
dur es ca n increase the risk of pe rsonal in­
jur y and death by prevent ing a safety belt
pr etensioner from activ at ing w hen neede d
or ac tiva ting i t unexpectedly:
- T he belt pretensione r system can be a ct i­
vated only once . If be lt pre tensioners
have been activated , the system m ust be
replaced .
- Never repair, adjus t, or change any parts
of the safety be lt system .
- Safety belt systems incl uding safety belt
p retens ioners cannot be repaired. Spe ­
cial procedures are require d for removal,
installation and disposa l of th is system.
- For any wo rk on the safety belt system,
we strong ly recommend t hat you see
your author ized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re­ pa ir manua l, train ing and special eq uip­
ment necessary.

@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed 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 ar e scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulat ions
m ust be observed. Yo ur aut hori ze d Aud i
dea le r i s familiar w ith these requi rements
an d we recommend that you have your
dea le r perfo rm this serv ice for you.
Sa fety belts 107
•
•