2009 AUDI A4 CABRIOLET child seat

___________________________________________ _:C :..: h..:: i:.:..:: ld :::......: S:: a::..: f:..::e :.::t Ly __ ffl!III
place for a chi ld in a forward -facin g chil d safet y seat . It is a very
dan gerous place for an infant o r a larger chi ld in a rearward -fac ing
s ea t.
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or other emergency situa­
tion.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates . A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on
the front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center arm rest, or door .
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 159, "Safety belts ",
=>
page 168 , "Airbag system" and=> page 190, "Important things
to know ".
& WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat , the child's safety and
well-being require that the following special precautions be taken :
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certi­
fied by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and s ide airbag .
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost posi ­
tion of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before installing the child
restraint.
• Always make sure that nothing prevents the front passenger's
seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore and aft
adjustment range.
• Always make sure the backrest is in an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If the light does not stay on , perform the checks =>
page 179,
"Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

__ ___;:C;.:.h.:.: i.:.:ld ::.....: S~ a::. f~ e~ t~ y:__ _____________________________________________ _
Booster seats
Properly used booster seats can help protect children
weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80 lbs. (18 kg and 36
kg) who are less than
4 ft. 9 in. tall.
Fig . 181 Rear seat:
child properly
restrained
in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most children
until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these children up so that the
safety belt will pass properly over the stronger parts of their
bodies and the safety belt can help protect them in a crash.
- Do not use the convertible locking retractor when using
the vehicle's safety belt to restrain a child on a booster
seat.
- Always position the shoulder portion of the safety belt
midway over the child's shoulder.
- Always make sure that the shoulder portion of the safety belt never rests against or across the child's neck.
- Always make sure that the child can properly wear the lap portion of the belt low across the thighs or pelvis and
never over the stomach or abdomen .
Children up to about 40 lbs (18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Experts say that the skel ­
etal structure, particularly the pelvis, of these children is not fully
developed, and they should not use the vehicle safety belts
=> page 1981 fig . 181.
Children who weigh more than 40 lbs. (18 kg) may generally use the
available three point combination lap and shoulder belts when they
sit on an appropriate booster seat . Be sure the booster seat meets
all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the child and reposition
both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The routing of the belt
over the child's body is very important for the child's protection.
This applies whenever a child uses the vehicle's safety belts, even
when the child is big enough to use them without a booster seat. Children age 12 and under should
always ride in the rear seat.
Children should not ride in the front seat unless no other seating
position is available because crash statistics show that children are
better protected in the rear seat.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of an eye and with
considerable force . In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
inflate so that it will be there to protect the occupant as the occu ­
pant moves forward into the airbag.
A vehicle occupant including a child who is out of position and too close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating airbag. When an
occupant is too close, he or she will be struck violently and will
receive serious or possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all
vehicle occupants, especially any children, who must be in the front
seat in exceptional circumstances, be properly restrained and as far
away from the airbag as possible. By keeping room between the
child's or other occupant's body and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and completely and
provide supplemental protection in certain frontal crashes . ._

& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster seat improperly, incor­
rectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety belt
improperly increases the risk of serious personal injury and death
in a collision or other emergency situation. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury and/or death:
• Always make sure to position the shoulder portion of the three­
point belt over the middle of child's shoulder .
• Never let the shoulder portion of the belt rest against or across
the neck, face, chin, or throat of the child .
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three-point belt is
worn snug and passes as low as possible across the child's pelvis .
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
cause severe injuries in an accident or other emergency situation
=> page 159.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates. A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on
the front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed
if the front airbag inflates.
• Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat, for example the
front seat.
• Never let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle.
• Always remember that a child leaning forward, sitting side­
ways or out of position in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploying airbag. This will result in serious personal
injury or death .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on, when ­
ever the ignition is switched on .
Safety first
Child Safety
& WARNING (continued)
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, perform the checks described=> page
179, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=> page
159 , "Safety belts",
=> page 168, "Airbag system" and=> page 190, "Important things
to know" .•
Safety belts and older children
Properly worn three point lop and shoulder belt con help
protect children weighing more than 80 lbs. (36 kg) and who ore at least 4
ft. 9 in . toll.
Fig . 182 Child taller
than 4
ft . 9 in . properly
restrained on the rear
seat
Children who weigh more than about 80 lbs (36 kg) and are at least
4 ft. 9 in . tall can generally use the vehicle's three point lap and
shoulder belts. Children should use a lap belt only in very excep ­
tional situations and only if no child restraint system for the child's
size and weight or safer alternative means of transportation of the •
~ehicle care irechnical data

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_ y ______________________________________________ _
child is available. In these exceptional situations, the use of a lap
belt is better than permitting the chi ld to remain totally unre ­
strained . But remember: a lap belt cannot provide the same level of
protec tion as a proper child restraint or a t hree -point lap and
shoulder belt if the child is big enough . Also, using a lap belt for
younger child ren, who should be using a chi ld restraint, may violate
l aws in your state or Prov ince .
Never use a lap belt alone to restrain a chi ld that weighs less than
about 80 lbs (36 kg) and who is less than 4'9" ta ll. A lways remember
that chi ldren do not have the pronounced pelvic structure required
for the proper function of lap belts. If a lap belt is only restraint
system available, then the child's safety absolutely requires that the
l ap be lt be fastened snug ly and as low as possible around the pelv is
let a lap belt pass over the chi ld's stomach or abdomen .
& WARNING
Using wrong child restraints or improperly in stalled child
restraint s can cau se serious personal inju ry or death in a cr ash.
• Fa ilure to properl y route safety belts over a child's body will
c au se severe injurie s in a crash . The lap belt portion of the three
point belt a s well a s any l ap belt alone mu st al way s pass as low as
po ssible acros s the pelvi s, never over the stom ach or abdomen.
• An improperl y worn saf ety belt will not pr ovide the best prote c­
tion in a cra sh and may cau se ser iou s personal injury . Alwa ys
m ake sure that childr en and other vehicle occ upant s properl y
wear available restraint sy ste m s. Carefully follow the in struction s
pro vided by the manuf acturer s of child re strai nts. •
Installing a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safe ty belts for the rear seats and the fr ont passenger can
be locked with the c onvertible locking retractor to prop­
erly secure child safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors fo r the rear seats
safety be lts and for the front passenger's seat safety belt have a
conve rtible locking ret ractor for child restraints . The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot unreel. The retractor
can be activated to lock the safety be lt and prevent the safety belt
webbing from loosening up during normal dr iving. A child safety
seat can only be properly instal led when the safety belt is locked so
that t he child and child safety seat w ill s tay i n place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, al l children, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back seat p roperly restra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly in stalled child safety seat s increa se the risk of s erious
per sonal inju ry a nd death in a colli sion .
• Alway s m ake sure that the safe ty belt retrac tor is locked wh en
i nstalling a child safety seat . An unl ocked safety be lt retra ctor
cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in pla ce during normal driv ing or
in a cras h.
• Alway s buckle the child safety seat firml y in place even if a
c hild i s not sitting in it. A loo se child safet y seat can fl y around
during a sudden stop or in a coll ision
• If the b ackre st i s not se cu rely l atched , the ch ild and the ch ild
restraint will be thrown forward together with the bac krest and .,

Child Safety 11!1111
-------------------------------------------------=-------
& WARNING (continued)
will strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child can be seriously
injured or killed.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center arm rest, door or roof.
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the rear seat.
• Forward-facing child safety seats or infant carriers installed on
the front passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the child.
• It is safer to install a forward -facing child safety seat on the rear
seat.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used~
page 190. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front passenger seat~
page 170, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know" .
& WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or
rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat in
exceptional situations:
• Whenever a forward or rearward-facing child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on whenever the ignition is
switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , perform the checks described
~ page 179, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System".
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on.
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash.
& WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up, against or very
near the instrument panel .
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
Rearward -facing child restraints:
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_ y ______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the
front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center arm rest, door or roof.
• Always be especially careful if you must install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight -mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier weight registered can make
the system work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy
the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer. •
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a child
restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's instruc­
tions when installing a child restraint in your vehicle. To
activate the convertible locking retractor:
- Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on the rear
seat. -
Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
- Route it around or through the child restraint belt path
=> &.
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight.
- Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that seating position.
- Guide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat.
- You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
into the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pulling on the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor is now act ivated .
- Make sure that the red release button is facing away from
the child restraint so that it can be unbuckled quickly.
- Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is properly
tight and fastened so that the seat cannot move forward
or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
& WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improperly installed child
restraint can cause serious personal injury or death in a crash.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a crash.
• Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.

Child Safety IJ!III _________________________________ __:::...:....:...:..::.:......:__ ___ ....:.!.-__
& WARNING (continued )
• Always make sure the seat backrest to which the child restraint
is installed is in an upright position and securely latched into place
and cannot fold forward . Otherwise , the seat back with the child
safety seat attached to it could fly forward in the event of an acci ­
dent or other emergency situation .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used
=> page 190 . Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front passenger seat=>
page 170 , "Child restra ints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
Deactivating the convertible locking retractor
The c onver tib le l ocking retrac tor for ch ild res tra in ts will
be d ea ctivat ed automat ically wh en the belt i s wound all
th e way ba ck in to the retractor .
-Pre ss th e red bu tton o n the sa fety be lt bu ckle . Th e b elt
t o ngue will pop out of the b uck le .
- Guide the be lt all the w ay b ack in to i ts s to w ed p osition.
A lways l et t he safety belt retract complet ely into its stowed pos itio n.
T he safety belt can now be used as an ord inary safety be lt w ithout
t he conve rtibl e locking retractor for chi ld restrain ts.
I f the converti ble locking retractor should be activated inadvert ­
en tly, the safet y belt must be unf astened and guid ed completel y
back into its stowed pos ition to deactivat e th is feature. If the
c o nver tible loc kin g re tractor is n ot deac tiva te d , th e safe ty be lt wi ll
g radua lly becom e tighter and uncomfortab le to w ear .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
Improperly installed
child safety seats in crease the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convertible
locking retractor for child restraints while the vehicle is moving .
You would not be restrained and could be seriously injured in an
accident.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 190. Special precau ­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 170 , "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
Additional Information
What types of child restraint anchors are
available and how are they related to child
safety?
F or years, chil d restraints have been installed using the safety belts
a lre ady pre s en t in ev ery ve hicle .
Sinc e Septem ber 1, 1999, c hild restraint manufactur ers have b een
providing tether straps that attach the top of the chi ld rest raint to
th e veh icles structure, on most of t heir forward -facin g syst ems in
order to com ply with U.S. Federal regulations for child restraint
per formanc e in a cras h. V ehi cle m anu fac tur ers a re r equi red to
phase -i n tether ancho rages for attach ment of the tether st rap in
their U.S. veh icles beginni ng Septem ber 1, 1999.
The combi nation of the t ether anc horag es and t he lower anchor ­
age s is now gene ra lly calle d th e
LATCH system f or "Lo w er An chors
and Tether for Children ". ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_ y ______________________________________________ _
(T he term "ISOFIX" regarding lower anchorages had been used by
Audi and other man ufacturers in the past, but LATC H is now the
standard name for the new child restraint anchorage system.)
Some chi ld restraint system manufacturers have been providing
t e th er straps on certain mode ls of their child restraint systems,
either as standard equipment or as a retrofit, for several years .
Check w ith the manu facturer of the ch ild restra int syste m for tether
strap availabili ty .
T o provide a simpler and more p racticab le way to a ttach the child
restraint system on the vehicle seat, U .S . Federal regulations require
the phase -in of lower anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
child restraint systems to attach to the vehicle anchora ges.
Child restraint system manufacturers will probab ly offer two kinds
o f lower a nchorages on their child safety seats
T hey could come with:
• hook-on o r push-on connectors attached to adjus tab le straps or
• rigid latches on bars that extend out the back of the ch ild
r est raint and are re leased w ith release but tons a t the bottom of the
child restra int.
I n addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, both of th ese child
r estra int syst ems use tether straps to help keep the c hild restrai nt
system firmly in p lace .
Tether an chorages
Your Audi Cabriolet is not equipped with a
LATCH system. It is not
equ ipp ed with top tether anchorages . It is equ ipped wit h lo wer
anchorages on ly.
Your Ca briolet is equipped with the Ac tive Rollover Protect ion
System, which is integrated into the backrest of the rear seat. The
Active Rollove r Protection System deploys upwards to help provide
additional protection in certain coll isions a nd cras h situations. For
this reason, your vehicle is not equipped with top tether anchorages
f or use with forward -facing child restra ints . In Canada
, provincia l law requires that forward -facing child
res tra ints use both t op tethe r anc horages and l owe r an ch orages;
therefore, it is not possible to insta ll a forward -facing chi ld restraint
i n t his vehicle.
In the United States , ch ild restraint installation mus t con form with
the child restraint manufacturer's instructions . Check the instruc ­
t ions that co me w ith the chi ld rest raint or co ntact the manufactu rer
to determine if the child restraint may be instal led facing forward
w it h out securing the top tether strap .
& WARNING
• Improper installation of child restraints will increa se the risk of
injur y in a crash .
• Alway s carefully follow the child restraints manuf acturer' s
instructions for proper installation of the child restraint and
proper use of the lower anchorages or safety belts in your vehicle .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages. •
Where can I get additional information about
child restraint application and usage?
T here are a number of sources of add itiona l information about child
restra int se lection, i nstallati on a nd usage :
NH TSA advises that the best chi ld safety seat is the one that fits
you r ch ild and fit s in yo ur vehicle, and that you will use co rrectly and
consis tently.
T ry be fore you buy!
National Highway Traffic Safety Admin istratio n
Tel. : (888) DAS H-2- DOT
www.nhtsa.dot .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign