-------------------------------------------~C::._! h~ i~ ld ~ S~ a~ f~e :_!t tY ~--
restraints and for the different models of the same kind of child
restraint offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes and models of
child restraints that the NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typ ical infants and typical 1 year
old child have been stored in the control unit of the Advanced
Airbag System. When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year -old child, the Advanced Airbag
System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat
with the information stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the tension on the front
passenger safety belt. The tension on the safety belt for the front
passenger seat will be different for an adult who is properly using
the safety belt as compared to the tension on the belt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat. The sensor below the
latch for the safety belt for the front seat passenger measures the
tension on the belt . The input from this sensor is then used with the
weight to "decide" , whether there is a child restraint with a typical 1
year-old child on the front passenger seat and whether or not the airbag must be turned off.•
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use, make sure that it has
been certified to meet United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manufacturer for use with
an airbag. Always be sure that the chi ld restraint is properly
installed at one of the rear seating positions. If in exceptiona l
circumstances you must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully
read all of the information on child safety and Advanced Airbags
and heed a ll of the applicable WARNINGS. Make certain that the
child restraint is correctly recognized by the weight -sensing mat
inside the front passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag is
turned off and that the airbag status is always correctly signaled by
th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Many
types and models of child restraints have been available over
the years, new mode ls are introduced regularly incorporating new
and improved designs and older mode ls are taken out of produc
tion. Child restraints are not standardized . Child restraints of the
same type typically have different weights and sizes and different
'footprints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the chi ld restraint
that sits on the seat, when they are installed on a vehicle sea t. These
differences make it virtual ly impossible to certify comp liance with
the requirements for advanced airbags with each and every child
restraint that has ever been sold in the past or will be sold over the
course of the usefu l life of your vehic le.
For this reason, the United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has pub lished a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used to certify compliance
of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These
child restraints are:
A. Car beds, manufactured on or after September 1,
2004:
• Cosco Dream Ride 02-719
B. Rearward facing child restraint systems,
manufactured on or after September 1, 2004:
(When the restraint system comes equipped with a removable base,
compliance has to be certified with or without the base) .
• Britax Handle with Care 191
• Century Assura 4553
• Century Smart Fit 4543
• Cosco Arriva 02727
• Evenflo Discovery Adjust Right 212
• Evenflo First Choice 204
• Graco lnfant8457
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
___ C_h_ i_ ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_y ____________________________________________ _
C. Forward-facing convertible child restraint systems,
manufactured on or after September 1, 2004:
• Britax Roundabout 161
• Britax Expressway
• Century Encore 4612
• Century STE 1000 4416
• Cosco Olympian 02803
• Cosco Touriva 02519
• Evenflo Horizon V 425
• Evenflo Medallion 254
• Safety First Comfort Ride 22-400
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a child
restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition
is switched on.
• 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.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
[ i] Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been tested by Audi
only for the Advanced Airbag function. •
Important safety instructions for using child
safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of every
body in the vehicle, especially children:
- Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly ::::>
page 218.
-Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop
erly through the child safety seat.
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convertible locking
retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety
seat from moving ::::>
page 223.
-Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety
seat to the front passenger seat, make sure that it is not
so tight that it causes the weight-sensing mat to
measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size. _,,
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are best protected in
special infant carriers and child safe ty seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and small children should
ride only in special restraints in which the child faces the back of the
vehicle. These infant seats support the baby's back, neck and head
in a crash
=> fig . 204.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward -facing child seat. It is a very dang erous
place for an infant or a larger child in a rearward -facing seat.
& 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 crash.
• Never install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers on the front passenger seat -even with an Advanced
Airbag System. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed
when the inflating airbag hits the child safety seat or infant carrier
with great force and smashes the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door or roof=>
page 190,
"Child restraints on the front seat -some important things to
know".
• Always install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers on the rear seat.
• Never install a rearward-facing child restraint in the forward
facing direction. Such restraints are designed for the special needs
of infants and very small children and cannot protect them prop
erly if the seat is forward-facing.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
Safety first
Child Safety
& WARNING !continued)
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 179, "Safety belts",
=> page 188, "Airbag system" and=> page 213, "Important things
to know". •
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can help
protect toddlers and children over age one who weigh
between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kgJin a crash.
Vehicle care I I
Fig. 205 Schematic
overview: installation
of the attachments
applicable to a LATCH
seat .,
irechnical data
___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t-= y'------------------------------------------------
Fig. 206 Schematic
overview: installation
of the seat using the
vehicle's safety belt
system
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convertible locking
feature on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ==>
page 223 or install the seat using the
LATCH attachments
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
==> page 223.
If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether strap,
attach it to the tether anchors==>
page 230.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an infant restraint if it is
more than one year old and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
Toddlers and children who are older than one year up to about 4
years old and weigh more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs . (18 kg)
must always be properly restrained in a child safety seat certified for
their size and weight~
page 219, fig. 205 and~ page 220, fig. 206.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat . It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in a rearward -facing
seat.
& 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 armrest, door or roof.
• Always install rearward-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 rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used~
page 179, "Safety belts",
~ page 188, "Airbag system" and~ page 213, "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:
• 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 side airbag.
~
-Child Safety P'll:f _______________ _
-Always make sure that the chi ld can pr operly wear t he
lap por tion of the be lt low acr oss the thighs or pelvis and
never over the stomach or abdomen.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs . or 18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats designed for their age and weight.
Exper ts say that the ske le tal s tructure, particu lar ly the pe lvis, of
these children is not fully deve loped, and they must not use the
vehic le safety belts without a suitab le chi ld rest raint.
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall can
generally use the vehic le 's three point lap and shou lder belts . Never
use the lap belt portion of the vehic le's safety belt a lone to restrain
any chi ld, regardless of how big the child is. Always remember that
children do not have the pronounce d pelvic struc ture required for
the proper function of lap be lt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shou lder belts. The child' s safety abs olutely requires that a
lap belt portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible aro und the pelv is. Never let the lap be lt portion of the
safety be lt pass over the child 's stomach or abdomen .
It is usua lly best to put thes e chi ldren in appropriate booster seats .
Be sure the booster seat me ets all app licable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating pos ition of the child and reposition
both the lap and s hou lder par ts of t he 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,
whether or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12 and under must a lways ride in the rear seat.
In a crash, air bags must inflate wi th in a b link of an eye and with
considerab le force . In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
inf la te so tha t it will be there to pr otec t the occ upant as the occu
pant moves forward in to the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too close to the airbag ge ts in t he way of an inflating a irbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be struck vio lent ly and will receive serious or
poss ibly even fatal inju ry. I
n order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all
v eh ic le occupan ts, espec ially any c hildren, who mus t be in the fron t
seat because of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly restrained
and as far away fro m the airbag as possible . By keepi ng room
between the child's body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the ai rbag can inflate comp lete ly and provide s upplemental
p rotectio n in ce rtai n fr ontal collis ions .
& WARNING
Not u sing a booster seat , using the booster seat improperly , incor
rectly installing a boo ster seat or using the vehicle safety belt
improperly in creases 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 :
• Alway s 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 acro ss
the ne ck, fa ce , c hin , or throat of the child .
• Alway s make sure the lap belt portion of the three -point belt is
worn snug and pa sses as low a s po ssible across the child' s pel vis .
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route s afety belts over a ch ild's body will
cau se severe injurie s in an accident or other emergency situation
~ page 179 .
• Children on the front seat of any car , even with Advanced
Airb ags , c an be seriou sly injured or even killed when an airbag
inflate s.
• Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat .
• Never let a child ride in the cargo a rea of you r veh icle .
• Always remember that a child leaning forward, sitting s ide
ways or out of po sition in any way during an accid ent can be
s tru ck by a deploying airbag . This will result in serious personal
injury or death . ...,
-Child Safety -------=---------------------------------------
& WARNING (continued )
• It is safer to install a forward-f acing 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 213 . Special precau
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat:::::,
page 190 , "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important thing s 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 199, "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 .
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any prote ction .
• 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 ch ild restraints :
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufa cturer 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
re straint. 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
Re arward -facing child restraints :
• 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 armrest , door or roof .
• Always be e specially 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 pas senger seat can put too much pres sure
on the weight -m at 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 ser ious
or even fatal injury to the child.
Ill-
Child Safety -
--------------------''---
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 rearward-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized 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.
- Gu ide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
- You should
hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
into the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pul ling on the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor is now activated .
- 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.
• 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 213. Special precau
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 190, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
-Child Safety
---------..!...--------------------------------------
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury in an accident .
• Always follow the child restraint system manufacturer' s
instruction s for proper installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as well as the lower anchorages or
safety belt s in your vehicle.
• Always read and heed the important inform ation and WARN
INGS about child safety and the installation of child restraint
systems ~
page 213 , "Child Safety ".•
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig . 212 Tether
anchors : re ce ss flaps
behind the rear se at
ba cks
T he tether anchors for the rear seating positions are located in
r eces ses i n the rear windo w shelf ~ fig. 2 12 .
A tether is a s traight or V -sha ped strap that attaches the top part o f
a ch ild restraint to specia l anchorage points in the vehicle .
The purp ose of th e tether is to redu ce th e forward move ment of th e
child restraint in a crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that co uld be cause d by strik ing the vehicle in te rio r.
Fo rwa rd facin g child rest ra ints manu factured after Septe mber 1,
1 999, are re q uir ed by U .S . federa l reg ulation s to comp ly wit h ch ild head movement performance requirements
. T hese new perfor
m ance req uir ements make a te th er neces sary on most new child
safety seats .
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash .
• Always follow the instructions prov ided by the manufacturer of
the child restraint you intend to install in your Audi .
• Improper use of child restraint anchors (including tether
anchors ) can lead to injury in a collision . The anchors are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly fitted child
restraints .
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchor point .
• Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap or
tether anchorage.
• Never attach a tether strap to a tie -down hook in the luggage
compartment .
• Never use child restraint tether anchorages to secure safety
belts or other kinds of occupant restraints .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether anchors .
• If a tether or other strap is u sed to attach a child restraint to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight, that it
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat .
• The heavier weight registered can make the Advanced Airbag
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 .
• 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, .,