Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies an d infan ts up t o a bout one y ear old a nd 2 0 lbs . or
9 kg need speci al rearward -facing child res tra int s tha t
s upport th e back, nec k and head in a crash.
F ig. 204 Schem atic
overview : re arwa rd
facing infa nt seat,
properly install ed on
the rea r seat
- Whe n u sin g the veh icle sa fety bel t to insta ll a child s afety
s e at, you mu st first acti vate the converti ble lo cking
ret ractor on th e saf ety belt to preven t th e chi ld safet y seat
fro m moving==>
page 231 or install t he seat usi ng t he
LATCH attachments .
- Pus h the child sa fety s eat d own with y our fu ll weight to
g et t he sa fety be lt really tig ht so t hat th e sea t c an not
mov e fo rwar d or sid eways mor e t han one in ch ( 2.5 cm) .
Infa nts up t o ab out one yea r (2 0 lb s. or 9 kg) are best protec ted in
special infant carr iers a nd ch ild safety seats desig ned fo r th eir age
g roup. Many e xperts believe t hat infa nts and sm all c hildr en sho uld
r ide on ly in spec ia l re stra in ts i n w hic h the child faces th e back of the
v ehicle . T hese i nfant seats support t he baby's back, neck and head in
a crash=>
page 227 , fig . 204 .
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
The airbag on the passenger side makes the fro nt seat a potentially
d ange rous place for a child to rid e. Th e front seat is not the safest
place for a ch ild in a forwa rd-faci ng child seat . It is a very da ngerous
place for an infant o r a larger child in a rearward-fac ing seat .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, u sing the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a cra sh .
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat -even with an Advanced Airbag Sy stem.
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 arm rest, door or roof=>
page 201, "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
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 189, "Safety belts ",
=> page 199 , "Airbag system" and => page 221 , "Important
things to know". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 189, "Safety belts",
=>
page 199, "Airbag system" and=> page 221, "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.
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or infant 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.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
& WARNING (continued)
• If the light does not stay on, perform the checks=> page 210,
"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. a
Booster seats and safety belts
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.
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 207 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. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and
weigh about 80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil
dren 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. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
_______________________________________________ C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t..,. Y :...._ __
& WA RNING (c on tinued )
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three-point belt is
worn snug and pa sses as low a s pos sible across the ch ild 's pelvis .
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
c ause severe injurie s in an accident or other emergen cy situation
:::> page 189.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates .
• Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat, for e xample the
front seat.
• Ne ver let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle .
• Alway s 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 seriou s personal injury or
death.
• If you must install a booster seat on the front pas senger seat
because of exceptional circumstances 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 210, "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 wheneve r the ignition is sw itched
on.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle i s being used =>
page 189, "Safety belts ",
=>
page 199 , "Airbag system " and => page 221, "Important
things to know ".•
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
lnstalli ng a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S
afety belts for the rear se ats an d the fro nt passen ger 's
seat can be l ock ed with th e conv ertible loc kin g ret ractor
to pro perly secur e ch ild safety seats.
T he safety belts emergency locking retractors for the rear seats
safety belts an d for the front passenge r's se at safety b elt hav e a
convertib le locking retractor for child restrai nts. The safety belt must
be locked so that belt webbing canno t unreel. The retra ctor can be
act ivated to lock the safety belt and prevent the safety belt webb ing
fr om loosen ing up du ring normal dr iv ing. A child sa fe ty sea t can on ly
be properly installed when the safety belt is locked so that the child
and child s afety sea t will s tay in place .
A lways r emembe r: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equipped w ith a n
Advanced Air bag system, all ch ild ren, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and
younge r, should always ride in t he back seat properly res tra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a chi ld 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 collision.
• If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child
restraint will be thrown forward together with the backre st and
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
-L-___::C~h...:.: i:.:: l .:::d ~S:::.::: a..:..f .::. e ..::tY L- ___________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
will strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child can be seriously
injured or killed.
• Never install rearward-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 rearward-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 221. Special precau
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat==>
page 201, "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 210, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System ".
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• 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:
Child Safety Ill
-------------------"'---
& 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 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 acti
vate the convertible locking retractor:
- Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on the rear
seat .
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Slowly pull the belt all the way out.
-Route it around or through the child restraint belt path
=>& .
- Push the child safety seat down w ith 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 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.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
•L_---=C:..:h..:.. i:..: l .=d ~S=-= a..:..f .= e ~ty ~ --------------------------------------------
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently , few rearward-facing child restraint systems come with a
tether. Please read and heed the child rest raint system manufac
t u rer's instructions carefully to determine how to properly insta ll the
t e ther.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety s eat install ed on the front
passenger seat will be se riously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflat es · even with an Advanced Airb ag System .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
ch ild against the backrest, center armrest , or door.
• A tight tether or other 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 r egister a heavier
weight in the Ad vanced Airbag System. The heavier weight regi s
t e red can make the system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed
c ausing 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 cir cum stan ce s and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the r earward-facing chi ld safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .•
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional information about child
restrain t se lec tion, inst allat ion and use:
NHTSA advises t hat the best chi ld safety seat is the one t hat fits your
child and fits in your vehicle, and that yo u will use correctly an d
c onsistent ly.
Try before you buy!
U .S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
T e l. : 1-888 -327 -4236 (T TY: 1-800-424 -9 153)
www.n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Te l.: (202) 662-0600
www.s afe kid s.o rg
Safety BeltSafe U .S .A
T e l. : (800) 7 45-SAF E (E nglish)
Te l.: (800) 747-SANO (Spa nish)
www .carseat .org
Transport Canada Inform ation Centre
Te l.: 1 (800) 333-0371 or call 1 (613) 998-8616 if yo u are in the
O ttawa area
www .t c.gc .ca/roadsafety
Audi Cu stomer CARE
Te l.: (800) 822-2834 •
Intelligent technology
--------------------------------------------------' "---.L==--
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
w ith the ABS sys tem. If the A nti-L o ck Brak e System (A BS) mal fun c
tions, the ESP will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Elect ronic D ifferential Lock (EDL)
and the Anti-Slip Regul ation System (AS R) are in teg rated in the e lec
tronic stab ilizat ion program . In addition to the data prov ided by
th ese fun ctions, the ESP control unit re quires addi tional meas ure
ment data provided by hig h pe rformance senso rs . The ro tat ional
speed of the vehicle about its vertical axis, veh icle acceleration in the
fore-and-a ft and lateral d irect ions, the brake pressure , a nd the
steerin g ang le are all measured .
Th e d irec tion in whi ch the driver w ishes to tra ve l is d ete rm ined wi th
the a id of the steering a ngle and ve hicle speed and is con tinually
c omp ared wi th the a ctu al b ehavior o f the ve hicl e. If t he two do no t
match, for example, when the vehicle starts hydroplani ng on a wet
roa d, E SP w ill automatica lly bra ke the approp riate whee l to correct
the problem.
Th e ve hicle is t hen stab ilized by the fo rces acting on the whee l during
bra king .
If the ve hicl e is oversteering (the vehicle tu rns too s harp ly
and the rear whee ls slide toward the outside of a curve), the brakes
a re mainly a pplied on the whee l tha t is o n the o uts ide of t he curve. In
the case of a vehicle that is
understeering (the vehicle does not turn
shar ply enough and push es out o f a curve), the b rakes are ap plied as
needed on the whee l th at is on the inside of the curve or additionally
on the ot her wheels . An acoustic s ignal indicates w hen ESP bra ke
applica tion cuts in=> &.
T he system operates across the entire speed range in combination
w ith the A BS system =>
page 245. If the A nti-Lo ck Br ake Sys tem
(ABS) ma lfunctions, the ESP w ill be o ut of act ion as we ll.
Activating
When you turn on the engine, ESP wi ll automatica lly be activated and
w ill pe rfor m a self- tes t. As soo n as t he tes t is c om plete d, th e sys tem
is in normal operating mo de.
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Yo
u can activate a deactivated ESP or deactivated ESP/ ASR if required
b y pressi ng the =>
page 240, fi g. 2 13 => page 240, fig. 2 12 bu tton.
Wh en they are activated, the message
Stabilisation program on
appears briefly in t he di sp lay .
Deactivating
The ES P shoul d no rma lly be acti va te d a ll the tim e. I f necess ary, y ou
can deact ivate A nti-Slip Reg ulat io n (ASR) or th e Electro nic Sta biliza
t ion Progr am ( ES P) by p ress ing the button =>
page 2 40, fig. 213.
• Deactivating ASR: Tap th e button . In cer tain exceptional s itua
t ions (e.g. driving with tire chains), the Anti -Slip Reg ulation (ASR) can
be dea ct iva te d =>
page 242. The m ess age ASR off Caution! Limited
driving stability
a pp ears in the d isp lay as well.
• Deactivating ESP/ASR Press the but ton for mor e tha n 3 seconds .
With the ESP/ASR deactivated, t he ESP check light comes o n, see
=>
p age 14. The m ess age Warning! Restri cted stability ap pears in
the display as we ll.
& WARNING
The Electronic Stabilization Program is nevertheless subje ct to the
laws of physics . It is particularly important to pay attention to
this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore important that
you always adapt your driving to the condition of the road and
traffic conditions . Do not allow the increased safety provided by
the Electronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into accepting additional safety risks .
u
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Intelligent t echnology
---------------------------------------
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The elec tronic differen tial lock monitors the rotational
speed of the drive wheels.
G en era l not es
The electronic differentia l lock (EDL) helps the ca r to sta rt moving,
accelerate and climb a gradient on surfaces provid ing poor or almost
no grip . W ithout ED L, this would be d iff icu lt, if not impossible.
How the sy stem works
The EDL operates automatically. It mo nitors the rota tional speed of
wheels with the help of the ABS sensors=>
page 245. If a not iceab le
slip is detected at the wheels (e.g. on slippery g round on one side),
the spinn ing wheels are braked and power is transferred to the other
wheels . This is done up to a speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h).
No ises from the brake system signal that wheel sp in is being
controlled.
Driv ing off
When d riving off, always be s ure to keep road conditions in mind as
you accelerate. If one drive wheel spins because it is on a surface with
less grip, apply
plenty of throttle until the car starts to move.
O verheating of bra kes
To prevent the disc b rake of the bra ked wheel from ove rhea ting if
subjected to excessive loads on this wheel, the EDL cuts out tempo
ra rily. The vehicle remains operat io nal and be haves in the same way
as a veh icle without EDL.
As soon as the brake has coo led down, EDL switches on again auto
matically.
Electronic limited slip differential
In vehicles w ith front wheel drive *, an e lectron ic lim ited slip d ifferen
tial engages when driving on curves . The brakes are applied spec ifi
cally to the front wheel that is on the inside of the curve. T his m ini
m izes sliding on the front wheels and enables precise and neutral dr
iv ing t hrouge curves. The electronic lim ited slip differentia l does
no t engage whe n driving in we t cond it io ns or snow.
& WARNING
• Wh en acc elerating on slipp ery s urface s, such a s on ice or snow,
always be careful when depre ssing the accele rator pedal. Even
with the EDL and the electroni c limited slip differential working,
the dr ive wh eels can spin and reduce you r ability to control your
c ar . -Ri sk of cra sh!
• The increased safet y afforded b y EDL and the electronic l imited
slip differ ential d oes not mean th at you can take safety risks .
Alw ay s adapt your d riving st yle to the road c onditions and traffi c
si tuation.
[ i ] Tips
If a fa ult occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also not funct ioning. This is
ind icated by the ABS warn ing light=>
page 15 . •
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the driven
wheels from spinning when the car is a ccelerating.
General notes
T he Anti-Slip Regu lation System (ASR) is in tegrated in the electronic
stabilization program (ESP) . When the veh icle starts up and acceler
a tes, the wheels are preven ted from sp inning by adjust ing the engine
power to match the amount of grip ava ilable from the road surface.
How the system works
ASR performs automatica lly, i.e. without the driver's intervent ion.
With the a id o f the ABS sensors=>
page 245, ASR moni tors the speed
of the driven wheels. If the wheels start to spin, engine torque is
reduced automatically unti l the tires find enough grip to lock onto
the road s urface. The system is active across the entire speed range . .,