____ C_ h_ i _l_d _S_ a_f _e _ty ~ --------------------------------------------
& WARNING (cont inued)
• 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 precau
tions be taken:
-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.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost
position 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 that the backrest is in the upright posi
tion .
• 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.
• 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, "Child Safety".
& 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.
& 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 .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
& WARNING
A child in a child restraint installed with the LATCH lower anchor ages or with the standard safety belt on the rear seat may play
with unused rear seat safety belts and become entangled resulting in serious personal injury and even death.
• Always buckle unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of chil
dren in child seats and properly activate the convertible locking
retractor so that the child cannot unreel the safety belt from the
retractor. •
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
___ C_h _i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_,, y'-----------------------------------------------
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 kg) in a crash.
Fig. 205 Schematic
overview : installation
of the attachments
applicable to a LATCH
seat
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 231 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 231.
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 228, fig. 205 and=> page 228, 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 arm rest, door or roof.
• Always install rearward-facing child safety seats on the rear
~~-~
& 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;....._ ____________________________________________ _
- 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 shoulde r.
- 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 at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or 18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats des igned for their age and we ight.
Experts say that the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these ch ild ren is not fully developed, and they must not use the
veh icle safety belts w ithout a suitable ch ild restraint .
Children up to about 40 lbs (18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats des igned for their age and weig ht. Expe rts say that the skeletal
structure, particularly the pelvis, of these children is not fully devel
oped, and they must not use the vehicle safety bel ts witho ut a suit
able child restraint .
It is usually best to put these chi ldren in appropriate booster seats.
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 sho ulder parts of the safety bel t so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The routing of the belt over
the ch ild 's body is very impo rtant for the chi ld's p rotection, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12 and under must always
ride in the rea r seat.
Chi ld ren who are at least 4 ft. 9 in . (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall can
generally use the vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts . Never
use the lap belt port ion of the vehicle 's safe ty belt alone to restra in
any child, regard less of how big the child is. Always remember that children do not have the pronounced pelvic structure requ
ired for the
proper func tion o f lap belt por tion of the vehicle's three poin t lap and
shoulder belts . The ch ild's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portio n of the safety be lt be fastened snugly and as low as possible
around the pelvis. Never let the lap belt portion of the safety belt
pass over the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags m ust inflate with in a blink of an eye and with
considerable force. In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
inflate so tha t it w ill be the re to protect t he occ upant as the occupant
moves forward into the a irbag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating a irbag. When a n occupant is too close,
he or she will be struck violently and will receive serious or possibly
even fata l injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all
vehicle occupants, especia lly any ch ild ren, who must be in the front
seat because of exceptional circumstances, be properly restra ined
and as far away from the airbag as possib le .
By keeping room
between the child's body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and provide supplemental
protection in certa in frontal collisions .
& WARNING
Not using a booste r s eat, using the boo st e r se at improperl y, incor
r ectl y installing a boo st e r seat or u sing the vehicle saf ety belt
i mp rope rly incre ases th e ris k of s eri ou s per sonal injury and d eath
i n a colli sion o r other emergenc y situatio n. To he lp reduce the risk
of s eri ous p ersonal injury and /or d eath:
• Alwa ys make su re to po sition the shoulder portion of the three
p o int belt o ver the m iddle of child' s shoulder .
• Never let the sh o ulde r por tio n of the belt re st agai nst or ac ros s
the ne ck, f ace, chin , or throat of the ch ild. .,_
_______________________________________________ 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
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~ ld ~ S~a ~f ~e ~ty l.._ ________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Alway s make sure the se a t backre st to which the child restraint
i s installed is in an upright position and securely latched into place
and cannot fold forward. Otherwise, the se atback with the child
s afety seat attached to it could fly forward in the event of an acci
dent or other eme rgency situation .
• 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 thing s to know ".•
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible lockin g retractor for child restraints will
be deac tiva ted a utoma tic ally when the bel t is wou nd all
the way back in to the retr actor.
- Press th e re d but ton on the safety belt buckle. T he belt
t o ngu e will po p out of t he buckle .
- G uide the safe ty belt all the way back i nto its sto wed posi-
t ion.
Always le t the safety be lt retract comple tely into i ts s towed position .
Th e safety bel t can now be used as a n or dinary sa fe ty belt withou t the
convertible locking ret ractor fo r chi ld rest raints .
If the convertible locking retractor should be activated inadvertently,
t he s afety be lt must be unfa stened and guide d comp le tely b ack into
its stowed position to deactivate this feature. If t he convert ible
loc king ret ra ctor is no t deactiva te d , the sa fety belt w ill grad ually
become tighter and uncomfo rtable to wea r.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the r isk of serious
per sonal injury and death in a collision.
• Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convert ible
lo cking retractor for child re straint s 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 i s being u sed
~ page 221. Special precau
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
pa ssenger seat~
page 201, "Child re straints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
LATCH Lower anchorages and
tethers for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To prov ide a simpler and more practicable way to attach the child
restrain t on the vehicle seat, Federal regulat ions req uire special
lower anc ho rages in ve hicles and devices o n new ch ild restraints to
attac h to the ve hicle anchorages .
Th e combin ation of the tether anchorages and the l ower anchor ages
is now generally called the
LATCH system for " Lower Anc horages and
T ethe rs fo r Chil dre n."
Forward-fac ing c hild restraints manufactured afte r September 1,
1 999, a re requi red by U.S. federa l reg ulat ions to comp ly with new
child head moveme nt performance requirements . These new per for
mance req uirements make a tether necessary on most new ch ild
sea ts.