204 Child Safety
&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
-All vehicle occupants and especially chil
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain
ed child can be injured or killed by be
ing thrown against the inside of the ve
hicle or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact .
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube -like
frames . They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
-Always heed all legal requirements per
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo
men and neck areas during sudden brak
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat . -
Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an
other passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each another in an accident.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat. A child will be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the passen
ger airbag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced 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 rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal
led on the front passenger 's seat can in
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child. Al
ways install forward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat .
- 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 certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
-Always carefully follow the manufac
turer's instructions provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas
senger 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 pre
vents the front passenger's seat from
be ing moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upr ight position.
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a col lision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used~
page 170, Safety
belts,
~ page 179, Airbag system and
¢ page 200, Child Safety.
A WARNING
T o reduce t he ris k of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child rest raint is installed on the front pas
senger seat and the ignition is switc hed
on.
- Take the child restraint off t he fro nt pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
A WARNING
A child in a child rest raint installed w ith
the LATCH lower anchorages or w ith the
standard safety belt on the rear seat may
play wi th unused rear seat safety belts and
become entangled res ulting in ser ious per
sonal inj ury and even dea th.
- Always bu ckle unused rea r seat safety
bel ts out of re ach of chi ld ren in ch ild
sea ts and properly a ctivate the converti
ble locking retrac tor so that the child
cannot un reel the safety belt from the
retractor .
-
Child S afety 205
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-fac
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
F ig . 20 4 Schematic overview: rearward-fac ing infant
seat, properly installed on t he rear seat
... When usi ng the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locki ng retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from moving~
page 209 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachmen ts .
... Push the chi ld safety seat down with your
full weig ht 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 l bs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in specia l infant carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and
small children should r ide on ly in special re
stra ints in wh ich the child faces the back of
the vehi cle. These infant seats support the ba
by 's back, ne ck and head in a crash
¢ fig. 204.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a pote ntia lly dange ro us place for a
ch ild to ride. Th e front seat is not t he safest
pla ce for a child in a fo rward-facing child sea t.
It is a very dangerous place fo r an in fant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat. .._
206 Child Safe ty
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong ch ild safety seat or improperly in
stall ing a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat - even with an Advanced Air
bag System. A child will be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the inflat
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in
fant carrier with great force and smashes
the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof
c:> page 181, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint
in the forward-facing direction. Such re
st raints are des igned for the spec ial
needs of infants and very small childre n
and cannot p rotect them proper ly if the
seat is forward-fac ing.
- If you must install a rea rward facing
child safety seat on the front passenge r
seat because of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have th e a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used-:;.
page 170, Safety
belts,-:;, page 179, Airbag system
and
c:> page 200, 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 kg) in a crash.
Fig. 205 Schemat ic overview: installat ion of t he at
tachments appl icable to a LATCH seat
Fig . 206 Schema tic overview: installat ion of the seat
us ing the vehicle 's safety belt system
.,. When using the vehicle sa fe ty belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertib le locking feature on the safety
be lt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving
c:> page 209 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 o r
sideways mo re than one inch (2.5 cm)
c:> page 209 .
.,. If the child sa fe ty seat is eq uipped with a
t ether strap, attach it to the tethe r anchors
c:>page 216.
A toddler or chi ld is usua lly too large for an in
f ant restraint if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg).
T oddlers and childre n who a re older tha n one
year up to abou t 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
c:> fig. 205 and c:> 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 safe
ty seat.
It is a very dangerous place for an in
fant or a larger child in a rearward -facing seat .
.,&. WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri
ously injured or even killed when an air
bag 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 in
flates -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 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 circumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad
just or remove the rear seat head re straint if it is difficult to install the child
Child Safety 207
seat with the head restraint in place
c:> page 77. Install the head restraint
again immediately once the child seat is
removed . Driving without head restraints
or with head restraints that are not prop
erly adjusted increases the risk of serious
or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
c:> page 170, Safety
belts,
c:> page 179, Airbag system and
c:> page 200, 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 safe
ty and well-being require that the follow
ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
-Always follow the manufacturer's in
structions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat in
to the rearmost position of the passen
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi
ble 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
c:> page 190, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas-
-
senger seat and install it properly at one ~
•
•
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as poss ib le . By keep ing room between
the child's body and the front of the passen
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com
p letely and provide supplemental protection
i n certa in frontal collis ions .
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos
ter seat imprope rly, i ncorrect ly ins tall ing a
booste r seat or using the vehicle safety
bel t improperly increases the risk of seri
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other emergency s ituation. To help re
duce the risk of ser ious persona l injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child's co llar bone as possi
ble and must lie flat and snug on the up
per body. It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie
across the pelvis and never across the
stoma ch or abdomen. Make su re the bel t
lies flat and snug. P ull on the be lt to
t igh ten i f ne cessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a ch ild' s body will cause severe inju
ries in an a cciden t or o ther emergency
situation ¢
page 170.
-The rea r side of the child s afety se at
sho uld be positioned as close as possible
to the back rest on the ve hicle seat. A d
just or remove the rear seat head re
straint if it is difficult to install t he child
seat with the head restrai nt in place
¢
page 77. Install the head restra int
agai n immed iate ly once the child sea t is
removed. Driving w ithout head rest raints
o r with head res traints tha t are no t prop
e rl y adju sted incre ases the risk of ser ious
o r f atal neck injury dramat ica lly.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irb ags, can be seri
o usly inju red or even killed when an a ir
bag inf lates .
- Never le t a child st and or knee l on any
sea t, for examp le the front seat.
-
Child Sa fet y 209
-Never let a chi ld r ide in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember t hat a c hild leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi
tion in any way d uring an accident can be
struck by a dep loying a irbag. This will re
sult in ser ious personal inju ry or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep
tional ci rcumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght m ust come o n and
s tay on, w henever the ign ition is switc h
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
does not come on and stay on, pe rform
the c heck s descr ibed¢
page 190, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
- Take the chi ld restraint off the fron t pas
senger sea t and inst all it prope rly at one
of the rear sea t positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
-A lways read an d heed a ll WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a chi ld restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢ page 170, Safety
belts,
¢ page 179, Airbag system and
¢ page 200, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger con be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety be lt have a co n
vertib le locking retractor for child rest raints.
T he safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to lo ck the safe ty belt and prevent
t h e safety be lt webbing from looseni ng up
during norma l dr iving . A chi ld safety seat can
o nl y be properly installed when the safety belt.,.. •
•
210 Child Saf ety
is locked so that the child and child safety
seat will stay in place .
A lways remember: Even though your veh icle is
equipped w ith an Advanced A irbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young
er, should always ride in the back seat proper
ly restrained fo r their age and s ize.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash .
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a col lision .
- Always make su re that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt is attached is sec urely latched when
ever the rear center safety be lt is being
used to sec ure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched,
the chi ld and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back
rest and will strike parts of the veh icle
inter ior. The child can be serious ly in
jured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing chi ld safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat . A ch ild will be ser iously in
jured and can be k illed when the passen
ger ai rbag inflates.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carri er w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety sea t
and child against the backrest, center armrest, door or roo f.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
sea ts or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-fa cing ch ild safety seats or in
f ant ca rr iers installed on the front pas- senger's seat may interfere with the de
ployment of the a irbag 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 ave
hicle is being used ¢
page 200. Special
precautions apply when insta lling a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 181, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
.&_ WARNING
Always take specia l precautions if you
must install a forw ard or rearward-fa cing
chi ld restraint on the front p assenge r's
seat in exceptional situations:
- W henever a forw ard 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 ignit ion is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described¢
page 190, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the chi ld restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not s tay on
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
- Imprope r installation of ch ild restra ints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
p revent them from providing any protec
tion .
- An improperly installed ch ild restra int
can int erfere with the airbag as it de
p loys and se riously injure o r even k ill the
child.
- Always carefu lly follow the manufact ur
er's ins tructions p rov ided with t he chi ld
safety sea t or carrier.
- Neve r place add itiona l it ems on the seat
that c an in crease the tot al weight reg is
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
~
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing
seat has been des igned and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forwa rd -facing child re
straint up, against or
very near the in
strument panel.
-Always
move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion .
- Make sure that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
A WARNING
Rearward-fac ing c hild restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearwa rd-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenge r
sea t will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -
even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
sa fety sea t or infant carrier w ith g reat
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, door or roo f.
- Always be especially caref ul if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception
al circumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and reg is
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced A ir
bag System. The heav ier we ight regis
tered can make the system work as
th ough an adult were on the seat and de
ploy the Advanced Ai rbag when it must
Child Sa fet y 211
be suppressed causing serio us or even
fatal injury to the ch ild.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignit ion is switched
on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immed i
ately insta ll the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rea r seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi dea le r.
Activating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufactur
er's instr uctions when installing a child re
stra in t in your veh icle. To a ctivate the conve r
t ible Lac king re tr actor:
"' Place the child rest raint on a seat, p re fera
bly on the rea r seat.
"' Slowly pu ll the belt
all the way out .
"' Route i t aroun d or throug h the ch ild re
s train t belt path
¢ .&_ .
"' Push the chi ld safety seat down with your
fu ll weight to get t he safety be lt really tight.
"' Insert the belt tong ue into the b uckle for
that seating position.
"' Guide the safety be lt back into the retractor
until the be lt lies flat and snug on the ch ild
safety sea t.
"' Yo u should hear a " clicking" no ise as the
be lt winds back i nto the inertia ree l. Test the
c onvert ible lo cki ng ret ra ctor by pulling on
the belt . You sho uld no longer be able to
pull t he be lt out of the retractor . The con
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
"' Ma ke s ure that the red release button is fac
ing away from the child restraint so that it
can be unbuckled qu ick ly.
"' Pull on the belt to make sure t he safety belt
is prop erly tight and fasten ed so tha t the
seat ca nnot
move forwa rd or sideways more
t han one inch (2.5 cm). .,. •
•
212 Child Saf ety
_& WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im
properly insta lled child restraint can cause
ser ious persona l injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash .
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a crash .
-Always make sure the seat backrest to wh ich the child restraint is installed is in
an upr ight position and securely latched
into p lace and cannot fo ld forwa rd. Oth
erwise, the seatbac k w ith the child safety
sea t attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an accident or other emer gency situation .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used ¢
page 200. Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 181, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor.
.. Press the red button on the safety be lt
buc kle. The belt tongue wi ll pop out of the
b uck le .
.. Gui de t he safety belt all the way back in to
its s towed posit ion .
A lways le t the safety bel t retract complete ly
in to i ts stowed posit ion. The safety belt can
now be used as an ordinary sa fe ty belt with
out the convert ib le lock ing retractor for chi ld
restraints.
-
If the convertib le locking retractor should be
activated inadvertent ly, the safety be lt must
be unfastened and guided complete ly back in
to its stowed posit ion to deactivate this fea
ture. If the convert ible locking retractor is not
deact ivated, the safety belt w ill gradually be
come tighte r and uncomfortable to wear .
_& WARNING
=
Improperly installed ch ild safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death in a co llision.
- Never u nfasten the safety belt to deacti
vate the conve rtible locking retrac to r f or
child res traints while the vehicle is mov
ing . You would not be restrained and
could be se riously injured in an accident .
- Always rea d and heed a ll WAR NIN GS
whenever using a chi ld restrained in ave
hicle is being used¢
page 200 . Special
preca utions apply when insta lling a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 181, Child restraints 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
T o p rov ide a simple r and more practicable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federal regulat ions req uire spec ial lower
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
child restra ints to attach to the veh icle ancho
rages .
The combination of t he tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally ca lled
the
L ATCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for C hildren ."
Forward-facing chi ld restraints man ufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federa l reg ulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements . .,._