2013 AUDI Q7 airbag

212 Child Safety
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. 219 Schematic overv iew : ins tallat ion of t he at­
ta chments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 220 Sche matic overview: insta llation of th e sea t
us ing t he veh icle's safety be lt system
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a chi ld safety seat, you must f irst activate
the convertible locking feature on the safety
belt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving ¢
page 215 or install the seat using
the LATCH attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight
so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
¢page 215.
.. If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 222.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 210.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restra int if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg). T
oddlers 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
¢ fig . 219 and ¢ fig. 220 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly 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 improp erly in­
stalling a chi ld 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 chi ld in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be serious ly injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in­
f la tes -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 exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possible ..,.

to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad­
just or remove the rear seat head restraint if it is diff icult to install the
child seat w ith the head restraint in place
¢ page 77. Install the head restraint
again immed iate ly once the child seat is
removed. Driving without head rest raints
o r with he ad 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 rest rained in ave ­
hicle is being used
¢page 175, Safety
belts,¢ page 184, Airbag system
and
¢ page 205, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If except ional circumstances requ ire the
use of a forward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat, the ch ild's safe­
ty and well-being require that the follow­
ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
factur er for use on a front seat with a
passenge r fron t and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
st ruct ions provided with the child sa fety
sea t or infan t carrier.
- Always mov e the front passenge r seat in­
to the rearmost posit ion of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft ad justment r ange,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before instal ling the child restraint.
- Always m ake sure that noth ing prevents
the front passenger's seat from bei ng
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range .
- Always make sure the backrest is in an upright position.
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks¢
page 195, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
Child S afety 213
-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 BA G OF F
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con 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.
In .... N 0 ±
~
Fig . 221 Rear seat: ch ild properly res trained in a boos­
ter 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 me ters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs . (36 kg) . Booster seats raise these chi l­
dren up so tha t the safety belt w ill pass p rop­
erly over the stronger parts of the ir bodies
and the safety be lt can he lp protect them in a
crash.
.,. Do not use the conver tible locking ret ra ctor
when using the ve hicl e's s afety be lt to re­
s train a ch ild on a booster seat.
... The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make s ure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
th e belt to tighten if necessary.
.,. If you must transport an o lder ch ild in a
booster seat on the front passenger sea t,
you can use the safety be lt height adjust ­
ment to he lp ad just the shou lder portion
properly.

214 Child Saf ety
• Secure unused safety be lts on the rear seat
9 page 210.
Ch ildren up to at least 8 years old (over 40
l bs. or 18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safe ­
ty seats designed for their age and weight. Ex­ perts say that the ske leta l structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these chi ldren is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts w ithout a su itable child restraint .
It is us ually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the ch ild's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used . Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Ch ildren who are at least 4
ft . 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.4S meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three po int lap and shoulder belts .
Neve r use the lap belt portion of the veh icle's
safety belt a lone to restrain any child, regard­
l ess of how b ig the child is. Always remembe r
that c hildren do not have the pronounced pe l­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulder be lts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requires that a lap be lt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis . Never let the lap
be lt portion of the safety belt pass over the
chi ld's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with cons iderable force . In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­ bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an
i n flat ing airb ag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she wi ll be struck violen tly and will
receive serious or possib ly even fatal in ­
jury .
In orde r fo r the ai rbag to offer protect ion, i t is
i mportant that a ll vehicle occupants, espe cial­
ly any children, who m ust be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances , be
proper ly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com ­
pletely and prov ide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions .
.&, WARNING
Not using a booste r seat, using the boos ­
ter seat improperly, inco rrectly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle sa fety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous persona l injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situat ion. To he lp re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shou lder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possi­
b le and must lie flat and snug on the up­
per body . It must neve r lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie
across the pe lvis and neve r ac ross t he
stomach o r abdomen. Make sure the belt
liesflat andsnug.Pullon thebelt to
tighten if necessary.
- Failure to p roperly ro ute s afe ty belts
over a child's body wi ll ca use seve re inj u­
ries in an accident o r other emergency
situation
¢ page 175 .
- The rear side o f the child sa fety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad­
just or remove the rear seat head re­ straint if it is difficu lt to install the ch ild
seat with the head restraint in p lace
c::> page 77 . Install the head restraint
aga in immediately once the ch ild seat is
removed. D riving without head restraints
or w ith head restra ints that a re not prop­
erly ad justed increases the risk of serious
.
or fatal neck in jury dramatically . ""

-Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat, for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle .
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing sideways or out of posi­
t ion in any way during an acc ident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sult in se rious personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
t ional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described¢
page 195, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Ta ke the child restrain t 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 stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used¢
page 175, Safety
belts,¢ page 184, Airbag system
and
c:> page 205, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear sea ts and the fron t
passenger can be locked wi th the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats .
The safety belts emergency lock ing retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con ­
ve rtible locking retractor for child restraints.
Child Sa fet y 215
The safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webbing cannot unree l. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
during normal dr iving . A child safety seat can
only be properly installed when the safety belt
i s locked so that the chi ld and child safety
seat w ill stay in place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper­
ly restrai ned fo r the ir age and size.
A WARNING
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Always ma ke sure that the safety belt re­
tracto r is loc ked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place during normal dr iving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around during a sudden stop or in a collision .
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
be lt is attached is securely latched when­
eve r the rea r center safety belt is being
used to secure a ch ild restra int.
- If the backrest is not securely latched,
the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back­ rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in­
jured or killed.
- Never install rear-fa cing child safety
seats or infant carrie rs on the front pas ­
senger seat . A child will be serio usly in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­ ger airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
~
•
•

216 Child Safety
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 or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with the de­
ployment 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 ave­
hicle is being used
c::> page 205 . Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c::> page 186, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
A 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 195, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child 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 stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child. -
Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis­
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash .
A 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 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 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 .
A WARNING
Rearward-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 especially careful 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 regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­
bag System . The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy 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, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
straint in your vehicle . To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor :
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child re ­
straint belt path~&_ .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat .
.. You should hear a "clicking " noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt . You should no longer be able to
Child Safety 21 7
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing 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 im­
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash.
- 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 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 . Oth­
erwise, the seatback with the child safety
seat 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 205. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 186, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
-
•
•

-Improper use of child restra int anchors
(incl uding tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a co llision. The anchors are de­
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted ch ild restraints .
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor po int.
- 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 ch ild restra int tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restra ints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to t he LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­
tac h a child restraint to the fro nt passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
t ight, that it causes the we ight-sensing
mat to measu re mo re weight than is ac­
t ual ly on the seat.
- T he heav ier we ight reg iste red can make
the Advanced Airbag System wo rk as
though an adult were on the seat and de­ ploy the Adva nced Ai rbag when it must
be s uppressed 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 circ umstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating posi tion and
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Child S afety 223
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig . 230 Tet her st rap: prope r rout ing a nd mounti ng
Fi g. 23 1 Tet her st rap fo r seco nd row sea ts: prope r
rou ting and moun tin g
Installing the tether strap
... Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child res traint accord ing to the child re ­
st raint manufacture r's ins tructions .
... Guide the upper tether strap
und er the rear
head restraint and into the rear ca rgo area
(raise the head restraint if necessary).
... Fo r the second row o f seats: Pull the floor­
ing back, in order to reach the anchor brack­
et
c:::> fig. 231 .
... Fo r the third row of seat s:* Remove the
plastic cover cap with a screw drive r, in orde r
to reach the anchor bracket
c:::> page 222,
fig . 229.
.,. Slide the tether strap hoo k over the anchor
bracket .
... Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly follow ing
the child restra int manufacturer's instruc­
tions .
.,. For the second r ow of s eats : Push the floor-
ing forward into place again.
11-

224 Child Saf ety
Re leas ing th e te th er str ap
.. Loosen the tension following the child re­
stra int manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the anchorage .
.. Fo r t he seco nd ro w of se ats: Push the floor­
ing forward into place again.
.. For the th ird r ow of seats :* Replace the
plast ic cover cap .
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up­
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area whe re the tether strap was in­
stalled. The uphols tery would a lso be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies especially to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently , few rear -facing child restraint sys­
tems come with a tether . P lease read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur­
e r's instructions caref ully to determine how to
p roperly insta ll the tethe r.
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be ki lled if
the front a irbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-mat in the
seat and register a heavier weigh t in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heav ier 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 ch ild.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dea ler.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
T here are a number of sou rces of add itiona l
information about child restraint se lection, in ­
sta llation and use:
N HT SA advises that the best chi ld safety seat
is the one that fits your ch ild and fits in you r
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently.
T ry before yo u buy!
U. S Nat ional Highw ay Traffi c Safety Admin ­
i s trat ion
Tel.: 1-888-327-4 236 (TIY: 1-800-424-9153)
http://www.nhtsa.gov
N ati onal SAFE KID S Camp aign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
http://www.safekids .o rg
S af ety Belt Saf e U. S.A
T el.: (800) 7 45 -SAFE (Eng Lish)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Span ish)
http://www.ca rseat.org
T ranspo rt Ca nad a Info rmation Centre
Tel.: 1-800 -333-0371 or call
1-613-998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ roadsafety/
menu.htm
Aud i Cu stom er R elation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834