2013 AUDI S4 SEDAN warning

Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
q page 13 7, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults their
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes than adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especial ­
l y designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of th e
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child . Th is means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Ch ild restraints must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can increase
the risk of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions to be sure the seat is right for
your chi ld's size
q page 168, Important safe­
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed all of the im­
portant information and WARNINGS about
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the instal­
lation of child restraints in this chapter.
T here is a lot you need to know about the Ad ­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re­
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be ­
cause of the large amount of important infor-
Child Sa fet y 165
mation, we cannot repeat it all here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this
owner 's manual about airbags and the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­ ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by str iking the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. A n un re­
strained or improperly restrained child is
a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable child restraint properly instal­
led and used at one o f the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an a irbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat w ill be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest or door .
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld safe-
ty seats on the rear seat .
~
•
•

166 Child Safety
-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in 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 immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer.
.&, WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- 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.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- 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 child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured . The
Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas ­
senger 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 for­
ward-facing child safety seat.
It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child re -
straints and for the different models of the .,.

168 Child Saf ety
-Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V i- September 25, 200 7
aggio SIP IMUN00US
Subpart C -Forward -facing and
con vertibl e child r estra in ts
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
_&. WARNING
T o 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 pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­ senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
G ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate­
ly.
(!) Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il­
dren:
... Always use the right chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
c::;,page 171 .
... Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the c hild
safety seat.
... When using the veh icle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first ac tivate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 175.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2.5 cm) .
... If a strap o r tether is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure tha t it i s n ot so tight th at i t
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Secure unused safety be lts on the rear seat
c::;, page 170.
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c h ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper-
ly restrained for their age and size. .,.

A WARNING 1-=
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.
Child Safety 169
- 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 other in an accident.
- Never install rearward-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,
door or roof.
-Always install rearward-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
~
•
•

1 70 Child Safety
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
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position .
- 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 ave­
hicle is being used
c::> page 136, Safety
belts,
c::> page 144, Airbag system and
¢ page 165, 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 pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- 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.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate­
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
Fig. 148 Schematic overview : keep unused safety belts
away from chil dren in child sa fety seats. @· outer rear
safety belt,
®-center rea r safety belt
.
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho­
rages, the unused safety belts
must be se­
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
c::> &.
-Guide the safety belt webbing behind the
head restraint of the adjacent seat
c::> fig. 148 . When doing so, do not engage
the switchable locking retractor! You should not hear a "clicking" sound when winding up
the safety belt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
.,&. WARNING
-A child in a child safety seat installed with
the LATCH lower anchorages or with the
standard safety belt or a child in a booster
seat on the rear seat could play with un­
used rear seat safety belts and become en­
tangled. This could cause the child serious
personal injury and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by properly routing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the child restraint is installed.
- Never activate the switchable locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear
seating position if the center rear safety
belt has been routed around a rear head
restraint.

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.
Fig . 149 Sche matic overv iew: rearward-fac ing infant
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 175 or install the seat
using the LA T CH attachments.
~ Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 170.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infan t carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in spec ial re­
straints in which the ch ild faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a crash
¢fig . 149.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a po tentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forward -facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a
l arger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Child Safety 1 71
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in ­
stall ing a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rearwa rd-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rrie rs on the front pas­
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air ­
bag Sys tem. A ch ild will be ser iously 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 ¢
page 145, Child restraints on the
front seat- some important things to
know .
-Always install rearward -facing chi ld safe­
ty seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Never install a rearward -facing ch ild re­
straint in the forward-facing direction .
Such rest ra ints are designed for the spe­
cial needs of infants and ve ry sma ll chil­
dren and cannot pro tect them properly if
the seat is forward -facing.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd fac ing
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 th e rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspect­ ed by your authorized Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used ¢
page 136, Safety
belts,
Q page 144, Airbag system and
¢ page 165, Importan t things to know .

172 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. 150 Sche matic overview: installation of t he at­
tachments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 151 Schematic overview: installation of t he seat
us ing the veh icle'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
c::> page 175 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)
c::> page 175.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 181.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 170.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant 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
c::> fig . 150 and c::> fig . 151 .
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 rearward-facing child safe­
ty 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 rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authorized 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 restraint if it is diff icult to install the
child seat w ith the head restraint in place
¢ page 57. 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 136, Safety
belts,
¢ page 144, Airbag system and
¢ page 165, 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 make 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 155, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
Child S afety 173
- 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 . 152 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.