132 Child Saf ety
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its
"footprint" vary for different kinds of chi ld re
straints and for the d ifferent models of the
same kind of child restraint offered by child
restra int manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and mode ls of ch ild restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in
fants and typical 1 year-old child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir
bag System. When a ch ild restrai nt is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi
cal 1 yea r-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem compares the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the in formation stor
ed in the electronic control unit.
The ele ctron ic cont rol unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt.
The tension on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be different for an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com
pared to the tension on the belt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety belt
for the front seat passenger measu res the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whe ther there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ica l
1 year-o ld child on the front passenger seat
and whether or not the airbag must be turned
off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards a nd has been certified by its manu
facture r fo r u se w ith an airbag. Always be s ure
that t he ch ild res traint is p rope rly insta lled at
one o f th e rear seat ing pos itions. If in excep
tional c ircu mstances you must use it on the
front passenger seat, caref ully read all of the
info rmation on c hild safety and Advanced Air
bags and heed all of the applicable WARN
INGS. Make certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing mat
inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off and that
the a irbag stat us is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many types and models of child res traints
have been available over the years, new mod
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved des igns and older models are
taken out of product ion. Ch ild restraints are
not standard ized . Child restraints of the same
type typically have d ifferent weights and sizes
and diff erent 'footpr ints,' the s ize and shape
of the bo ttom of the ch ild restra int that sits
o n t he seat, when they a re inst alled on a vehi
cle sea t. Th ese d ifferences make it vir tually
impossible to certify compliance with the re
quirements for advanced airbags with eac h
and every child restra int that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For th is reason, the United States National
Highway Traffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle w ith the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These chi ld restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model
Angel Guard Angel R ide AA 2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 200 7
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
·
Century SmartFit
4543
Cosco Arriva
22-013PAW and base
22-999W HO
Evenf lo Discove ry Ad
just Right 212
after .
De cembe r 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
'
.
December 1, 1999 IJ>,
Model
Evenflo First Choice
1 204
Graco Infant 8457
Graco Snug ride
-M anufactured on or
a fter
December 1, 1999
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Vi -September 25, 200 7
aggio SIP IMUN00US
Subpart C -Forward -fa cing and
c on vert ible child restraint s
Model
Britax Roundabout
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519
Cosco Summit Deluxe
High Back Booster
2 2-262
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
Cosco High Back Boos- September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
E venflo Tribu te V
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 25 4
Evenflo Generations
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport
Graco Toddler Safety
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo
& WARNING
September 25, 2007
December 1, 1999
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
September 25, 2007
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 proper ly 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
yo ur authorized Aud i dealer immediate
ly.
Child Sa fet y 133
'
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by A udi 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 dr iver, you are responsible for the safe
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially ch il
dren:
... Always use the right chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢page 135.
... Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
... When usi ng the veh icle sa fe ty belt to ins tall
a child safety se at, you m ust first act ivate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from mov ing
¢ page 140 .
... 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 tethe r is be ing used to t ie the
child safety seat to the fron t passenger
s eat, make sure tha t it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing ma t to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Sec ure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 135.
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all c h il dren, especially those 12 years and young
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper -
ly restra ined for the ir age and size. .,. •
•
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 100, Safety
belts,¢ page 108, Airbag system
and
¢ page 130, Child Safety.
A WARNING
To 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.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 112 Schematic overv iew: keep un used safety belts
away from children in child safety seats. • outer rear
safety belt,
Child S afety 13 5
If a child safety seat is used on the rea r 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
¢ &.
-Fasten th e un used safety be lt behind the
child seat and let the be lt ret ractor wind up
the safety belt webbing.
A WARNING
A child in a chi ld safety seat installed with
the LATCH lower anchorages or with the
standard safety belt or a child in a booster
seat on the rea r seat co uld p lay w ith un
used rear seat safety belts and become en
tang led. This cou ld cause the chi ld ser ious
personal injury and even dea th.
- Always secure unused rear sea t safe ty
be lts ou t of re ach o f chi ldren in child
seats such as by fastening the un used
safety belt behind the ch ild seat and let
ting the belt retracto r wind up the web
bing.
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. 1 13 Schema tic overv iew: rea rward-facing infant
seat, properly installed on the rear seat
.,. When usi ng the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertib le locki ng retractor on the
safety bel t to p reven t the child safe ty seat
Ill>-
136 Child Safet y
from moving ¢ page 140 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) .
• Secure unused safety be lts on the rear seat
¢ page 135.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
a re best protected in special infant carriers
a nd chi ld safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that i nfants a nd
small children should ride only in spec ial re
strai nts 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 cras h¢
fig . 113 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a po tentially dangerous place for a
chi ld 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
larger child in a rearward-facing seat .
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong ch ild safety seat or improperly in
stall ing a child restraint inc reases the risk
of serious persona l injury and d eath in a
c rash .
- Never install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas senger seat -even wi th an Advanced Air
bag System. A child w ill be seri ously in
jured an d can be k illed when the inflat
ing airbag hits the child safety seat o r in
fant ca rr ier with great force and smashes
the ch ild safety seat and ch ild aga inst
the backrest, doo r or roof ¢
page 110,
Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant car riers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint
in t he forward-facing direction. Such re
straints are des igned for the spec ial
needs of infants and very small childre n and cannot protect them properly if the
seat is forward-facing.
-
If you must install a rearwa rd facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n 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 inspe cted by your
Aud i dea le r.
- Always read a nd heed a ll WAR NINGS
whenever us ing a chi ld re strained in ave
hicle is be ing used
¢ page 100, Safety
belts, ¢page 108, Airbag system
and
¢ page 130, Important things to know .
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety sea ts
can help protect toddlers and childr en ov er
age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs . (9
and 18 kg) in a crash.
Fig . 1 14 Sc hema tic overview: instal lat ion of the at·
t ac hme nts applicab le to a LA TCH sea t
Fig. 115 Sc hemat ic overview: installa tion of t he sea t
us ing t he ve hicle 's safety be lt sys te m
• 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
r::!> page 140 or insta ll th e seat using
the LA TCH attachments .
"' Push the child safety seat down w ith your
full weigh t to get the safety belt really t ight
so that the seat cannot move forward or s ideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm)
r::!> page 140 .
"' If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
r::!> page 147 .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::!> page 13 5 .
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in
fant restraint if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
Todd le rs and c hildren who are older than one
year up to abo ut 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs . (18 kg) must
a lways be properly restrained in a chi ld safety
seat certified for their size and weight
r::!> fig. 114 and r:::>fig. 115.
The airbag on the passenge r side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
chi ld to ride. The front seat is not the safest
p lace 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-fac ing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat , using the
w rong chi ld safety seat or improperly in
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
co llision or other emergency s ituation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri
o usly injured or even killed when an air
bag inf lates . A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat insta lled on the front
passenger seat w ill be seriously injured
and can be killed if the front airbag in
flates -even with a n Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
-
Child Sa fet y 137
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, door or
roof.
- Always install rear-facing ch ild safety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
mediately insta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat i n a rea r seating position and
h ave the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dea le r.
- Always read and heed al l WARNINGS
wheneve r using a child res trained in ave
hicle is being used
r=:> page 100, Safety
belts,
c:> page 108, Airbag system and
r::!> page 130, Important things to know .
A 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 spec ial precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and cert ified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat with a passenger front and side airbag .
- Always follow t he manufacturer's in
structions p rov ided with the ch ild safety
seat o r infant ca rr ier .
- Always move the front passenger seat in
to the rearmost position of the passen
ge r seat's fo re and aft adjustment range,
a nd as far away from the ai rbag as possi
b le before installing the ch ild restraint.
- Always ma ke sure that no thing prevents
the front passenger 's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adj ustment range.
- Always ma ke sure the backrest is in an
up right position .
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
-
OFF li ght comes on and stays on all the ~
•
•
138 Child Safet y
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks
i=> page 119, Monitoring the Ad
vanced 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
P A SSEN
G ER A IR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is sw itched 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 ore less than 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inchesll .45 meters) toll.
Fi g. 11 6 Rear seat: child properly restra ined in a boos
te r seat
Booster seats raise these children 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 .
> Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re
stra in a child on a booster seat .
> The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as poss ible
and must lie and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the th roat or neck . The
l ap belt must lie across the pe lvis and never
across the stomac h or abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies f lat and snug . Pull on the be lt
to t ighten if necessary.
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:> poge 135.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40
lbs. or 18 kg) are best protected in child safe
ty seats des igned for their age and weight. Ex
perts say that the skeletal structure, particu
larly the pelvis, of these children is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitable c hild restraint.
It is usually best to put these chi ldren in ap
propr iate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the seating posit ion of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the ch ild's body in the r ight p laces . The
routing of the belt over the ch ild 's body is very
important for the child's protect ion, whether
o r not a booster seat is used. Chi ldren age 12
and under must always r ide in the rea r seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in
ches/1.45 mete rs) tall can gene ra lly us e the
vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt port io n of the vehicle 's
safety belt alone to restrain any chi ld, regard
less of how big the chi ld is . Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel
vic structure required for the proper funct ion
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shou lder belts. T he child's safety ab
solutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
poss ible a round the pe lvis. Neve r let the lap
belt port ion of the safety belt pass over the
c hi ld 's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force. In o rder
to do its job, the a irbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be the re to p rotect the occ upan t
as the occupant moves forward into the air
bag.
A vehicle oc cupant who is out of posit ion and
too close to the a irbag gets in the way of an
inflating airbag. When an occ upant is too
close, he or s he will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in-
jury. .,.
In o rder for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important t hat all vehicle occupants, especia l
l y any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
pro perly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as poss ible. By keep ing room between
the child's body and the front of the passen
ger c om partment, the airbag can inflate com
p letely and provide supp lemental p rotection
in certa in frontal col lis ions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos
ter seat improperly, incorrect ly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt 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 personal injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child's co llar bone as poss i
ble and must lie and snug on the upper
body.
It must never lie across the throat
o r neck. The lap belt must l ie across the
pelvis and never across the s tomach o r
abdomen. Make sure the belt lies flat
and snug. Pull on the be lt to tighten if
necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation
¢page 100.
-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 knee l on any
seat, for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the ca rgo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways 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-
-
Child Sa fet y 139
tional circ umstances the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght m ust 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 descr ibed
¢ page 119, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the chi ld restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it prope rly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht does not stay on
wheneve r the ignit ion is swi tched on.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS
wheneve r us ing a child res trained in ave
hicle is being used
¢page 100, Safety
belts,
¢ page 108, Airbag system and
¢ page 130, Important things to know .
Booster seats on the rear seat
Children who are about 7 years and older, who
weigh mo re than SS lbs . (25 kg) and are not
ta ller than 4'11" (1.5 m) are best protected
when properly rest rained on the rear seat.
D ue to limited rear seat head clearance c hil
dren 4'3" (1.3 m) and taller must not use
booster seats o n the rear seat of your Aud i TT
Coupe. The rear seat of your Audi TT Coupe
has been specially designed to permit ch ildren
who are betwee n 4'3" ( 1.3 m) and 4'11" ( 1.5
m) tall (about 7 to 12 years old) to use the
available th ree -point lap and s hou lde r safety
belts.
A WARNING
~ -
- T he rear sea t area is too sma ll to safely
transport passengers tal le r than 4 '11"
(1.5 m).
- Persons taller than 4'11" (1. 5 m) as well
as children in booster seats who are too
close to the rear window and roof can
suffer severe head and neck inju ries
when t he rear lid is closed or in a crash.
- The minimum clearance between the
passengers' heads and the rear w indow
•
•
interior. The child can be seriously in
jured or killed.
- 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 .
- 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 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~
page 130. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
~ page 110, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
_&. WARNING
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
~page 119, 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
PASS EN-
Child Safety 141
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 deploys 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.
_&. 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 .
_&. 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 .
•
•