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. .,.
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 .
•
•
142 Child Safety
-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 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 lock ing 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
c:> ,& .
... Push the child safety seat down with your
full weigh t to get the safety belt really tight. "'
Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
"' Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
... You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The 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 tigh t and fas tened so tha t the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm) .
A 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
c:> page 130. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:> page 110, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-
-These anchors were developed only for
child safety seats us ing the "LATCH" sys
tem.
- Never attach other child safety seats,
belts or other objects to these anchors .
- Always make sure that you hear a click
when latching the seat in place. If you do
not hear a click the seat is not secure and
could fly forward and h it the interior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi
cle.
A WARNING
Imprope r insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry in an acci
dent .
- Always follow the child restraint system
man ufacturer's instructions for proper
installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as we ll as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your vehicle.
- Always read and heed the important in
formation and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re
straint systems
¢ page 130, Child Safe
ty.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fi g. 123 Tether ancho rs : attachment hook locatio ns
behind t he rear seatbacks
The tether anchors for the rear seating posi
tions are located on the backside of the rear
seatbacks
¢ fig . 123 .
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a child restraint to
special anchorage points in the veh icle.
-
Child S afety 14 7
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for
ward movement of the child restraint in a
crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that cou ld be caused by striking the ve
hicle interior .
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S .
federal regu lations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements.
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats .
A WARNING
Imp roper installat ion of ch ild restra ints
will increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instr uctions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint ancho rs
(including tether anchors) can lead to in
jury in a collision . The anchors are de
signed to withstand only those loads im
posed by correctly fitted child restraints .
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- 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 child restraint tether ancho
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at
tach a chi ld restraint to the front passen
ger seat, make s ure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sens ing
mat to measure more we ight than is ac
tually on the seat .
- The heavier weight registered can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
though an adult were on the seat and de-
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must ..,
148 Child Safet y
be suppressed causing ser ious 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 circumstan
ces and the
P A SS EN GER AIR BA G OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have t he a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 12 4 Tet her st rap : proper ro uting a nd mountin g
F ig . 125 Tether strap: p rope r ro uting a nd mo unting
Inst all ing th e tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restra int according to the child re
stra int manufacturer's instruct ions .
.,. Gu ide the upper tether st rap into the rear
cargo area
¢fig. 125 .
.,. Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor
bracket.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether stra p firmly following
t he child res train t manufacturer 's instruc
t ions .
Releasing the teth er strap
.,. Loosen the tension follow ing the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the anchorage .
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firm ly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up
ho lstery on the seat cushion and backrest
i n the area where the tether strap was in
stalled . The upholstery would also be per
manently st retched a round the tether
strap. This applies especia lly to leather
seats .
· Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
C urrently, few rear-facing chi ld restraint sys
tems come with a tether . Please read and
heed the child restrain t system manufactur
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether .
A WARNING -
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be serio usly inju red and can be killed if
the front airbag infla tes - even wi th an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- The infla ting airbag will h it the c hild
safety seat or infant carrier wi th great
force and will smash the child safety seat
a nd child against the backrest, or door .
- A t ight tether or o ther strap on a rea r
ward-facing child restraint attached to the front passenger seat can p ut too
much pressure on the weight-mat in the
seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System . The heavier
weight registered can make the sys tem
work as though an adult we re on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
m ust be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild .
196 Tire s and wheel s
Tires and wheels
Tires
General notes
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle .
Tires may be the least appreciated and most
abused parts of a motor vehicle . Tires are,
however, one of the most important parts of a
vehicle, particularly considering the compara
tive ly small patch of rubber on each tire that
assures that a ll-impo rtant contact between
you, your vehicle and the road.
Maintaining the correct tire pressure, mak ing
sure that your vehicle and its tires do not have
to carry mo re weight than they can safe ly han
d le, avoiding damage from road hazards and
reg ularly inspecting t ires for damage includ
ing cuts, slashes irregu la r wear and ove rall
condition are the most important things that
you can do to he lp avoid sudden tire failure in
cluding tread separation and blowouts.
Avoiding damage I f you have to drive over a curb or similar ob
stacle, drive very s low ly and as close as possi
b le at a right angle to the curb.
A lways keep chem ica ls includ ing gre ase, o il,
gasoline and b rake fluid off the ti res .
Inspect the t ires regularly for damage (cuts,
cracks or b listers, etc.). Remove any fo reign
bod ies embedded in the treads.
Storing tires Mark tires when you remove them to indicate
the direction of rotation . Th is ensures you to
be ab le to mount them correctly when you re
install t hem.
When removed, the whee ls or t ires should be
stored in a cool, d ry and preferably dark place .
Store tires in a vertical pos ition if they are not
mounted on rims, in a horizontal pos it ion if
they are mounted on rims. New tire
s
New t ires have to be broken in¢&,. .
T he tread depth of new t ires may vary, accord
ing to the type a nd make of t ire and the tread
pa tte rn .
Hidden damage
Damage to tires and r ims is ofte n not readily
vis ible . If you notice unusual v ibrat ion or the
vehicle p ulls to one side, th is may ind icate
t h at one of the t ires has been damaged . Th e
t ir es m ust be checked immed iate ly by an au
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied wor ks hop.
Unidirectional t ires
A un idirectional tire can be identified by ar
rows on the sid ewa ll, that po int in the direc
t ion the t ire is desig ned to rotate. You mus t
f ol low the specified d irection of rotation . This
is necessary so that these tires can develop
their optimum characterist ics regarding grip,
road no ise, wear and hyd rop laning resistance.
For more information
¢page 227.
A WARNING
-New tires or tires that are old, worn or
damaged cannot provide maximum con
trol and braking ability .
-
-New tires tend to be slippery and must
be broken in . To reduce the risk of losing
control, a co llision and ser ious personal
in jur ies, d rive w ith special ca re fo r the
fi rst 350 m iles (560 km).
- Driving with worn or damaged tires can
le ad to loss of control, sudden tire fail
ure, including a blowou t and sudden de
fl ation, c rashes and seriou s personal in
juries . Have wo rn or damaged t ires re
p laced immediate ly .
- T ires age even if they are not being used
an d can fai l sudden ly, especially at high
speeds. Tires that are more than 6 years
old can only be used in an emergency
and then w ith specia l care and at low
speed.
-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam
age .
(D Note
Please note that summe r and wi nte r tires
are designed for the cond itions that are
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those sta ndard items which may be rep laced)
of au toma tic transmission, power steer ing ,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the rat io o f the height to the w idth of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
dicate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overa ll handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the part of the t ire t hat is made o f
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the r im.
Bead separation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead .
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 197
typica l in those seasons . Aud i recommends
using winter tires during the winter
months . Low temperatures signif icant ly
dec rease the e lasticity of summer t ires,
which affects tract ion and brak ing ability.
If summer t ires are used i n very co ld tem
peratures, cracks ca n form o n the tread
bars , res ulting in perma nen t tire damage
that can cause loud driving noise and un
bala nced ti re s. Audi i s not respon sible for
th is type of damage .
Cold tire inflation pressure
means the tire p ress ure recommended by t he
vehicle manufacture r fo r a tire o f a des ignated
s ize t hat has not bee n driven for more than a
coup le o f miles (k ilometers) at low speeds in
the three hour period before the tire press ure
is m easured or adjusted.
Curb weight
me ans the we ight of a motor ve hicle with
st andard equipmen t incl ud ing the max imum
capacity of fuel, oi l, and coolant, air condi
tioning and additional weig ht of optiona l
equipment.
Extra load tire
means a t ire designed to operate a t higher
loads and at higher inflat ion p ress ures than
the corresponding standar d tire. Extra load
ti res may be ident ified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA
LOAD", or "RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
me ans the lo ad-ca rry ing capa city of a si ngle
axle system, measured a t the tire -ground in
te rfaces.
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ("GVWR ")
mea ns the maximum total loaded we ight of
the ve hicl e. .,.. •
•