2015 AUDI A8 airbag

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.
F ig . 177 Sche mati c overvi ew : ins tallat ion o f the at­
tachments appl icable to a LA TCH seat
F ig. 178 Schem atic overview: installat ion of t he seat
u sing the ve hicle' s safety b elt sy stem
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll
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
c::> page 184 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
s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c:;, page 184.
.,. If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a
tet her strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c:;, page 191 .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:;, page 179.
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) .
Child Safety 181
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 cert ified for their si ze and weight
c:;, fig . 177 and c:;, fig. 178 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride . The front sea t is not the sa fest
place for a child in a forward -facing child safe ­
ty seat .
It is a very dangerous place for a n in­
fant or a large r ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child s afety seat o r imprope rly in­
stalling a chi ld restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situation .
- Ch ildren on the front seat o f any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be se ri­
ously injured or
even killed when an air­
bag inflates. A chi ld in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed o n the front
passenger seat will be serious ly injured
and can be k illed if the front airbag in­
flates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force a nd will smash the child safety seat
and child against the ba ckrest, center
a rm rest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seats o n the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearwa rd fac ing
child safety seat on the fro nt passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rear -fac ing chi ld
safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dea ler .
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as poss ib le
~

182 Child Safet y
to the backrest on the veh icle seat. Ad­
just the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the child seat w ith the
head restraint in place <=>
page 137. Driv­
ing with head restraints that are not
properly ad justed increases the risk of
serious o r fa tal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenev er using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being use d
¢page 143, Safety
belts, ¢ page 151, Airbag sys tem
and
¢ page 174, Importan t things to know.
_& WARNING
If exce ptional circumstances requ ire the
use of a forwa rd-facing child restraint 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-facing seat has
been designed and certif ied by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side a irbag.
- Always follow the man ufacturer's in­
struct io ns provided with the child safety
seat or infant car rier .
- Always move t he front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost posit ion of the passen ­
ger seat's fore and aft ad justment range,
and as far away from th e airbag as possi­
ble before ins tall ing the child res traint .
- Always make su re that noth ing prevents
the front passenger's seat from bei ng
moved to the rearmost posi tion in its
fore and aft adjus tme nt r an ge.
- Alw ay s make su re the backres t is in an
upr igh t position .
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes o n an d stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switc hed
on.
- If the ligh t does no t st ay on, pe rform the
che cks¢
page 161, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Ta ke the child restrain t off t he fr ont p as­
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 ignit ion is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can 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 in ches/1.45 meters) tall.
:e N 0 ±
i'il
F ig. 179 Rea r seat: c hild p rope rly rest rai ned in a boos ­
ter se at
T he vehicle 's safety belts a lone will not fit
most children until t hey are at least 4 ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chi l­
dren up so that the safety belt w ill pass prop ­
erly over the stronger parts of the ir bodies
and the safety be lt can he lp protect them in a
c rash .
.,. Do not use the convert ible lock ing retractor
when us ing the vehicle's safety belt to re­
strain a ch ild on a booster seat .
.. The s hou lde r belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possib le
and m ust lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or neck. The lap be lt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
.,. If you must transport an o lder child in a
booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you ca n use the safety be lt height adjust­
ment to help adj ust the shou lde r portion
properly .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 179. ...,.

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Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Ex­perts 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 child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in ap­ propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable 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 child's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used . Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft . 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regard­
less of how big the child is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the proper function of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulder belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable 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
inflating airbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
jury.
Child Safety 183
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especial­
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly 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 provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly 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 situation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possi­
ble and must lie flat and snug on the up­
per body.
It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie
across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen. Make sure that the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju­
ries in an accident or other emergency
situation¢
page 143.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad­
just the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the child seat with the
head restraint in place
¢page 137. Driv­
ing with head restraints that are not
properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- 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.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat, for example the front seat. •
•

184 Child Saf ety
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle .
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning
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 serious 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 sw itch­
ed on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and s tay on, perform
the chec ks described
¢ page 161, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the child rest raint off the front p as­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASS EN·
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 rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 143, Safety
belts,¢ page 151, Airbag system
and
¢ page 174, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the convertible
locking re tractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
fro nt passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertible locking retracto r for child restra ints .
The safety belt must be locke d so that belt
webbing can not unreel. The ret ractor ca n be
activ ated to lock the safety be lt and p revent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
d ur ing normal driv ing . A child sa fe ty seat can
on ly be proper ly installed whe n the safety belt is loc
ked so that the chi ld and child sa fety
seat wi ll stay in place.
Alw ays remember: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped wi th an A dvan ced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especially those 1 2 years and young ­
er, sho uld always ride in the back seat prope r­
l y restra ined fo r the ir age and size.
A WARNING
Improperly installed ch ild safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a co llision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. A n un locked safety belt re­
trac to r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing norma l driving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not si tt ing in it.
A loose child sa fe ty se at can fly aroun d
du ring a s udden stop or in a collision .
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backres t to wh ich the center rear safety
belt is attached is securely latched when ­
eve r the rea r center safety belt is being
used to secure a ch il d restra int .
- If the backrest is not securely la tc h ed,
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-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs o n the front pas­
senger seat . A child will be serious ly in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ge r airbag inflates.
- The infla ting airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrie r w ith gr eat
for ce and will smas h the child safe ty seat
a nd child ag ai nst t he back res t, cen ter
a rmrest, doo r or roof.
- Always inst all rear-fa cing ch ild safety
se ats or in fa nt c arrie rs on the re ar se at.

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-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 174. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:::;, page 153, 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
c> page 161, 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-
Child Safety 185
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 •
•

186 Child Safety
though an adult were on the seat and de­ploy 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
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).
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
¢ page 174. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 153, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into
the retractor.
"" Press the red button on the safety belt buck­
le. The belt tongue will pop out of the buck­
le.
""Guide the safety belt all the way back into
its stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely
into its stowed position. The safety belt can
1J1-

-Always read and heed the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re­
straint systems
c:> page 174, Child Safe­
ty.
(D Note
On vehicles with power adjustable rear
seats* some criteria must be observed
when attaching the child restraint using the
LATCH system:
- To attach the child restraint securely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
position, the seat height set to the low­
est position and the head restraint must be adjusted to the vertical position
¢ page 61.
-If a child safety seat is attached to one of
the rear seats, this seat must not be ad­
justed using the power controls under
any circumstances. The
Entry assistance
for this seat must also be deactivated in
the MMI ¢
page 64. The child safety seat
as well as the rear seat can be damaged by the adjustment process.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 186 Tether an cho rs: reces s fl ap s b ehin d th e re ar
seatbacks
The tether anchors for the two* /three rear
seating positions are located in recesses in the
rear window shelf ¢
fig. 186. Vehicles with
two rear seating positions* are equipped with two tether anchors .
A tether is a straight orV-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a child restraint to
special anchorage points in the vehicle.
Child Safety 191
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 could be caused by striking the ve­
hicle interior .
Forward facing child restra ints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements.
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats .
.&_ WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors
(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 child restraint to the front passen­ ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight -sensing
mat to measure more weight 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 ..,

192 Child Safe ty
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 ASS ENGER 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 the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 187 Tet her st rap : proper ro uting a nd mountin g
Inst all ing th e teth er strap
.. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restra int according to the child re­
stra int manufac turer's instructions .
.. Gu ide the upper tether strap
un de r the rea r
head restraint ~
fig. 187 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary).
.. Center s eating posi tion* : Guid e the upper
tether strap over the rear head restraint.
.. Tilt the recess flap up to expo se the anchor
br acke t.
.. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage .
.. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hoo k engages.
.. Tighten the tether strap firmly fo llowi ng the
child restra int manufacturer's instructions.
Re leasing the tethe r strap
.. Loosen the tension following the child re­
stra int manufacturer 's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catc h on the hook and re­
lease 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 ­
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in ­
stalled . The upholstery would also be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies espec ia lly to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Cur rently, few rear-facing chi ld restraint sy s­
tems come with a tether . Plea se read and
heed the ch ild restraint sys tem m anuf act ur­
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether.
.&_ WARNING
= -
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passenger sea t
will be serio usly injured and ca n be killed if
the front airbag in flates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the c hild
safety seat or infant carrie r with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put 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 system
work as tho ugh 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 chi ld .
- If you must insta ll a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OF F