Child safety
control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a chi ld restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-o ld chi ld, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight measured by the weight sensing mat with the in
formation stored in the electron ic control unit .
The electronic control unit a lso registers the ten
sion on the front passenger safety be lt. The ten
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be d ifferent for an adult w ho is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tens ion
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re
s traint to the seat. The senso r below the latch fo r
t he sa fety belt for the fron t se at passenge r
meas ures the tension on the be lt . T he inp ut from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de
cide", whether there is a c hild restraint with a
typical 1 year -old chi ld on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
t urned off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet Un it
ed States Fede ral Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and h as been ce rtified by its manufac turer for
use w ith an airbag . A lways be sure tha t the child
restraint is p roperly ins talled at one of the rear
seating positions . If i n exceptiona l circumstances
you must use it on the front passenger seat, care fully read all of the informat ion on child safety
and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the appli
cable WARNINGS . Make certain that the ch ild re
straint is correctly recognized by the weight-sens
ing mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenge r airbag is t urned
off and t hat the
air bag s tatus is a lways cor re ctly s ignaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght .
M any types and models of child restra ints have
been ava ilable ove r the yea rs, new models a re in
t roduced regu larly incorporat ing new and im
p rove d des igns and o lder models are taken out o f
prod uction. Child restraints are not standardized .
Ch ild restrai nts of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and s izes and different 'foot
prints,' the si ze and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that sits on the seat, w hen they
152 are
insta lled on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtua lly impossib le to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every chi ld restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the usefu l life of your vehicle.
Fo r th is reason, the United States National High
way Traffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has published a
li st of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to cert ify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i
cle w ith the s uppression requirem ents of Federal
Motor Veh icle Safety S tanda rd 208. These child
rest rain ts are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guar d Angel Septe mber 2S, 200 7
Ride AA 2403FO F
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century Smart Fit 4 S4 3 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 2S, 2007
22-013PAW and bas e
22-999WHO
E venflo Discove ry Ad -December 1, 1999
just R ight 212
E ven flo Firs t Choi ce De cembe r 1, 1999
2 04
Graco Infant 84S7 December 1, 1999
Graco Sn ug ride Se
ptember 2S, 2 007
Peg Perego Pr imo Viag- September 2S, 2007
gio SIP I MUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
B ritax Round about September 2S, 200 7
E 9 L0 2xx
Cosco Tou riva 02Sl9 December 1, 1999
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N 1.1'1 ,....,
Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
3S2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi on ly for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safe ty seat for each
child and a lways use it properly
¢ page 155 . Child
sa fety
.,. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructio ns on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe
ty seat.
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convert ible lock ing retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
r::) page 159 .
.,. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with yo ur 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).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more we ight
than is actually on the seat .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::)page 155 .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 12 years and younge r,
shou ld a lways r ide in the back seat prope rly re
stra ined for their age and size.
A WARNING
=
Not using a child sa fety seat, us ing the wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must always be restrained properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrest rained or improperly restrained
ch ild can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the ins ide of the vehicle o r
b y being ejected from it du ring a s udden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly res trained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air
bag.
- Commercia lly available child safety seats
are req uired to comply with U.S. Federa l Mo
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213). .,_
153
Child safet y
-When b uying a ch ild restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- On ly use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush
ion. The ch ild restra int must not tip or
lean to either s ide. Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs o r tube-like frames . They do not pro
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements pe r
taining to the installat ion and use of ch ild
safety seats and carefully follow the in
struc tions prov ided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow ch ildren under 57 inches
(1.45 me ters) to wear a normal sa fety belt .
They m ust always be rest rained by a proper
child restra int system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu
vers or acc idents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Ho ld ing a child in your arms is neve r a sub
stit ute for a child rest raint sys tem.
- The strongest person co uld not hold the
child with the fo rces that ex ist in an acci
dent. The child will s tri ke the inte rior of
the vehicle and can a lso be str uck by the
passenger.
- The ch ild and the passenger can a lso in
jure each other in an acc ident .
- Never ins tall rea rward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen
ger seat. A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safe
ty seat or infant carrier w ith g reat force
and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the bac krest, center arm
rest, door or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld safety
seats or in fant ca rr ie rs on the rear seat .
154
-Forwa rd-facing child safety seats insta lled
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
w ith the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install fo r
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a fo rward-facing child restraint on the
front passenge r's seat, the child's safety
and well-be ing require that the following
speci al precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its manu
factu rer for use on a front seat w ith a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
i nst ructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rea rmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as fa r away from the a irbag as poss ible be
fo re insta lling the child rest raint.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
the front passenge r's seat from being
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fo re
and aft adjus tment range .
- Always make sure tha t the backres t is in
the up right pos ition.
- Always buckle the child sa fety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around d uring
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNI NGS when
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used¢
page 120, Safety belts,
¢page 128, Airbag system
and
¢ page 150, Child safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of ser ious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
comes on and stays on whenever a ch ild re
straint is installed on the front passenge r seat
and the ign ition is switched on . ..,.
"' N
0:: loo
rl I.O
"' N
"' rl
-Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
F ig . 141 Schemat ic overview : keep un used sa fety be lts
away from child ren in child safety seats. @-oute r rear
sa fety belt
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especia lly with LATCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,& .
-Gui de the safety belt webbing @ behind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed
c:> fig. 141. When do ing so,
do not engage the convertible 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 .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LA TCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rea r seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
co uld cause the chi ld serious personal inj ury
and even death.
- Always secure un used rear seat safety belts
o ut of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
Child safety
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re
tractor when routing the safety be lts around
the head restraints.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 142 Schematic overv iew: re arward -fac ing infant seat ,
proper ly in stalled on the rear seat
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convert ible locki ng retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
c:> page 159 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
... Push the ch ild 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) .
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 155.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best p rotected in spec ial infant carriers and ch ild
safety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
c:> fig . 142. ll>
155
Child safety
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 seat. It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward -facing seat .
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal inju ry and death in a crash.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen
ger seat -even w ith an Advanced Airbag Sys
tem . A child will be seriously injured and can
be killed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof¢
page 129, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rearward -facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rearward-facing child re
straint in the forward-facing direction. Such restraints are designed for the special needs
of infants and very small children and can
not protect them properly if the seat is for
ward-facing .
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of 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 by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
~ page 120, Safety belts,
~ page 128, Airbag system and
¢ page 150, Important information.
156
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. 143 Schem atic ove rview: instal la ti on of the attach
ments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 144 Sc hematic ove rview : instal lat ion of the seat using
t he vehicl e's sa fet y bel t system
.. 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 159 or install the seat using the LATC H
attachments.
.,. Push the chi ld 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)
~ page 159.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 165.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 155.
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) .
IJJ,,
M N
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N 1.1'1 ,....,
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 certi
fied for their si ze and weight¢
fig. 143 and
¢fig. 144 .
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 safety seat. It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat.
.8, WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag 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 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, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of 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 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 . Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
Child safety
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place
¢ page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed . Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 120, Safety belts,
¢ page 128, Airbag system and
¢page 150, Important information.
.8, WARNING
= -
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 pre
cautions be taken:
- 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 instruc tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up
right position.
- 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 light does not stay on, perform the
checks ¢
page 138, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
157
Child safety
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever
the ignition 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 ore less than 4 ft .
9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig . 14 5 Rear seat: ch ild p roperly restra ined in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in . (57 in
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg) . Booster seats raise these c hildren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronge r pa rts of their bod ies 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 restrain
a chi ld on a booster seat .
• The shoulder be lt must lie as clo se to the cen
t er of the child's collar bone as poss ible and
must lie flat and sn ug 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 sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight
en if necessary.
• Secu re unused safety belts on the rear seat
~ page 155.
Children up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best pro
tected in child safety seats designed for their age
and weight . Experts say that the skeletal struc
ture, part icularly the pelvis, of these ch ildren is
not f ully deve loped, and they must not use the
158
vehicle safety be lts without a suitable child re
straint.
It i s usually best to put t hese chi ldren in appro
pr iate booste r seats . Be sure the boos ter seat
meets a ll applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the sea ting pos ition of t he
ch ild an d repos ition bo th the lap and shoulder
parts o f the safety bel t so th at they pass across
the chi ld's body in the right places . The rout ing of
the be lt over the chi ld's body is very important
for t he chi ld's protection, whether or not a boos
ter seat is used. C hildren age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft . 9 in . (57 inc hes/
1.45 meters) tall ca n generally use the vehicle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to rest rain any child, regardless of how b ig the
c hi ld is . A lways remember that ch ild ren do not
have the p ronounced pe lvic st ructure required for
the p roper func tion of lap belt port ion of the ve
h icle 's th ree po int lap and shoulder be lts. The
ch ild' s sa fety abso lutely requires tha t a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap be lt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
i ts job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occ upant as the occu
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A ve hicle occupant who is out of pos ition and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck vio lent ly and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the airbag to
offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances, be prope rly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keep ing room betw een the ch ild 's ..,
M N
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N ..,., ,....,
body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions .
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se
rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child'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 sure 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 injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
~ page 120.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place
~page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or 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 seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death .
Child safety
-If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when
ever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described~
page 138, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 120, Safety belts,
¢ page 128, Airbag system and
¢ page 150, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas
senger's seat can be locked with the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child safety
seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas
senger 's seat safety belt have a convertible lock
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and child safety seat will stay in place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re-
strained for their age and weight . ..,_
159