'"" N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
-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.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi
tion in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re
sult in serious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan
ces the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
must come on and stay on, whenever the
ignition is switched on.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch ed on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
c::> page 136, Safety
belts,
c::> page 144, Airbag system and
c::> page 165, 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's seat can be locked with the con vertible locking retractor to properly secure
child safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
Child Safety 175
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that belt
webbing cannot unreel. 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 young
er, should always ride in the back seat proper
ly restrained for their age and weight.
A WARNING
=
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- 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 collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt is attached is securely latched when
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used to secure a child restraint.
-If the backrest is not securely latched,
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 rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat. A child will be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the passen- ger airbag inflates. .,_ •
•
176 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, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing child safe
ty 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 165. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 145, 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 ¢
page 154, 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
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.
178 Child Safety
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
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with
out the convertible locking retractor for child
restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt must
be unfastened and guided completely back in
to its stowed position to deactivate this fea
ture. If the convertible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be
come tighter and uncomfortable to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti
vate the convertible locking retractor for
child restraints while the vehicle is mov
ing. You would not be restrained and
could be seriously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢page 165. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 145, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
M N
~ co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
LATCH Lower
anchorages and tether
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more pract icable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federal regu lations require special lower
anchorages in vehicles and dev ices on new
child restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho
rages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called
the
LA TCH system for "Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children ."
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new ch ild
head movement performance requirements .
T hese new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
I nstalling a chi ld restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the
performance of the chi ld restraint and its ab il
ity to protect the child in a co llision . Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a v iolation of
state law.
Ch ild restraint manufacturers offer LATCH
lower anchorages on their ch ild seats with
hook -on or push-on connectors attached to
adj ustable straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restra int firmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instructions p rov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re-
Child S afety 1 79
straint you intend to install in your vehi
cle.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc
tions require the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of child restraint LATC H
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision . The LATC H lowe r anchorage
points ar e designed to withstand on ly
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mo unt two ch ild restra int systems
on one LATC H lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or a ttach any luggage or
o ther item to the LATCH lower anchorag
es.
a) Tips
In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower u niversal anchorages" (or "lower
universa l anchorage ba rs") are used to de
scribe the sys tem.
- In other countries, the t erm " ISOFIX" is
used to describe the lower a nch o rages.
Location
Fi g. 16 6 Schema tic overv iew: LA TCH ancho rage point
l ocations
T he illust rat ion shows the seati ng loca tions in
yo ur vehicle which are equipped with the low
er anchorages system.
M N
~ co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer 's instructions.
Relea sin g
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following
the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instr uc
tions .
.,. Depress the spring catches to release the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag
es .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATC H system can in
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in an acc ident.
- These anchors were developed only for child safety seats us ing the "LATCH" sys
tem.
- Never attach other child safety seats,
belts or othe r objects to these anchors .
- Always make sure that you hea r a click
when latching the seat in place . If you do
not hea r a click the seat is not secure and
c ou ld fly forward and h it the inte rior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi
cl e.
A WARNING
Improper installation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of in jury in an acci
dent.
- Always fo llow the child rest raint system
manufacturer's instr uctions for proper
installation o f 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
format io n and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re
st raint systems~
page 165, Child Safe
ty.
-
Child S afety 181
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 170 Sedan Tet her anchors: recess flaps behind the
r ea r seatbacks
Fig. 171 allroad Tether anchors: attac hme nt hook lo
catio ns be hind the rear seatbacks
Sedan : T he tether ancho rs for the rear seating
pos itions are located in recesses in the rear
window shelf
c> fig. 170.
allroad : The tether anchors for the rear seat
ing pos it ions are located on the backside of
the rear seatbacks
qfig. 171.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap t hat
attaches the top part of a ch ild restraint to
special anchorage po ints in the vehicle .
T he purpose of the tethe r is to re duce the for
ward movement of the child rest raint in a
crash, in orde r 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 regulations to comply with c hild head
movement performance requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats. ...,
,...,
N
0 ::.,: co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for severa l
days, this cou ld leave a mark on the up
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in
s t alled. The upho lstery would a lso be per
manently stretched around the tethe r
s tr ap. This applies especially to leat her
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child restraint
systems come with a tether. Please read and h eed the child restraint system manufactur
er's instructions carefully to determ ine how to
p roperly install the tethe r.
A WARNING
-
A ch ild i n a rearward-facing child safety
s ea t insta lled on the front passenger sea t
w ill be seriously injured and can be killed if
t he fron t air bag inflates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the chi ld
sa fety seat or infa nt carrier w it h great
force and wi ll smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear
ward-fac ing c hild restra int attached to
the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on the weight-mat in the
sea t and regis ter a heavier we igh t in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heav ie r
we ight registe red ca n make the system
wor k as th ough an adul t were on t he seat
and dep loy the A dvanced Airbag when i t
must be supp ressed ca using serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- If you mus t insta ll a rearward facing
child safety seat o n the front passenger
seat beca use of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im-
Child Sa fet y 183
mediately insta ll th e rearward-fac ing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi
tion and have the airbag system inspect
ed by your authorized Audi dealer .
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional
information about child restraint se lection, in
stallation and use:
NH TSA advises that the best chi ld safety seat
is the one that fits your chi ld and fits in your
vehicle, and that you w ill use correct ly and
consistently.
T ry before yo u buy!
U .S National Highway Traffi c Safety Admin
istration
Tel.: 1 -888 -3 27- 42 36 (TIY: 1-800 -42 4-9153)
www.n htsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (2 02) 662- 0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Safety BeltSafe U .S .A
T el.: (8 00) 7 45-SAF E (English)
T el.: (8 00) 747 -SANO (Span ish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information C entr e
Tel.: 1 -800 -333-0371 or c all
1-6 13-99 8-8616 if yo u are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/ roadsa fety/
menu .htm
Audi Cu stomer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
•
•
192 Intelligent technology
to prevent excessive disc harge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability.
Dynamic en ergy management
While the vehicle is be ing dr iven , dynamic en
e rgy management distributes the energy gen
erated accordi ng to the needs of the individu
a l components . It reg ulates cons umption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti
mal state of charge for the battery.
@ Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits o f physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are li mited .
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi
cator light(•) appears ¢
page 16.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capabili ty.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
d riving, in city traffic and during the co ld time
of year. Abundant e lectr ica l energy is re
qu ired, but only a little is generated. It is also
cr itical if the engine is not run ning and electri
cal components a re turned on . In th is in
stance energy is being consumed but none is be ing generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat
ing the distr ib ution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period If yo u do not drive your vehicle over a period
of severa l days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back o r switched off .
This reduces energy cons umption and mai n
tains sta rting capab ility over a longer period .
Some of t he conve nien ce f unctions may no t
ope rate, su ch as the in ter io r l ights o r the
power seat ad justment. The convenience
f u nctions will be avai lable again when you
switch on the ignition and start the engine . With the engine turned off
If you
listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
t h e engine t urned off or use other M MI func
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If s tarti ng capab il ity is jeopardi zed d ue to en
ergy consumptio n, the following warning ap
pears in the MM I display:
Pl ea se start the engine soon or the syst em
will be turned off .
The warning indicates that the system will be
tu rned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the funct ions, yo u
have to sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine running
Althoug h electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being dr iven, the battery can be
come discharged. This happe ns mostly when
li ttle energy is being ge ne rated and a g reat
deal consumed and t he ba ttery's state of
c harge is no t opt imal.
To b ring the energy bala nce back into equ ili
br ium, consumers wh ich requ ire espec ially
lar ge amounts of ene rgy a re temporar ily cut
ba ck or sw itched off. Heat ing systems in p ar
t icu lar require a great deal of energy . If you
notice, for examp le, that the heated seats * or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the e nergy balance has been restored.
You w ill also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . T hi s is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine id le
speed the additional energy required is ge ner
ated and the battery is charged .
-If you notice unusual vibration or if the vehicle pulls to one side when driving, 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 summer and winter tires are de
signed for the conditions
that are typical in those sea
sons. Audi recommends using winter tires during the
winter months. Low tem peratures significantly de
crease the elasticity of
summer tires, which affects
traction and braking ability.
Tires and wheels 229
If summer tires are used in
very cold temperatures, cracks can form on the tread bars, resulting in perma
nent tire damage that can
cause loud driving noise and unbalanced tires. Audi is not
responsible for this type of
damage.
-Burnished, polished or chromed rims must not be used in winter road condi
tions. The surface of the
rims does not have suffi
cient corrosion protection
for this and could be perma
nently damaged by road salt
or similar substances.
•
•
'
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the combined weight (in
excess of those standard items
which may be replaced) of auto matic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power
windows, power seats, radio, and heater, to the extent that
these items are available as fac
tory-installed equipment (whether installed or not).
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to
the width of the tire in percent. Numbers of 55 or lower indi
cate a low sidewall for im proved steering response and
better overall handling on dry
pavement.