2016 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

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Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash apply also to children
c:> page 136, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fu lly
developed. In many respe cts c hildren are at
g reater risk of serio us i njur y in crashes than
a d ul ts.
Because ch ildren's bod ies are not fully deve loped,
they requ ire rest ra int systems especially de­
signed fo r their size, weight, and body st ru ct ure.
M any countr ies and a ll states of the Uni ted
States and p rovinces of Canada have laws requi r­
ing the use of approved c hil d restraint systems
for infants and small chi ldren.
I n a front al crash at a speed o f 20 -35 mph
(30 -56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -po und
(6 kg) infa nt wi ll be more than 20 t imes t he
weight of the child . Th is means the weight of the
chi ld would sudden ly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appro­
p riate ch ild restra int properly used can reduce
the r isk of se rious i nju ry. Ch ild restra ints, like
ad ult safety belts, must be used prop erly to be
effective . U sed improperly, they can increa se the
ris k of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in orde r to be s ure the seat is right fo r
your chi ld's si ze
c:> page 170, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read an d heed a ll of th e importa nt in ­
formation and WAR NINGS about c hild safety, Ad­
vanced Ai rbags, and the installation of child re­
straints in th is chapter.
There is a lot you need to know abou t the Ad ­
vanced Airbags in yo ur vehicle and how they work
when infa nts and children in child rest raints a re
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amo unt of important informat ion, we cannot re-
Child sa fety
pea t it all he re . We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur veh icle
and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely importa nt for your safety and t he safe­
ty of you r passengers, especially infants and
small ch ild ren .
& WARNING
-Accident st atistics have shown th at children
a re generally safer in the rear sea t area than
in the front seatin g position. Always restra in
any child age 12 and under in the rea r.
- All vehicle occupants and es pecially children
m ust be restrained properly whenever ri ding
in a vehicle. An un rest rained or improperly
restrained ch ild could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve ­
h icle dur ing a sudden maneuve r or impact .
An unrestra ined o r improperly restrained
child is a lso at greate r risk of in ju ry or death
through conta ct with an inflating airbag .
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
an d used at one of the rear seating posit ions
p rovi des the highest deg ree of prote ction
for infan ts and small children in most a cci­
dent situat ions.
& WARNING f"-"----
Children on the front sea t of any car even with
Advanced Air bags can be ser iously injured or
even kil led when an a irbag inflates. A chi ld in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serious ly
i njured and can be k illed if the front a irbag in­
flates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, cent er armrest, o r
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear sea t.
- If you must ins tall a rearwa rd fac ing child
safety seat on th e front passenger s eat in
167

Child safet y
exceptional circ umstances and the
PA SSENGE R AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected immediately by your Aud i dealer .
A WARNING
-Forward-facing ch ild seats insta lled on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
persona l injury to the ch ild .
-If exceptiona l circumstances require the use
of a forwa rd-facing child rest raint on the
front passenger's seat, the child 's safety
and we ll-being requ ire the following specia l
precautions to be taken :
- Always make sure that the forward -facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and side airbag.
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided w ith the child seat
or infant car rier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions req uire the top tether strap to be used .
- Never put the fo rward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper anchor­
age to the adjustment position that per­mits proper insta llation in accordance with
the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­ tions.
- 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
child restraint . The backrest must be ad ­
justed to an upr ight position .
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rea rmost pos ition in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
168
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats) . These may influence the electrical
capac itance measured by the capac itive
passenger detection system and can also
fly around in an accident and cause se rious
personal injury .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, e lectronic
games device, powe r inverter o r seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter socket .
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or otherwise added to the front passenger seat, never install any child restra int sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion.
- Always make sure that the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on
all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .
- If the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­ ly install the forward-fac ing child seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspe cted by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- Always buc kle the ch ild seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
l oose ch ild seat can fly around du ring a
sudden stop or in a collis ion .
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS
whenever using a ch ild restraint in a vehi­
cle ¢
page 135, Safety belts, ¢ page 143,
Airbag system
and ¢ page 167, Impor­
tant information .
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash . Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause it to fail in another co llision situation.

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Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped wit h a front "Advanced
A irbag System" i n compliance w it h United States
F ederal Motor Vehicle Safe ty Standard ( FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your ve hicl e has
been certified to mee t the " low -risk" requ ire­
ments for 3 -and 6-year o ld children on the pas ­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
T he low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the r isk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the a irbag inflates . In add it io n, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"suppression" requiremen ts of the Safety Stand­
ar d, to turn off t he front airbag for infa nts up to
12 months who are restra ined on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed i n
the Standard.
E ven though yo ur vehicle is equ ip ped with an Ad­
vanced A irbag sys tem, all children, especia lly
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potent ially dangerous p lace for
a
chi ld to r ide. The fro nt seat is not the safes t place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat . It
can be a very dangerous place for a n infant or a
l arger child in a rea rward-facing seat .
T he vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­
pacitive passenger detect ion system in the front
passenger seat cush ion that ca n detec t the p res­
e n ce of a baby o r a child in a c hild restra int sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacit ive passenger detection system regis ­
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a ch ild, a child rest raint, and a baby b la nk et
a re on the fron t passenger sea t. T he change in
the meas ured c apac it a nce due to the presence of
a child,
a chi ld restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is re lated to the child re­
straint system resting on the seat . The measu red
capacitance of a chi ld restraint system va ries de-
Child sa fety
pending on the type of sys tem and specific make
and mode l.
T he elec trical c apacit a nce of the va rious types,
makes, and mo dels o f child restra ints specifie d
by the U.S.National Highway Traff ic Sa fety Ad ­
ministration (NH TSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem control unit together w it h the capacitances
typ ica l of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
c h ild restra int is used on the front passenger seat
with
a typ ica l 1 year-old in fant, the Advanced Air­
bag System compa res the capacitance measu red
by the capacitive passenge r dete ction system
wi th t he dat a stored in the elec tronic con trol
u ni t.
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the c hild restra int that you use,
make sure that it has been cert ified to meet Unit­
ed States Federa l Moto r Veh icle Safety Standa rds
and has been ce rtified by its manufacture r fo r
u se with an a irbag. Always b e sur e t hat t he c hild
r est rain t is prope rly insta lled a t one of the rear
sea ting pos itions. If in excep tional circ ums tan ces
yo u m ust use it on the front passenge r seat, care ­
fully read a ll of the information on chi ld safety
and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the appli ­
cable WARNINGS. Make certain that the child
and child restra int are correctly recogni zed by the
capacit ive passenger detection system i n the
front passenger seat, that the front passe nger
airbag is turned off, and that the a irbag status is
always cor rect ly signa led by the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light .
Many types and models of child rest raints have
been available ove r the years, new mode ls a re in­
t rod uced regu larly in co rporating new and im­
proved de signs and older mode ls are take n ou t of
produ ct io n. Ch ild restra ints are not s tandar dized.
Child rest rain ts of the same type typ ically have
different weights and sizes and different "foot­
prints", the size and shape of t he bottom of the
c hi ld restra int that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on
a vehicle seat. These d ifferences
make it virtua lly impossib le to cert ify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with .,.
169

Child safety
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
F or this reason, the Uni ted States Nat iona l H igh­
way Traffic Sa fety Administration has p ublished a
list of specific type, makes and models of c hild
restraints that m ust be used to certify comp li­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 . These ch ild
restra ints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restr aint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpa rt B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
C osco Arriva
September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
E venflo Discovery Ad -
December 1, 1 999
jus t Right 2 12
Evenflo F irst Cho ice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December
1, 1999
G raco Snugride Sept ember 25, 2007
Peg Perego P rimo V iag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP IMU NOOUS
Subp art C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Brit ax Ro undabout September 25, 2007
E9L 02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
C osco Summ it Del uxe September 25, 200 7
H igh Back Booste r
22- 262
170
Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco H igh Back Boos- September 25 , 2007
ter 22-209
E ven flo Tribute V September 25, 20 07
379xxxx
Evenflo Meda llion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenf lo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco Comfo rtSport September 25 , 2007
Graco Todd ler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Gr aco Platinu m Cargo Se pte mber 25, 200 7
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of ser io us injury , ma ke s ure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht
comes on and stays on whenever a ch ild re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ig nition is switched o n.
- Ta ke the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at o ne of the
rea r seat positions if the
PASSENG ER AIR
BAG OFF ligh t does not s tay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iate ly.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categor ies A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad­
vanced A irbag 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 dr iver, you are responsib le for the safety of
everybody in the veh icle, especially ch ildren:
.. Always use the right ch ild safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
c::;, page 173 .
.. Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufact urer's instructions on how to ro ute
the saf ety belt properly through the c hild safe­
ty seat.

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~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety seat , you must first activate th e
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 177.
~ Push the child 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
¢page 172.
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 size.
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 injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
mus t be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle .
- Only use child restraint systems that fully contact the flat portion of the seat cush­
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in-
Child safety
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using .
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the child with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat.
A child will be seriously injured and can be
killed when the passenger 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 install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause serious injury to the child. Always install for­
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- 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 precautions be taken:
Ill>
171

Child safety
-Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu ­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child sa fety
seat or 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 be­
fore 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 adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys ­
tem on this seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a laptop, CD player, electronic games device ,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats) . These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system and can also
fly around in an accident and cause serious
personal injury.
- 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 read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::> poge 135, Safety belts,
172
c::> page 143, Airbag system and
c::> page 167, Child safety .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER 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
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
Fig. 167 Schem ati c o verview: keep unused safety belt s
away fro m childre n in child safety seats. @ -ou te r rear
s a fe ty belt, @ -center rea r sa fety belt*
If a child safety sea t is used on the rear bench,
especially 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::> _&. .
- Guide the safety belt webbings @and ®* be ­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
c::> fig . 167. 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.

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_& WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child re­
straint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
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. 168 Schematic overview: rearward-facing infa nt seat,
prope rly instal led on t he rear seat
"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
r::;,page 177 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
"Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
Child safety
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::;, page 172.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their 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
¢ fig. 168.
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.
_& 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 crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat -
even with an Advanced Airbag System. A
child will be seriously injured and can be kil­ led 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
r::;, page 144, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-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
173

Child safety
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth ­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas­
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
r::!;> poge 135, Safety belts,
r::!;> page 143, Airbag system and
~ page 167, Important information .
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety sea ts con
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 169 Schema tic ov ervi ew: installatio n of th e atta ch­
m ents app lica ble to a LATCH seat
174
Fig. 170 Schem ati c ove rview : instal la ti on of the sea t using
t he vehicle' 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 177 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.,. Push the child 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)
r::!;> page 177.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 183.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 172.
A toddler o r 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) .
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 certified
for their size and weight¢
fig. 169 and
¢fig. 170 .
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.
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious