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seats support the baby 's back, neck and he ad in a
crash
c!;> fig . 174.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dange ro us p lace 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 imp roperly installing a
child restra int increases the risk of se rious
perso nal in jury and death in a crash .
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the front passenger
seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A ch ild will be ser iously injured and can be
ki lled when the infla ting airbag hi ts the
child safety seat o r infant carr ier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c:> page 152, 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 direct ion. Such restraints
are designed for the spec ial needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forwa rd- facing .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
c a use of except io na l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come o n and stay o n, immed iate ly i nstall
the re ar-facing c hild safety seat ih a rear
seating posit ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
c:, page 143, Safety belts,
<=:> page
151, Airbag system and
c:> page 171, Important information.
Ch ild sa fety
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 . 17 5 Schem atic overv ie w: installat ion o f the attac h
me nts applicable to a LA TCH sea t
Fig. 17 6 Sc hemat ic overv iew : in sta llat ion of t he seat using
t he ve hicle 's sa fety be lt syst em
.. W hen using the vehicle safe ty belt to install a
child sa fety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking feat ure on the safety belt to
prevent the child safety seat from moving
c:::> page 180 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with yo ur full
we igh t to ge t the safety belt really tight so tha t
t he seat can not move forwa rd or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm)
<=:> page 180.
.. If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a tether
strap, attac h it to the tether anchors
c:::> page 186.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:::> page 176 .
A toddler or child is usua lly too large fo r an in
fant restraint if it is more th an one year old and
weighs more t han 20 lbs. (9 kg). ..,
177

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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 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 177 Rear seat: child p roper ly restrained 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 ch ildren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a chi ld on a booster seat .
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen
ter 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 tight
en if necessary .
.,. If you must transport an older chi ld in a boos
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r:=>page 176.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety seats de
signed for their age and we ight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, part icularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
Child safety
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in appro
priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicab le 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 be lt over the chi ld's body is very important
for the ch ild's protection, whether or not a boos
ter 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 inches/
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 a lone
to restrain any ch ild, regard less of how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that child ren do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap be lt portion of the ve
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possible around the pe lvis. 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 considerab le 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 occu
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occ upant who is out of position 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 violently and w ill receive serious or
possibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protect ion, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children , who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from t he airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child's ..,_
179

Child safety
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 143.
-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 67. 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, for example the front 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.
180
-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 161, 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 143, Safety belts,
~page 151, Airbag system
and
~ page 171, Important information.
Securing child seats
' Securing a child safety seat using a safety
I _l:>elt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas
senger 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 size . ..,.

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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 retrac
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during no rma l 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 d uring
a sudden stop or in a collision .
- Always ma ke sure that the rear seat bac k
rest to wh ich the center rea r safety be lt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se
cure a ch ild rest raint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The ch ild
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be serious ly injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and ch ild
against the backrest, center armrest, door
o r roof.
- Always install rear-faci ng child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats or infant
c a rriers ins talled on the front passenge r's
seat may inte rfe re with t he deployment of
the a irbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is s afe r to ins tall a forward-fac ing ch ild
sa fety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child res trained in a veh icle is
being used
r:o page 171. Spec ia l precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢ page 152, Child
Ch ild safety
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
A WARNING
-A lways take special precautions if you must
i nstall a forward or rearward-facing child re
stra int on the front passenger's seat in excep
tional s ituations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-fac ing
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribed
r:o page 161, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the child restra int off t he front passen
ge r seat an d install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions i f the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installat ion of child res traints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them f rom providing any protect ion .
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serio usly injure or even kill the chi ld.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child sa fety
seat o r carr ie r.
- Never p lace additiona l items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash.
A WARNING
-Forward-facing child restra ints:
- Always make sure the forward- facing seat
has been des igned and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan-
-
el. ~
181

Child safety
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the for
ward-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 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 be especially careful if you must in
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi er weight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as 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, immediately in
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer .
182
· Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer 's
instructions when installing a child restrain t in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
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 un
til 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 con
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re
tractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
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 improp
erly 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 retrac
tor 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.

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the child restraint is installed is in an up
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at
tached to it could f ly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
r=;, page 171. Specia l precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢ page 152, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant 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 re
tractor .
~ Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
~ 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 without the con
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deact ivate this feature. If the
convert ible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt w ill gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
_& WARNING
-
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re
straints while the vehicle is moving . You
Child safety
would not be restrained and could be seri
ously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
¢page 171. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢ page 152, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicab le way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require special lower ancho
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages .
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
"Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children". In
Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower uni
versa l anchorages" (or "lower universal anchor
age bars") are used to descr ibe the system .
In other countries the term "ISOFIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages .
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance req uirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new ch ild seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tethe r without one can seriously impair the per
formance of the child restraint and its ab ility to
protect the child in a collision. Installing a child
restra int that requi res a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats w ith hook-on or ..,.
183

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are not equipped with the lower anchorage at
tachments can still be installed in compliance
with the child restra int manufacturer 's instruc
tions on using vehicle safety belts.
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal injury in an accident.
- Always carefully follow the child restra ints
manufacturer's instructions for proper in
stallation of the child restra int and proper
use of the lower anchorages or safety be lts
in you r vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the
LATCH lower anchorages .
-Always read and heed the important infor mation about child restraints in this chapter
and WARN INGS
¢page 171, Child safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always fol
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc
tions.
F ig. 181 Lower anchorages: proper mounting
Mounting
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upright position and securely latched
in place.
• Attach both hook-on connectors with the spring
catch re lease on the ch ild safety seat onto the
LATCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place
r=;, fig. 181 .
•Pullon the connector attachments to make
sure they a re properly attached to the LA TCH
lower anchorage.
Ch ild sa fety
• Pull straps tight following the chi ld restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing
• Loosen the tension on the straps fo llow ing the
child restra int manufacture r's ins tructions.
• Depress the spr ing catches to release the an
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tethe r straps to help keep the
c hi ld rest raint firmly in p lace.
A WARNING ~
I mproper use o f the LA TCH system can in -
crease the risk of serious personal injury a nd
death i n an accident.
- These anchors were developed only for child safety seats using the "LATCH" system.
- Never attach other chi ld safety sea ts, be lts
or other objects to these anchors .
- Always make sure that yo u hear a click whe n
latching the seat in place. If you do not hear
a click the seat is not sec ure and co uld f ly
forward and hit the interior of the vehicle,
or be ejected from the vehicle.
A WARNING .
Improper installation of child restra ints w ill
i nc rease the risk of injury in an accident.
-A lways follow the child restraint system
manufacturer's instructions for proper in
stallat ion of the chi ld restraint system and
proper use of tether straps as well as the lowe r anchorages or safety belts in yo ur ve
h icle.
- Always read and heed the important info r
mat ion and WARNINGS about ch ild safety
an d the ins tallat io n of child restrai nt sys
tems
r=;, page 171, Child safety.
185

Checking and Filling
Disconnecting the battery terminals
Some vehicle functions (power window regula
tors, for example) are lost if the battery termi
na ls are disconnected. These functions have to be
relearned after the battery terminals are con
nected again. To prevent this, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle e lectrical
system when absolutely necessary for repairs.
Vehicles not driven for long periods
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period of
several days or weeks, electrical components are
gradually cut back or sw itched off. This reduces
energy consumption and ma intains starting ca
pab ility over a longer period
c::> page 195 .
Take into consideration that when you unlock
your veh icle, some convenience functions, such
as the interior lights or the power seat adjust
ment, may not be available. The convenience
functions will be available again when you turn
on the ignition and start the engine.
Winter operation
During the winter months, battery capacity tends
to decrease as temperatures drop. This is be
cause more power is also consumed while start
ing, and the head lights, rear window defogger,
etc., are used more often.
Avoid unnecessary power consumption, particu
larly in city traffic or when traveling only short
d istances . Let your authorized Audi dealer check
the capacity of the vehicle battery befo re winter
sets inc::>
page 231. A well cha rged battery w ill
not only preven t starting problems when the
weather is cold, but will also last longer.
Working on the battery
Be especially careful when working on or near
the battery.
The batte ry is located in the luggage compart
ment under the floor. Before you check anything
in the luggage compartment,
read and heed all
WARNINGS
c::> & .
Hybr id drive*: you can find important information
about the high volta ge battery unde r
c::> page 97.
230
Always heed the safety warnings , when working
on the vehicle battery or the vehicle electrical system to prevent injury.
The following WARNINGS are very important
when working on the battery :
Always heed the following WARNING SYM· BOLS and safety precautions when working on
the battery .
®
Always wear eye protection .
A
Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Al-
ways wear gloves and eye protection .
@
No
• sparks
• flames
- smoking.
~
When a battery is charged, it produces
hydrogen gas which is explosive and
could cause personal injury.
®
Always keep the battery well out of reach
of children .
.b WARNING
-
Whenever working on the battery or on the
e lectrica l system, there is the risk of injury,
accident and even fire. Read and heed the fol
lowing WARNINGS:
- Always wear eye protection . Do not let bat
tery acid or any lead particles get on your
skin or clothing. Shield your eyes. Explosive
gases can cause blindness or other injury.
- Battery acid contains sulfuric acid. Sulfuric
acid can cause blindness and severe burns.
-A lways wear glo ves and eye protection. Do
not tilt the battery because acid could leak
out of the ventilation openings.
- If you get battery acid in yo ur eyes or on
you r skin, immediate ly rinse with cold wa
ter for several minutes and get medical at
tention .
- If you should ingest any battery acid , seek
medical attention immediate ly.
- Do not expose the battery to an open flame,
elec tric sparks or an open light.
- Do not smoke.
~