Child safety
-Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu
facturer for use on a front seat w ith a
passenger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat o r carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore a nd aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be
fore insta lling the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenge r's seat from be ing
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the back rest is in
the upr ight position .
- Never place or use any e lectr ica l device
(such as a laptop , CD player , e lectron ic
g ames device, power inve rter or sea t heat
er for ch ild 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 chi ld restraint sys
tem on th is seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth
er liqu ids on the front passenger seat
cushion .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a laptop, CD p layer, electron ic games de
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec
trical capacitance measured by the capaci tive passenge r detection system and can
a lso fly around in an accident and cause
serio us personal in jury.
- Always bu ckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collisio n.
- Always re ad a nd heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢ page 12 7, Safety belts,
164
c::> page 135 , Airbag system and
c::> page 159 , 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 ch ild re
stra int is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ign ition is switched on .
- Take the child restra int off the front passen
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does no t stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iate ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~ - --,..---.-- --,,. N
Fig. 16 4 Schem ati c overv iew: keep unused safety belts
away from child re n in c hild safety seats. @· ou te r rear
s afety belt
"' ~
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety belts
must be sec ured so
that the c hild in the child rest raint cannot reach
them
c::> _&. .
- Guide the safety belt webbing @ behind the
head rest raint of the seat where the child re
st raint is installed
c::> fig . 164. When doing so,
do not engage the convert ib le loc king re trac·
to r! Yo u should not he ar a "cl icking " so und
when winding up the safety bel t.
- Let the belt retracto r wind up the safety belt
webbing.
_& 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
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convertible locking re tractor when routing the safety belts 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 bock, neck and
head in a crash .
Fig. 165 Schemat ic overview: rearwa rd-facing infant seat,
properly installed on the 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
~ page 169 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.S cm).
Child safety
"' Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 164.
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
¢fi g. 165.
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-facin g 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
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 136, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rear-fac ing 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, immedia tely install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
165
Child safety
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 passenge r seat cushion .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the e lectr ical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per
sonal in jury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c:;, page 12 7, Safety belts,
c:;, page 135 , Airbag system
and
c:;, page 159, Important information.
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. 166 Schemat ic ov erv iew : in stallat ion of the at tac h
m ents app licabl e to a LATCH seat
166
Fig. 167 Schem at ic ove rv iew: installat ion of t he seat usin g
t he vehicle's sa fety 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
c:;, page 169 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.,. Push the child safety sea t 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 169.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c:;, page 175.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:;, page 164.
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 we ight
c:;, fig . 166 and
¢ fig. 167.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous place for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild 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
chi ld safety seat or improperly insta lling 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 wi ll be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center arm rest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos it ioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints : adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restra int in place ¢
page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not proper ly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 12 7, Safety belts,
¢ page 135, Airbag system and
¢ page 159, Important information.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restra int on the
Ch ild safety
front passenger's seat, the ch ild's safety and
well-being requ ire that the following special
precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has been
des igned 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 carrie r.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
fa r away from the airbag as possib le befo re
installing the ch ild rest raint.
- 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 ad
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up
right position.
- Never p lace or use any electr ica l device
(such as a lap top, CD player, e lectron ic
g ames device, power inve rter or sea t heater
for child sea ts) 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 restra int 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 cush ion.
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p laye r, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for ch ild
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measu red by the capacitive pas
senger detect ion system and can also fly
aro und in an accident an d cause se rious per
sonal injury.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and st ays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is swit ched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immedia tely in
stall the forward-fac ing ch ild seat at a
167
Child safety
seating position on the rear seat and have
the airbag system inspected by your author
ized Audi dealer.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P A SSEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster sea ts 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 . 1 68 Rea r seat : chi ld proper ly restrain ed in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
chi ldren 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 chi ldren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronge r parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
• Do no t use the conve rtible locking retractor
whe n using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a chi ld on a booster seat.
• The shoulder be lt 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 pelv is and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight
en if necessa ry .
• If you must transpo rt an older chi ld in a boos
ter seat on the front passenger seat , you can
168
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly.
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::, page 164.
Children up to at least 8 years o ld (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, part icularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
su itable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro
priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety sta ndards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
ch ild 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 ch ild's body is very important
fo r the ch ild's protect ion, whet her or not a boos
te r seat is used. C hildren age 12 a nd under m ust
always ride in the re ar seat.
Children who a re at least 4 ft. 9 in . (5 7 inches/
1.45 meters) tal l can generally use t he vehicle's
th ree poin t lap a nd shoulder belts . Never use the
l ap belt portion of the veh icle's safety bel t alone
to restrain any chi ld, regard less o f how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that children 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
c hi ld's safety absolutely requ ires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possib le around the pe lvis . Never le t
the lap belt po rtion of the safety be lt pass ove r
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate w ithi n a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
i ts job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that i t
will be there to protect the occup ant as the occ u
pan t moves forw ard in to the airbag.
A vehicle occupan t who is out of pos it ion and too
cl ose 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 w ill rece ive serio us or
possib ly even fatal injury.
II>
In o rder for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especia lly
any children, who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly restrained and as far away from the airbag as
possible . By keeping room between the child's
body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the airbag can inflate comp letely and pro
vide supp lemental protect ion in certain frontal
coll is ions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly insta lling 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 situat ion. To help reduce the risk of se
r ious 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 neve r lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelv is
and never across the stomac h or abdomen.
Make sure tha t the belt lies fla t and sn ug.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to p roperly route safety belts over a
child 's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢ page 127.
-The rear side of the child sa fety seat should
be pos itioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat .
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restra int in place ¢
page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restra ints or w ith head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious o r fa ta l neck injury d ramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Ai rbags, can be se riously in
jured or even killed when a n ai rbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any seat,
for example the front seat.
-
Ch ild safety
-Never let a chi ld ride in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in any way du ring an accident can be struck by
a dep loying airbag. Th is w ill result in serious
personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptiona l
circumstances the
PASSENGE R AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on and stay on, when
eve r the ignit ion is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perfo rm the
checks desc ribed ¢
page 146, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen
ge r seat an d install it prope rly 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 chi ld restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
¢ page 12 7, Safety belts,
¢ page 135, Airbag system and
¢ page 159, 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 can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergen cy loc king retractors for
the rear seats safety be lts and fo r th e front pas
senger's sea t sa fe ty be lt have a conve rtible lock
ing retractor for child restraints . The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webbing cannot un
ree l. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing norma l driving. A ch ild
safety seat can on ly be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the ch ild and
child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
169
Child safety
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re
strained for their age and size.
.&_ 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 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 collision.
- If the rear set backrest is not securely latch
ed, the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the backrest and will strike parts of the vehicle interior.
The child 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 seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates.
- 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 or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment 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 when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used~
page 159. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 136, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
170
.&_ WARNING , .
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing 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.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
~ page 146, 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.
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier .
- After checking to make sure that the child
restraint is properly installed, make certain
that the child restraint is correctly recog nized by the capacitive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the correct front passenger frontal airbag
status.
.&_ WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed 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. .... ....._ ______________ _J~
Child safety
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The conver tible locking re trac tor for child re
s train ts will be deactivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way bock into the re
tractor .
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
The belt tongue w ill pop out of the buckle .
.,. Gu ide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed pos ition .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into its stowed position . The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety be lt without the con
ve rt ible locking retractor for child restraints .
If the convert ible lock ing 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
convertible lock ing re tractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt w ill gradually become tighte r and
uncomfortable to wea r.
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 deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
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
being used ¢
page 159. Special precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 136, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
172
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more practicab le way to
attach the ch ild rest raint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require special lower ancho
rages in vehicles and devices on new ch ild 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 describe the system .
In other countries the term "ISOFIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages.
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af
te r September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed
eral regu lations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements . These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a chi ld rest raint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the per
formance of the child restraint and its ability to
protect the child in a collision. Installing a child
restraint that requires a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law .
Child restraint manufacturers offer LA TCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps .
In addition to the LA TCH lower anchorages, these
child restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restraint
firmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restra ints w ill
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.