Child safet y
and typical 1 year -old child have been sto red in
the co ntrol unit of the Advanced Airbag System.
When a chi ld restra int is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the we ight
measured by the we ight sensing mat with the in
formation stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control un it also registers the ten
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten
sion on the safety belt for the fro nt passenger
seat will be d ifferent for an adult w ho is p roperly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt w hen it is used to attach a ch ild re
s tra int to the sea t. The senso r below the la tch for
t he safety belt for the front sea t passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The inp ut from
this senso r is then used with the weight to "de
cide", whether there is a child restra int w ith a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenge r
seat and whether or not the a irbag must be
turned off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less of the child restra int tha t you use,
make su re that it h as been cert ified to meet Safe
ty Standa rds and has been certified by its manu
facture r for use wi th an a irba g. A lways be sure
t hat the chi ld restrain t is properly insta lled at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception
al c ircumstances yo u m ust use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed a ll of the app licab le WARNINGS . Make cer
tain tha t the child res tra int is correc tly recog
n iz ed by the we ight-sens ing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that t he fron t passe nger a irbag
is t urned off and tha t the airbag st atus is always
corre ct ly sign aled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF li ght .
M any types and mo dels of child res traints have
been available ove r the ye ars, new mode ls are in
troduce d regularly inco rpora ting new and im
p roved designs and o lder mode ls are taken o ut of
product ion . Chi ld restraints a re not standardized .
Ch ild restraints of the same type typ ica lly have
d ifferent weights and s izes and d ifferent 'foot
prints,' the size a nd shape of the bottom of t he
152 ch
ild restraint t hat sits on the seat, when they
a re installed on a vehicle seat . These differences
make it virtua lly impossib le to certify comp liance
with the requirements for advanced a irbags w ith
each and every child restra int that has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course of
t h e usefu l life of your vehicle .
For t his reason, the United States National High
way Traffic Safety Admin istrat ion has published a
li st of specific type, makes and mode ls of ch ild
res tra ints tha t must be used to certify compli
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your ve hi
cl e w ith the s uppression requirements of Federa l
Mot or Ve hicl e Safety St and a rd 208. These child
r es tra ints are :
Subpart A- Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard Angel Se pte mber 2 5, 20 07
Ride AA 2403F OF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base 22- 999WHO
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just R ight 212
E ven flo Firs t Choi ce December
1, 1 999
2 04
Grace I nfant 8457 December 1, 1999
Grace Sn ugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SIP I MUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Br itax Roundabo ut September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 0 2519 December 1, 1999
...
Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tr ibute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious inju ry, make sure
that the
PA SSEN GER 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
P A SSEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the veh icle, especially children:
gi .,. Always use the right chi ld safety seat for each ......
~ child and a lways use it properly qpage 155. N ...... 0
0
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Child safety
.,. Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the ch ild safe
ty 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 chi ld safety seat from moving
q page 159.
.,. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with yo ur 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).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
q page 155.
Always remember: Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especia lly t hose 12 yea rs and younger,
sho uld a lways ride in th e back seat p roper ly re·
strained for their age and s ize.
A WARNING
=
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly insta lling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must always be restrained properly whenev
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestra ined o r improperly restrained
c hi ld can be injured o r killed by being
thrown aga inst the inside of the veh icle or
by being ejected from it during a sudden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestra ined or improperly restrained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air bag.
- Commercially availab le child safety seats
are requi red to comply with U .S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213). ..,_
153
a:,
a:,
...... N
" N ...... 0
0
LL co
-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. 154 Schemat ic overv iew: keep unused s-afety belts
away from children in chil d safety seats. @-oute r rear
sa fety belt
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LA TCH 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 webbing @behind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re
straint is installed
c::> fig . 154. When doing so,
do not engage the convertible locking retrac
tor! You should not hear a "clicking" sound
when winding up the safety belt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booste r seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause the chi ld serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by proper ly routing them aro und the
Child safety
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 back , neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 155 Schematic overview: rearward -facing infant seat,
p roper ly insta lled o n the rear seat
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c::>poge 159 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 155.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group . Many
experts believe that infants and small children
shou ld 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
r=;, fig. 155 . .,..
155
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
0
LL 00
be properly restrained in a chi ld safety seat certi
fied for their size and weight¢
fig. 156 and
¢fig . 157.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentia lly dangerous p lace 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.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restra int increases the r isk of serious
personal inju ry and death in a collis ion 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 a irbag inflates.
A chi ld 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.
- The inflating a irbag w ill 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-fac ing ch ild 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 exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rearward-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 122, Safety belts,
Child safety
¢ page 130 , Airbag system and
¢ page 150, Important information.
A WARNING
-If exceptional c ircumstances requ ire the use
of a forward-facing ch ild restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being requ ire that the following special
p recautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side ai rbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions provided with the child safety seat o r
infant carrie r.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rea rmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possib le before
installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing preven ts the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad ·
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up
right position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks ¢
page 140, Monitoring the Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SS ENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
157
Child safety
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. 158 Rear seat: ch ild proper 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 chi ld ren 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 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 necessary .
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 155.
Child ren up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best pro
tected in chi ld safety seats des igned for their age
and weight . Experts say that the skeletal str uc
ture, part icu larly the pelvis, of these children is
not fully deve loped , and they must not use the
vehicle safety belts without a suitable child re
stra int.
158
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 posi tion 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 belt over the ch ild's body is
very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos
ter seat is used. Child ren 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
l ap belt portion of the veh icle's safety belt a lone
to restrain any child, regard less of how big the
child is. Always remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
child's safety abso lutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly 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 with in a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
its job, the a irbag 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 occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inf lating
airbag . When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck vio lent ly and w ill rece ive serio us or
possibly even fatal injury.
In order for the a irbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, w ho 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 completely and pro
vide supplementa l protection in certain frontal
collisions.
a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N ...... 0
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& 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
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 th roat 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 tighten if necessary .
- Failure to proper ly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢ page 122.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an a irbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
c ircumstances the
PA SSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described ¢
page 140, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rea r seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
-
Ch ild safety
BAG O FF light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c> page 122, Safety belts,
c> page 130, Airbag system and
c> page 150, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas
senger's seat can be locked with the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child safety
seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety be lts and for the front pas
senger's seat safety be lt have a convertible lock
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety be lt
must be locked so that belt webb ing cannot un
reel. The retractor ca n 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 prope rly insta lled when
the safety belt is locked so that the c hild and
c h ild safety seat will stay in place .
Always remembe r: Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especia lly those 12 yea rs and younger,
shou ld a lways ride in the back seat p roperly re
strained for their age and weight.
& WARNING
=
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a co llision.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An un locked safety be lt retrac
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden stop or in a co llision.
~
159
Child safety
-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 child
can be seriously injured or killed .
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen
ger 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 rearward-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
9 page 150. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
9 page 131, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know .
A 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
9 page 140, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
160
-
- 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 .
- Never place additional 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 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.
-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 c ir
cumstances.
-A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressu re on the
we ight-mat in the seat and register a heavi
er weight in the Advanced Ai rbag System.
T he heavier we ight 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
PASS ENG ER AIR B AG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in
stall the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear seating position and have the a irbag
system inspected by your author ized Audi
dealer.
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 restraint in
your veh icle . T o act ivate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferab ly
on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the ch ild rest raint
belt path
Q .&, .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt rea lly t ight .
a:,
~ .. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
N ~ seating position .
... 0
0
LL 00
Ch ild safety
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.. You shou ld hear a "cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con
vert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt out of the retractor . The convertib le locking re
tracto r is now activated.
.. Ma ke sure that t he red release bu tton 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 t ight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild restraint or an improp
e rly installed child restra int 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 ch ild safety sea t in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up right position and securely latched into
p lace and cannot fo ld forward. Otherw ise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency s ituation .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
Q page 150 . Special precautions
apply when install ing a child safety seat on
the front passenge r seat
Q page 131, Child
restraint s on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know .
161