2018 AUDI A7 airbag

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' seats suppor t the baby's back, nec k and head in a
cras h
¢fig . 164.
The a irbag on the passenger s ide makes the front
seat a potentia lly dange rous p lace for a ch ild to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
chi ld in a forward-facing chi ld 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 in ju ry and death in a crash.
- Never install rear -facing chi ld 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
kille d when the infla ting air bag hits 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,
doo r or r oof
c> page 147, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restra int 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 forward-facing .
- 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
c ome on and stay on, imme diate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety sea t in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by you r A udi dealer.
- Never place o r use any elec trical device
(s uch as a la ptop, CD player, electronic
games dev ice, power inverte r o r seat heater
f or child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
Ch ild saf ety
- If a seat heater has been ret rofitted 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 fron t passenger seat cush ion .
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p layer, electronic games device,
power inverter o r seat heater fo r ch ild
seats) . These may influence the elect rical
capacitance measu red by the capacitive pas­
senger de te ct io n s ystem and can al so fly
aro und in an accident an d cause serious per­
sonal injury .
- Always read and hee d all WARNING S when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
u sed ¢ page 138, Safety belts,
¢ poge 146, Airbag system and
c> page 170, Important information.
177

Child safety
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. 165 Schemat ic overv iew: installat ion of the attac h­
m ents app licab le to
a L ATCH seat
Fig. 166 Schematic overv iew : instal lat ion of the sea t using
the vehicl e's safety bel t sy stem
... 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 181 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)
c:>page 181.
... If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the teth er anchors
r::> page 187.
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::> page 176 .
A toddler or 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).
178
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
c> fig. 165 and
c:> fig. 166 .
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
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 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 arm rest, door
or roof.
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
-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
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
~

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' -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 restraint in place
c> page 49 . 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.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c> page 138, Safety belts,
c> page 146, Airbag system and
c> page 170, Important information.
A WARNING
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:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­ tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
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.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents 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.
Child safety
-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.
- 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 forward-facing child seat at a seat­ ing position on the rear seat and have the
airbag system inspected by your authorized
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
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
179

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. 167 Rear seat: child properly 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 ldren 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 child 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 child 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
c>page 176.
Children up to at least 8 years old (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, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
180
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 applicable 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 child's body is
very important
for the child'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 alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
c hi ld 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 absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis. 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 considerable 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 occupant who is out of position and too close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and will receive serious or possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the a irbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's
.,..

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \.J ' body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate comp lete ly and pro­
vide supp lemental protect ion in certain fronta l
coll is ions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­
properly increases the risk of ser ious personal
inju ry and death in a co llision or ot her eme r­
ge ncy sit uat io n. To help red uce the r isk of se­
r ious persona l injury and/o r death:
- T he shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
cen ter o f the child's collar bone as poss ib le
and must lie flat and snug on the uppe r
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap be lt must lie across t he pe lvis
and never across the stomac h or abdomen.
Make sure that the belt lies flat and s nug.
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
acc ident or other emergency s ituation
¢ page 138.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos it ioned as close as poss ible to the
back rest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints : adj ust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to i nstall the child seat w ith the head
restra int i n place
¢page 49. Install the
head restrain t again immedia tely o nce the
child seat is remove d. Driving w ithout head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fata l neck injury dramatically.
- Never let a child put the sho ulder be lt under
the a rm or be hind the bac k, because it co uld
cause seve re injur ies in a crash.
- 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 knee l on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
yo ur vehicle.
-
Ch ild saf ety
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning fo r­
ward, sitt ing sideways or o ut of position in
any way during an acc ident can be struck by
a dep loying airbag . Th is w ill resu lt in serious
pe rsonal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptiona l
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on and stay on, when­
eve r th e ign ition is swit ched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perfo rm the
checks
d es cribed¢ page 158, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the child res tra int off the front passen­
ge r seat and inst all it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions i f th e
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on wheneve r
the ignition is switched on .
- A lways read and heed all WAR NINGS when ­
ever using a chi ld restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
u sed ¢ page 138, Safety belts,
¢ page 146, Airbag system and
¢ page 170, Important information.
Securing child safety
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.
T he 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 restra ints. The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webb ing cannot un­
r eel. The ret ractor ca n be activated to lock the
safe ty belt and preven t the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing no rma l dr iving. A ch ild
safety se at can o nly be properly insta lled when
the safety be lt is locked so t hat the c hild and
c h ild safety seat will stay in place .
Always remembe r: E ven thoug h your ve hicle is
equipped wi th an Advanced Airbag system, all
c h ildren, especia lly t hose 12 yea rs and younger,
.,,.
181

Child sa fety
should always ride in the back seat properly re ­
strained for their age and size.
A WARNING -
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­ tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place dur ing norma l driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle 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 coll is ion.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rea r safety be lt* is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear cente r safety belt is being used to se­
c u re a chi ld restraint.
-If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restrain t will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The chi ld
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing chi ld 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 child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carr iers on the rear seat.
- Forward -facing ch ild safety seats or infant
carr iers installed on the front passenger 's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the a irbag and cause serious injury to the
c hild.
- It is safe r to install a forward-facing ch ild
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
¢ page 170 . Special pre ca utions
182 apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger
seat ¢ page 147, 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
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 mus t come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
no t come on and stay on, perform the
checks
described ¢ page 158, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restra int 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 installat ion of child restraints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from provid ing any protect ion.
- An improperly installed child restra int can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serious ly 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 ch ild
restraint is properly installed, make certain
that the child restraint is correctly recog ­
nized by the capacitive passenge r detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the co rrect front passenger fron tal air bag
stat us.
A WARNING
Forward- facing child restra ints:
-

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' -Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a fr ont seat with a
passenger front and s ide airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or v ery near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up an d down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
wa rd- facing child restr aint.
- Always ma ke sure that the safety bel t upper
anchor age is beh ind the child res train t and
not next to or in front o f the chi ld restrain t
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- 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 ch ild 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 a irbag w ill 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, cen ter armrest, door
o r roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the fron t passenger sea t in exceptional c ir­
c u ms tan ces.
- Make sure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all t he ti me
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and st ay on, immedia tely in­
st al l the re a r-fa cing ch ild saf ety se at in a
rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer .
Child saf ety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the c hild safety seat manufacturer's
i nstruct io ns when instal ling a child restra int i n
your vehicle. To activate the convertib le locking
r etractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat .
.,. Slowly pull the belt all the way out .
.,. Route it arou nd or through the child restra int
be lt
path~ ,&..
.,. Push the c hild safety sea t down with yo ur full
weigh t to ge t the safe ty belt really tight.
.,. Insert t he be lt tong ue into the b uckl e for tha t
seating position .
.,. Guide the safety be lt back into t he ret ractor un ­
til the be lt lies flat and sn ug on the c hild safety
seat .
.,. You s hou ld hea r a "cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds bac k into the ine rtia reel. Test the con ­
vert ib le lock ing retractor by pull ing on the bel t.
You s hou ld no lo nger be able to pull the belt
ou t of the re tra cto r. T he convertib le lo ckin g re ­
t ra cto r is now activated.
.,. Ma ke sure that t he red release bu tton is facing
away from the c hild rest raint so that it can be
unb uc kled 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 t han
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wro ng ch ild rest raint o r an impro p­
e rly instal led child restr aint can cause se rious
person al injury or de ath in a crash.
- Always make sure th at t he s afety be lt re­
tr act or is locked when installing a c hild
safety sea t. An un locked safe ty be lt retra c­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in p lace
du ring norma l drivin g or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it . A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
a sudden stop or in a crash.
~
183

Child sa fety
Relea sing th e te th er strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the c hild rest raint
manufacturer's instructions .
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
@ Note
I f you leave the chi ld restraint with t he tether
strap firm ly insta lled for several days, this
cou ld leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cush ion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around the tethe r strap . This applies especially to
leather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Current ly, few rear-facing chi ld restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
A WARNING
A ch ild in a rearward-facing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat w ill be
ser iously injured and can be killed if t he front
airbag inflates
-even w ith an Adva nced A irbag
System.
- T he inflati ng a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrie r with great fo rce and
wi ll smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- If you must insta ll a rearward facing chi ld
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN GER 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
seat ing pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your A udi dealer.
18 8
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in­
formation about c hild restraint se lection, instal ­
l ation and use :
N HT SA advises that the best chi ld safety seat is
t h e one that fits your child and fits in your vehi­
cle, and that you will use correct ly and consis ­
tent ly.
Try befo re yo u buy!
U.S . N ation al High way Traffic S afet y A dmini s­
tr ation
Tel.: 1 -888-327-4 236 ( TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
http:/ /www.nhtsa.gov
http:/ /www .saferca r.gov
Nati onal SAFE KID S Camp aig n
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
http:/ /www.safekids .org
S afe ty BeltSaf e U.S .A.
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
http://www.ca rsea t.o rg
Tran sport Canada Informati on Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or ca ll 1-613-998-86 16 if
yo u are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/ roadsafety/menu. htm
A udi Cu stomer Re lat ion s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834