Child safety
-Take the child restraint off the front passenger 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
l8 , ,.,_ _ g
---0
Fig. 163 Schematic overv iew: keep unu sed safety belts
away from chi ldren in chil d safety seats. @-outer rear
safety belt,@- center rear safety 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 secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,&. .
-Guide the safety belt webbings @and ®* be
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
c hild restraint is installed
c::>fig. 163. When do
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when winding up the safety belt .
-Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
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 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
176
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.
-Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restrain t.
Child safety 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. 164 Schema tic overview : rearward-facing infa nt seat,
prope rly installed on 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 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).
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 176 .
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
II>
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.
~
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 '
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 '
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
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
t h e chi ld restraint is installed is in an up
rig ht p osition and s ecurely latched into
plac e and can not f old forward. O therwise,
t he se atback with t he ch ild safe ty seat at
tached to it could fly 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
¢ page 170. Specia l preca utions
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.
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 b uckle.
Th@ belt tongue w ill pop out of the buckle.
~ Gu ide the safety belt a ll the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract complete ly into
its stowed position . The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con
vert ible lock ing retractor for child restra ints .
If the convert ible lock ing retractor should be ac
tivated inadve rtently, the safety belt must be un
fastened and gu ided completely back into its
stowed position to deact ivate this feature.
If the
convertib le lock ing retractor is not deact ivated,
the safety belt w ill gradually become tighte r and
uncomfo rtable to wea r.
A WARNING
-
Improperly installe d child safety seats in
crease the risk of serio us pe rsonal injury and
death in a collision .
- Never unfasten the safe ty belt to deactiva te
the convert ible locking retractor for child re
straints while the vehicle is moving . You
184 wou
ld not be rest rained and could be seri
ously in jured in an acc ident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
used¢ page 170. Special p recautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenge r
seat¢ page 147, 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 p rovide a simp ler and mo re practicab le way to
attach the ch ild restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require spec ia l 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
tethe r ancho rages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called t he LATCH system for
" Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms
" top tet her" wi th "lower u ni
versa l anchorages" (o r "lowe r universa l anchor
age bars") a re used to des cribe the system .
In other co untries the term
"ISOFIX" is used to
desc ribe the lower anchorages .
Fo rward-facing chi ld restraints manufactured af
ter September
1, 1999, are required by U.S . fed
era l regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance req uir ements . These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new ch ild sea ts.
Installing a ch ild restraint that requires a top
tether wi thout one can se riously impair the per
fo rmance of the c hild rest raint and its ab ility to
pro tect the ch ild in a co ll ision. I nstalling a ch ild
r es trai nt th at r equi res a top te ther wi tho ut the
top tether may be a vio lation o f st ate law.
Child restra int manufactu rers offe r LATCH lowe r
ancho rages on t heir child seats w ith hook-on or
...
Child sa fety
Please remember that the lower anchorage
points are only intended for installation and at
tachment of child restraints specifically cert ified
for use w ith LATCH lower anchorages. Ch ild re
stra ints that are not equipped with the lower an
chorage attachments can st ill be installed i n
compl iance with the child restra int manufactur
er 's instructions on using vehicle safety belts .
.&_ WARNING
Improper use of LA TC H l ower anchorages ca n
cause se rious pe rsonal injury in an acc ident.
- Always ca ref ull y follow the child restra ints
ma nufactu rer's inst ru ct io ns for p roper in
st all ation of the child res tra int and p roper
use of the lower anchorages or safety be lts
in your vehicle .
- Never secure or a ttac h any luggage or o ther
items to the LATCH lower anchorages.
- Always re ad a nd heed t he important infor
mation about child restraints in this c hapter
and WA RNINGS
¢page 170, 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 . 1 71 Lower anchorages: proper mounting
Mounting
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is i n the upr ight position and securely latched
i n place .
.,. Attach both hook-on connectors with the sp ring
catch re lease on the chi ld safety seat onto the
186
LA TCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place
¢fig. 171.
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage.
.. Pull straps tight following the ch ild restraint
manufacturer 's instruct ions .
Relea sing
.,. Loosen the tension on the straps fo llowing the
child restra int manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catches to release the an
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
c hi ld restraint firmly in p lace.
.&_ WARNING
-
Improper use of the LATC H system can in
crease the r isk of serious persona l injury a nd
death in a n accident .
- These anchors were developed only for child
safety seats using the "LATCH" system .
- Never attach other ch ild safety seats, be lts
or other objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click when
latching the seat in place. If you do not hear
a cl ick the seat is not sec ure and co uld fly
forward and hit the inter ior of the vehicle,
or be ejec ted from the veh icle .
.&_ WARNING
Imp roper i nstalla tion of child restra ints w ill
in cre ase t he risk of inju ry in a n accident.
- Always follow the ch ild restraint system
manufact ure r's ins truc tions fo r prope r in
s tallat ion of t he ch ild restrain t sys tem an d
proper use of te ther straps as we ll as the
lower anchorages or safety belts in you r ve
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor
mation and WARNINGS about chi ld safety
and the installation of c hild restraint sys
tems
¢ page 170, Child safety.
-