2018 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

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. 2 4 0 Sche matic overview: rearward-facing infant seat,
properly installed on the rear seat
• When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 259 or install the seat using the LA TCH
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
¢page 254 .
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in spec ial infant carriers and child
safety seats des igned for their age group . Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in spec ial restraints in which the
chi ld faces the back of the veh icle. These infant
seats support the baby 's back, neck and head in a
crash
c!;> fig . 240.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangero us p lace for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
chi ld in a forward -facing child seat . It is a very
lL dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in t:0
;:::: a rearward-facing seat.
" N ...... 0 0 :c ' Child s afe ty
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death in a c rash .
-Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant car riers on the front passenger
seat
-even w ith an Advanced A irbag System .
A child will be serio usly inj ured and can be
killed when the inf lating airbag hits the
chi ld safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c!;> page 228, 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-fac ing direction . Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them p roperly 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 a nd the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not
come on and stay on, immedia tely install
the rea r-facing child sa fety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
-A lways read and heed all WARNINGS whe n­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c!;> page 219, Safety belts,
c!;> page 227, Airbag system and
c!;> page 249, Important information.
255

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. 241 Schematic overview: installat ion of the attach­
ments app licable to
a LATCH seat
Fig. 242 Schematic overview: installat ion of the seat using
the vehicle 's safety belt 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 259 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 259.
... If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
r::>page 265.
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::>page254 .
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).
256
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. 241 and
c:>fig. 242 .
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. Adjust the rear
seat head restraint if it is difficult to install
the child seat with the head restraint in
II>-

lL t:0 ....
'"" " '"" .... 0 0 :c ' place c:> page 211. Driving with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in­
jury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c:> page 219, Safety belts,
¢ page 22 7, Airbag system and
¢ page 249, 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.
- 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 light does not stay on, perform the
checks
c:> page 2 3 7, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
Child safety
- 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.
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. 243 Rear seat: c hild properly restrain ed in a boos ter
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 children 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:> page254.
257

Child sa fety
Chi ldren up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety seats de­
signed for their age and we ight . Experts say that
the skeleta l structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fu lly deve loped, and they
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 seat ing pos ition of the
child and repos ition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety be lt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places . The rout ing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Chi ld ren age 12 and unde r must
a lways r ide in t he rear seat.
Ch ildren who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inc hes/
1.45 meters) tall ca n generally use the veh icle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Never use the
lap be lt po rt ion of the vehicle 's safe ty belt alone
to restrain any child, rega rdless of how big the
chi ld is. A lways remember that children do not
have the pronounced pe lvic struct ure req uired for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­ h icle's three po int lap and shoulder belts. The
chi ld's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
port ion 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 o r abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and w it h considerable fo rce . In o rder to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
w ill be there to p ro tect the occ upant as the occu­
p a nt moves forward into the airbag.
A veh icle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflat ing
a ir bag. Whe n an oc cupan t is too close, he o r she
w ill be st ruck v iolently and will receive ser ious o r
possibly even fatal injury.
I n order for the airbag to offer p rotection, it is
important t hat all ve hicl e oc cupan ts, espec ia lly
a ny children, who mus t be i n the fro nt sea t be ­
cause o f exceptional circ ums tances, be p roper ly
258
restra ined and as far away from t he a irbag as
possib le . By keeping room between the chi ld's
body and the front of the passenger compa rt ­
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supplementa l protection in certa in frontal
collisions.
A WARNING
No t using a booste r seat, using the booster
seat imp roperly, incorrect ly install ing a boos­
ter sea t or u sing t he ve hicle safety belt i m­
p roperly increases the r is k of se rious pe rsonal
i njur y and death in a collision or other emer ­
gency situation. To he lp reduce the risk of se ­
rious personal inj ury and/or death:
- The s hou lder belt m ust lie as close to the
center of the chi ld's co llar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It must never lie ac ross the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure that the belt l ies flat and snug .
P ull o n the belt to tig hten if necessary.
- Fa ilure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body w ill cause seve re injuries in a n
accident o r othe r emergency s ituat ion
r=;, page 219.
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be posit ioned as close as possible to the
b ackrest on the ve hicle sea t. A dju st the rea r
seat head restr aint if i t is diffi cult to ins tall
t he child seat w ith the head restrain t in
p lace
r=;, page 211 . D riving with head re ­
st raints that are not prope rly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fata l neck in­
jury dramat ica lly.
- Ch ild ren on the front seat of any car, even
w it h Advanced A irbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even k illed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a ch ild put the shoulder be lt under
the arm or behind the back, because it could
cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Never let a child stand o r kneel on any seat,
for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a chi ld r ide in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember that a ch ild leaning for ­
ward, sitting sideways o r out of position in
-

any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying air bag. This will result in ser ious
persona l injury or deat h.
- If you mus t install a boos ter seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
c ircumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must com e on and stay on, wh en­
e v er th e ignition is switch ed o n.
- If the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does
not com e on and stay on, perform t he
c hecks d escribed
¢ page 237, Monitoring
t he A dvanced Airbag Syste m.
-Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rea r seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child res trained in a veh icle is
being used ¢
page 219, Safety belts,
¢ page 22 7, Airbag system and
¢ page 249, 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.
The safe ty be lts eme rgency locking ret racto rs fo r
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas ­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertib le lock ­
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loose ning up du ring normal driving . A child
safety seat can only be p roperly installed w hen
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
chi ld safety seat w ill stay in pla ce.
A lways remember: Even though yo ur vehicle is
~ equ ipped w it h an Advanced A irbag system, all
~ chi ld ren, espe cially those 12 years and younge r,
g should always r ide in t he back se at prope rly re -
~ stra ined fo r their age and size .
Child s af ety
_& WARNING
= -
Imp roperly 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 belt retrac­
tor cannot hold t he ch ild safety seat in p lace
du ring 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 a round dur ing
a sudden s top or in a co llision .
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
at tached is securely lat ched whenever the
rear center safety belt is bein g used to se­
cure a child restra int .
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the ch ild restraint will be thrown
forward togethe r with the backrest and w ill
strike parts of the veh icle inter io r. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant car riers on the front passenger
seat . A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat o r infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, cente r arm res t, door
o r roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
or infant c arriers on t he rear se at.
- Forward-facing child safety seats o r infant
car riers installed on the front passenger's
se at m ay interfere w ith the deployment of
the airbag and ca use serio us in jury to the
child.
- I t is sa fer to install a forw ard- facing child
safety sea t on the rear seat.
- Always read and hee d all WARNINGS when­
eve r using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used ¢
page 249 . Special p recautions
apply when install ing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat ¢
page 228, Child ~
259

Child sa fety
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 AI R BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on , perform the
checks descr ibed
~page 237, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
B A G OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of chi ld restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
- An improper ly installed chi ld 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 ch ild restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and cert ified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan ­
el.
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down
ad-
2 6 0
-
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for­
ward-facing child restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing chi ld restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serious ly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptiona l cir­
cumstances .
- A t ight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and reg ister a heav i­
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight reg istered can make the
system work as though an ad ult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced A irbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the child.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' 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 wa y out .
.,. Route it around or through the ch ild restraint
belt path
~ ,&. .
.,. Push the child safety seat dow n with your fu ll
we ight to get the s afety be lt rea lly t ight.
.,. Inse rt the belt tongue into the buckle for t hat
seating position .
.,. Guide the safety be lt back into the retractor un ­
ti l the belt lies flat and snug on the chi ld safety
seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" no ise as the belt
winds back into the inert ia reel. Test the con ­
vertib le locking retracto r by pu lling on the belt .
You should no longer be ab le to p ull the belt
o ut of the ret ractor. The co nve rtible locking re ­
t racto r is now act ivated .
.,. Make s ure that the red release button is facing
away from the chi ld restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quick ly.
.,. Pull on the be lt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tig ht and fastened so that the se at
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restra int or an improp­
erly installed ch ild rest raint can cause ser ious
personal inj ury o r dea th in a cr ash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safety belt re­
t rac to r i s loc ke d when ins tall ing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt re trac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during norma l driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safe ty seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around d uring
a sudden stop or in a crash.
Ch ild saf ety
- Always make sure the seat back rest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherw ise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at­
tached to it could fly fo rwa rd in the event of
an accident o r othe r emergency s ituation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
u sed ~ page 249. Special p recautions
apply when ins tall ing a child safety seat on
the front passenger
seat ~ page 228, 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 dea ctivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way back into the re­
tractor .
.,. Press the red button on the safety be lt buck le.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buck le.
.,. Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed posit ion .
Always let the safety be lt retract completely into
its stowed posit ion. The safety be lt can now be
used as an ord inary safety belt without the con­
vertible locking retractor for ch ild restraints .
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac­
t ivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un­
fastened and guided complete ly back into its
stowed pos ition to deactivate th is feature . If the
co nve rtible locking retractor is not deactivated,
t h e safety be lt will g radually become t ighter and
u ncomfortab le to wear.
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk o f serious personal injury and
death in a co llision.
-
- Never unfasten the safety bel t to deactivate
the convertible locking retracto r for chil d re-
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
~
261

Child safety
would not be restrained and could be
seriously injured in an accident .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢ page 249 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c> page 228, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicable way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regul ations require special lower ancho­
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re­
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages.
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
"Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower uni­
versal anchorages" (or "lower universal anchor­
age bars") are used to describe the system.
In other countries the term "ISO F IX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages .
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter Sep tember 1 , 1999, are required by U .S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head movement performance requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint 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 vio lation of state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their ch ild seats with hook-on or
262
push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps.
In addition to the LATCH 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 restraints will increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
-Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle.
-Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
-Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a colli ­
sion . The LATCH lower anchorage points are
designed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restra ints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages.
Location
Fig. 244 Schema tic ove rview: LATCH anchorage poi nt loc a­
t ions
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the lower
anchorages system.