
u co .... N r-N ....
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-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
-even
with an Advanced Airbag System .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of addi
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a
way that is different from the way it would
have worked without the object on the seat .
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu
pants.
Fig. 233 Lo ca ti on of driver airb ag: in stee ring wheel
Airbag system
Fig. 234 Locat io n of fro nt passen ger 's airbag : in t he in·
s tr um en t pan el
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at
the time your veh icle was manufactured .
The airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel
hub
¢ fig . 233 and the airbag for the front pas
senger is in the instrument panel
¢fig . 234 . The
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR
BAG".
There is a lot you need to know abou t the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detailed
information about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature . Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS
-they are extremely important
for your safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infants and small children.
_& WARNING
-
Never rely on airbags alone for protection .
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supplemental protection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
- Always hold the steering wheel with both
hands on the outside of the steering wheel
rim at the 9:00 o'clock and 3:00 o'clock po
sitions to help reduce the risk of personal in-
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
..,..
273

Airbag syste m
-Never hold the steering whee l at the 12
o'clock pos it ion or w ith your han ds any
where inside the steering wheel or on the steering wheel hub. Holding t he steering
wheel the wrong way increases the risk of severe injury to the arms, hands, and head if
the d river a irbag deploys.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag w il l in
crease the risk of inj ury in a crash by interfer
ing w ith the way the airbag unfo lds and/or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Always make sure nothing is in the front air-
bag deployment zone that could be str uck
by the airbag when it inflates.
-
- Objects in the zone of a deploying airbag
can become projectiles when the airbag de
ploys and cause serious persona l injury .
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never place accessor ies or other objec ts
(s uch as c up ho lders, telephone brackets,
note pads, navigation systems, or things
that are large, heavy, o r bulky) on the doors;
never attach then to the doors or the wind
shield; never place them over or near or at
tach them to the area marked
,,AIRBAG" on
the steering wheel, instrument panel or the seat backrests; never p lace them between
these a reas and yo u or any other person in
the vehicle.
- Never attach objects to the w indshield
above the passenger front airbag, s uch as
accessory GPS navigation uni ts or mus ic
players . S uch objects could ca use serio us in
jury in a collision, especially when the air bags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger seat to transport objects . Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side a irbags or
the front a irbag during breaking o r in a sud
den maneuver. Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerous ly through the passenger com
partment and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in
flate.
274
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe
cially infants and small ch ildren, wi ll receive
serious in juries and can even be k illed by be
ing too close to the airbag when it inflates .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant o r a small child
is on the fron t passenger sea t, nobody can
absolu tely guarantee tha t deployment un
de r these specia l condi tions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of yo ur vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the
,. low risk" option for 3-
and 6-year-old children under the U.S. Fed
eral Standard if a child w ith electrical capac
itance greater than the combined capac i
tance of a typical one-year o ld infant re
strained in one of the forward facing or rea r
ward-facing chi ld seats with which yo ur ve
hicle was certified is on the front passenger
seat and the o ther conditions for airbag de-
ployment are me t.
- Accident s tatisti cs have shown th at children
are generally safer in the rear seat are a than
in the front seat ing pos ition.
- For their own s afety, all ch ildren, especi ally
12 years and younger, should alw ays ride in
the back proper ly restrained for their age
and size .
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the t ime
you r vehicle was manufactured .
-
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements
the safety belts to provide add itiona l protect ion
for the driver 's and front passenger's heads and
upper bod ies in fronta l crashes. The a irbags in
flate only in frontal impacts when the vehicle de-
ce le ra tion is high e no ugh.
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-Take the chi ld restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P AS SEN GER AIR
BA G
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 chi ldren:
~ Always use the right chi ld safety seat for each
child and a lways use it properly
~ page 297.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe
ty seat .
~ When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
ch ild safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
~page 302 .
~ Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt 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 297.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced A irbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride i n the back seat properly re
stra ined fo r their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the w rong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
Ch ild saf ety
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unrestra ined or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuve r or i mpact.
An unrest rained or imprope rly restrained
child is a lso at greater r is k of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
- Commerc ially availab le child safety seats
are requi red to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle S afety S tandard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your ch ild and the vehicle .
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush
ion. The ch ild restraint must not t ip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro
vide adequ ate cont act with the se at.
- Always heed all lega l requirements per
t ai ning to the insta llation and use of child
safety seats and carefu lly follow the in
structions provided by the manufact urer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under S7 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu
vers or accidents .
- Never let more than one child occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder children ride in a
veh icle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub
stitute fo r a chi ld restraint system .
- The st rongest person cou ld no t ho ld the
ch ild with the forces tha t exist in an acci
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
295

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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
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OF F
~; 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 . 241 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats. @· oute r rear
safety belt, ® · center rear safety belt
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especia lly with LATCH universal lower anchorag
es, the unused safety be lts
mu st be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them <=>.&. .
-Guide the safety belt webbings @ and @ be
hind the head restra int of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
<=> fig. 241. When do
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You shou ld not hear a "clicking"
sound when w inding up the safety be lt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LA TC H l ower anchorages or w ith 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
co uld cause the chi ld serious personal i njury
and even death.
Ch ild s afe ty
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convert ible lock ing re
tractor when rout ing 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 restraint.
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. 242 Sc hematic overview: rearward-facing in fant seat,
properly i nstalled on th e 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
<=> page 302 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachme nts .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r 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 297 .
Infants up to about one yea r (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant ca rr ie rs and child
sa fety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small ch ildren
Iii>-
297

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.
f ig . 243 Sche matic overview: installatio n of the attach
ments applica ble to
a LA TCH seat
Fig. 2 44 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
¢page 302 or install the seat us ing the LA TC H
attachments .
~ Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt rea lly t ight so that
the seat cannot move forward o r sideways
more than one inch (2.5
cm)¢ page 302 .
~ If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 308.
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 297.
~ A toddler or child is usually too large for an in-
~ fant restraint if it is more than one year old and r--
~ weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg).
~ 0 co
Child s afe ty
Todd lers 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 certi
fied for their size and
weight¢ fig. 243 and
¢ fig. 244.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward -fac ing child safety seat . It is a
very dangerous place for a n in fant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
_&. WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using t he wrong
chi ld safety seat or imprope rly insta lling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth
er emergency situation.
-Ch ildren on the front seat of any car, eve n
wit h Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates .
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
va nced Ai rbag System .
-The inflat ing airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, ce nter a rmrest, door
or roof.
- Always ins tall rear-fa cing c hild safety seats
on the rear seat .
-If you m ust instal l a rea rwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be
cause of exceptional circ ums tan ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; light does not
come on and stay on, immediately insta ll
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
-The rear side of the ch ild safety seat shou ld
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat. Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
f icult to instal l the ch ild seat with the head ._.
299

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 . 245 Rea r seat: chi ld p roper ly restrained in a booster
sea t
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 chi ld on a booster seat .
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen
ter of the child's collar bone as possib le and
must lie fla t 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
¢page 297.
Children 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 skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis , of N
~ these children is not fully developed, and they
0 co
Child safety
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 applicab le 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 chi ld's body in the right places. The routing of
the be lt over the chi ld's body is very important
for the ch ild'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 ch ild, regard less of how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that child ren 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 shoulde r 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 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 within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le 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 pan t moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occ upant who is out of position and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inf lating
airbag. When an occupant is too close , he or she
will be struck violent ly and w ill rece ive serious or
poss ibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child's
..,_
301

Child sa fety
body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the air bag 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
injury and death in a collision or other eme r
gency sit uat ion. To help red uce the risk of se
rious persona l injury and/or death:
- The shoulder be lt mus t lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possib le
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap be lt 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 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 situation
¢ page 261.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos itioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if
ficult to install the child seat with the he ad
restra int in place¢
page 58. Ins tall the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed . Driving without head
restra ints or w ith head rest raints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Never let a child put the sho ulder belt under
the arm or beh ind the back, because it cou ld
cause severe 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 airbag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the ca rgo area o f
you r vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for
ward, s itting sideways or out of position in
302
-
any way du ring an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. Th is w ill result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptiona l
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
'1; light must come on and stay on,
wheneve r the ign it ion is swi tched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF '1; light
does not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribed ¢
page 281, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child res tra int off the front passen
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear sea t positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
'1; light does not st ay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used ¢
page 261, Safety belts,
¢ page 269, Airbag system and
¢ page 291 , 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 safety belts for the rea r seats and for the
front passenge r's seat have a conve rtible locking
r etractor for child safety seats. The safety belt
must be locked so that be lt webb ing cannot un
r eel. The retractor can be act ivated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing norma l dr iving . A ch ild
safety seat can o nly be prope rly installed when
t h e safety be lt is locked so that the c hild and
c hi ld s afety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld re n, especially those 12 yea rs and you nger,
sho uld always ride in t he b ack seat p roperly re-
strained for their age and s ize.
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A WARNING
-
Improperly in stalled chi ld 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 normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back
rest to wh ich the center rear safety belt* is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rea r cente r safety belt is being used to se
cur e a ch ild rest raint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forwar d toge ther w it h the backrest and will
st rike parts of the vehicle interior. The ch ild
can be se riously in jured or killed .
- Never ins tall rear-f acing chi ld safety sea ts
or infant carriers on the front passen ger
seat . A child will be serious ly inju red 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 ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the a irbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is safe r to install a forward-fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child res trained in a veh icle is
being
used~ page 291 . Specia l precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
t h e fron t passenger
sea t~ page 2 70, Child
Ch ild saf ety
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
A WARNING
--
A lways take special precautions if you must
i nstall 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 sea t, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
~; lig ht must come on and stay on whenev
er the ign ition is swi tched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light
does not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribe d
~ page 281, Monito ring
t he 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 sea t positions i f the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG
OFF ~; light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Imp roper installat ion of child restra ints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protect ion .
- An imprope rly installed child restra int can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serio usly injure or even kill the chi ld.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child sa fety
seat or ca rr ie r.
- After checking to make su re that the child
rest raint is proper ly installed, make ce rtain
that the child restraint is co rrectly recog
n ized by the capacitive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~; light sig
na ls the correct front passenger fronta l air
b ag sta tus.
A WARNING
F orw ard-facing child restra int s:
- Always make sure the forward-facing sea t
has been des igned and certified by its man
ufa cturer for use on a fron t sea t with a pa s
senger front and side air bag.
303