2020 AUDI R8 COUPE Owners Manual

4S1012721BA
Child safety

> Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward and sideways
more than 1 in (2.5 cm).
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly re-
strained for its age and size.


Z\ 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.
— All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve-
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
— Commercially available child safety seats are
required to comply with U.S. Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213).
— When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
— Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush-
ion. The child restraint must not tip 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 adequate contact with the seat.
— Always heed all legal requirements per-
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in-
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
— Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
— Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.


— Holding a child in your arms is never a sub-
stitute for a child restraint system.
— The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci-
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
— The child and the passenger can also injure
each other in an accident.
Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat.
A child will be seriously injured and can be
killed when the passenger airbag inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag System.
The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
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 manu-
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas-
senger front and side airbag.
— Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
— Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be-
fore installing the child restraint.
— Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
— Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
— Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat-
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.

215

Child safety


— Ifa seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys-
tem on this seat.
— Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth-
er 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
passenger detection system and can also
fly around in an accident and cause serious
personal injury.
— 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 ina collision.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 180, Safety belts,
=> page 187, Airbag system and > page 211,
Child safety.


ZA WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re-
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
— Never install a reward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat if the PAS-
SENGER AIR BAG OFF #; light does not
turn on and stay on.
— Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.

216
Child safety seats
Meath}
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.acrash.
2 3
2 db + a
Fig. 168 Rearward-facing infant seat, properly installed on
the passenger seat
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
=> page 220.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward and sideways
more than 1 in (2.5 cm).
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
seats support the baby's back, neck and head ina
crash > fig. 168.

A 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 crash.
— Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and
very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.

4S1012721BA
Child safety



— Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light comes
on and stays on. If the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF 3%; light does not come on and stay
on the inflating airbag will hit the child safe-
ty seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof. Have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
— 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.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 180, Safety belts,
=> page 187, Airbag system and > page 211,
Important information.


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 acrash.
5
9
aD z a

Fig. 169 Schematic overview: installation 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 220.
> 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 1 in (2.5 cm) > page 220.
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).
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 and > fig. 169.

ZA 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 willbe |>

217

Child safety


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.
— Never install a rearward facing child safety
seat on the front passenger seat unless the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light comes
on and stays on. If the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF #¥; light does not come on and stay
on have the airbag system inspected imme-
diately 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.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 180, Safety belts,
=> page 187, Airbag system and > page 211,
Important information.

ZA 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 pre-
cautions 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 into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
installing the child restraint.
— 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.
— 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 have the air-
bag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer.





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 in/1.45 m) tall.
S 8
& al g a
wd af


218
Fig. 170 Passenger seat: child properly restrained ina
booster seat

4S1012721BA
Child safety

The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4 ft 9 in (57 in/
1.45 m) 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 ina 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.
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
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 belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos-
ter seat is used.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regardless
of how big the child is. Always remember that
children do not have the pronounced pelvic struc-
ture required for the proper function of lap belt
portion of the vehicle's three point lap and
shoulder belts. The child's safety absolutely re-
quires 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 abdo-
men.
In acrash, 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 airbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's
body and the front of the passenger compart-
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro-
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions.

Z\ WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos-
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im-
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer-
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se-
rious personal injury and/or death:
— The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child’s collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen.
Make sure that the belt lies flat and snug.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
— Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
=> page 180.
— The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.

219

Child safety


— 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 kneel on the seat.
— Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
— Always remember that a child leaning for-
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
— If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF %; light must come on and stay on,
whenever the ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF 3; light
does not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described > page 198, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light
does not come on and stay on whenever the
ignition
is switched on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier
with great force and will smash the child
safety seat and child against the backrest,
center armrest, door or roof. Have the air-
bag system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used = page 180, Safety belts,
=> page 187, Airbag system and > page 211,
Important information.

Securing child safety
seats
Trae e Mal CRT e REL ila
bys
Safety belts for the front passenger can be
locked with the convertible locking retractor to
properly secure child safety seats.
The safety belt emergency locking retractor for
the front passenger’s seat safety belt have a con-
vertible locking retractor for child restraints. The
safety belt must be locked so that belt webbing
220
cannot unreel. The retractor can be activated to
lock the safety belt and prevent the safety belt
webbing from loosening up during normal driv-
ing. A child safety seat can only be properly in-
stalled when the safety belt is locked so that the
child and child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, a
child should always ride in the seat properly re-
strained for its age and size.

ZA\ 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 retrac-
tor is locked when installing a child safety
seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor can-
not hold the child safety seat in place during
normal driving or in a crash.
— Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting init. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
— If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
— Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 211. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat > page 188, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.

4S1012721BA
Child safety


ZA\ WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep-
tional situations:
— Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas-
senger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
#; light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light
does not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described > page 198, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light
does not come on and stay on whenever the
ignition is switched on the inflating airbag
will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier
with great force and will smash the child
safety seat and child against the backrest,
center armrest, door or roof. Have the air-
bag system inspected immediately by your
Audi dealer.
— Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
— An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously
injure or even kill the child.
— Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
— After checking to make sure that the child
restraint is properly installed, make certain
that the child restraint is correctly recog-
nized by the capacitive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF %; light sig-
nals the correct front passenger frontal air-
bag status.


ZA\ WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
— Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its manu-
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas-
senger front and side airbag.

— Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan-
el
— Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air-
bag as possible before installing the for-
ward-facing child restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF 3%; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.

ZA WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
—A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
— Always be especially careful if you must in-
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir-
cumstances.
— 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, have the air-
bag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.

Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle. To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
> Place the child restraint on a seat.
> Slowly pull the belt all the way out.
221

Child safety

> Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path > A\.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
> Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
> Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un-
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
> You should hear a “clicking” noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con-
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re-
tractor is now activated.
> Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
> Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward and sideways more than
lin (2.5 cm).

ZA WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp-
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
— Always make sure that the safety belt retrac-
tor is locked when installing a child safety
seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor can-
not hold the child safety seat in place during
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 ina crash.
— Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up-
right position. Otherwise, the seatback with
the child safety seat attached 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 vehicle is
being used = page 211. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat > page 188, Child

222

restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
tela tel
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 buckle.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
>» Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position.
Always let the safety belt retract completely into
its stowed position. The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con-
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac-
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un-
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deactivate this feature. If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.

ZA\ WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
— Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re-
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
would not be restrained and could be seri-
ously injured in an accident.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 211. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat > page 188, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.