height AUDI Q5 2016 Owners Manual

Opening and closing
Automatic rear lid/trunk lid operation
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith a uto mat ic rea r lid/tr unk lid opera ·
t io n
The trunk lid con be opened and closed outomot·
icolly.
F ig . 36 D river's doo r: Unlock ing the rea r lid
Fig . 37 Loc king sw itc h in th e rea r lid
Opening the luggage compartment lid
., Press the b utton c::5 on the maste r key for at
least o ne se cond, or
., Pu ll t he rele ase bu tton
c::5 in the driver's door
c::> fig. 36, or
., Press the handle in the luggage compartment
lid
c:;, page 43, fig. 35.
Closing the luggage compartment lid
., Press t he b utton in the luggage compartment
li d
c::> fig. 37. Th e lid w ill automa tic ally close
and lock
c::> ,&. .
Setting the luggage compartment lid open
position
0 cl:
"' al
., Br ing the luggage comp artment lid i nto the de·
sired open position . The pos ition can on ly be
stored when the lid is above a ce rtain height .
44
., Press and hold the c::> fig . 3 7 but ton for at lea st
four seconds until the lights bli nk to store the
desired open pos ition .
.,. To set a higher open pos ition, wa it at least five
seconds and then carefully press t he luggage
compartment lid upward .
., Press and hold the
c::> fig . 37 button again for at
least four seconds and this will store the new
open posit ion.
Opening w ill be stopped immediately when:
- You press the
c::5 button on the remote key for
at least of one second, or
- press the unloc k button
c::5 in the driver door,
or
- press the lock button the in the luggage com·
partment lid, or
- push the handle in t he luggage compartment
lid, o r
-when something blocks the rear lid or makes it
diffic ult for the lid to move .
B y pre ssing one of the button
c::5 repe ated ly, yo u
can stop or continue the ope ning process. The
pressing the lock button or the handle repeated ·
l y, you can ope n/stop the lid
c::> & .
Closing wi ll be stoppe d im medi ate ly when :
- press the lock button the in the luggage com·
par tment lid, or
- push the handle in the luggage compartment
lid , o r
- when some thing blocks the rear lid or makes it
diff ic u lt for the lid to move .
The press ing the lock button or the hand le re·
peatedly, you can open/stop the lid
c:;, & .
You can manua lly stop the automatic opening/
closing of the luggage compartment lid. In this
s ituation, the lid can be manua lly opened. Press
down on the lid and the automat ic closing will re·
s u me once again .
_& WARNING
-Never close the rea r lid inattentively or w ith­
ou t checking fi rst. Al tho ugh the clos ing
for ce of th e re a r lid i s limited, you can stil l
serio usly i njure you rself o r others .

Sea ts and stor age
Front passenger 's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the
rearmost position.
To avoid contact with the airbag wh ile it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instrument
panel than necessary and always wear the three­
point safety belt prov ided adjusted correctly. We
recommend that yo u adj ust the passenger's seat
i n t he following ma nner:
.. Move the front passenger seat into the rear­
most position of the fore and aft adjustment
range
c:> .&. in Why is your seat adjustment so
important? on page 63.
.. Bring the back rest up to a n (a lmost) upright
position .
Do not ride with the seat recl ined.
.. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head . If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
poss ible<=>
page 67 .
.. Place your feet on the floor in front of the pas­
senger's seat .
Front seats
Power seat adjustment
Fig. 64 Front seat: Cont rols for seat adju stment
Controls
~ a: a, a:,
@-Adjusting the l umba r suppo rt: p ress the but ­
ton in the correspo nding position
c:> ,& .
@ -Movi ng the seat up/down: p ress the button
up/down. To adjust the front seat c ush ion, press
the front bu tton up/ down. To adjus t the rear sea t
cushion, press the rear b utton up/down
c:> ,& .
64
@ -Moving the seat forward/back: press the but ­
ton forward/back
c:> .&..
©-Adjust ing the b ackrest ang le: press the bu t­
ton forward/back
c:> &. .
@ -Lengthening/sho rteni ng the upper th igh
suppo rt*: lift the handle
c:> &,.
.&, WARNING
- Never adjust the drive r's or front p asseng­
er 's sea t while t he veh icle is moving.
If you
do t his while the vehicle is moving, yo u will
be out of posit ion . Always ad just the driver 's
or front passenger's seat when the vehicle is
not moving .
- Be carefu l when adjusting the seat height.
Check to see that no one is in the way, or se­
rious injury could resu lt!
- Because the seats can be electrically adjust­
ed w ith the ignition off or with the ign ition
key removed, never leave children unattend­
ed in the vehicle. Unsupe rvised use of the
electric seat ad justmen ts may cause serious
in ju ry.
- To reduce the r isk of injury in the case of
sudden b raking or accident, front passen­
ge rs must neve r ride i n a moving ve hicle
w it h the backrest reclined. Safety belts a nd
the airbag system only o ffer maxim um pro­
t ection when the bac krest is upr igh t and the
safety belts are properly positioned on the
body. The mo re the bac krest is reclined, the
greater the risk of personal injury from an
incorrect seating position and improperly
positioned safety belts.
-

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- Exercise caution when adjustin g the seat .
Adjusting t he seat w ithout checking or pay­
ing attention can pinch fingers or limbs -
danger of injury!
Head restraints
Front head restraints
F ig. 68 Fro nt seats hea d restrai nts: adjusti ng the he ight
The head restraints on the front seats can be ad­
justed to prov ide safe suppo rt to head and neck
at the optim um height. When optimally adjus t­
ed, the top of t he restraint sho uld be leve l with
the top of the head. If that is not possib le, try to
ad just the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
<:!) page 137, Proper ad­
justment of head restraints.
.. Grasp the sides of the head res tra int wit h both
hands and slide it upward/downward unt il you
feel it click into p lace
¢ fig. 68.
Refer to ¢ page 13 7, Proper adjustment of head
restraints
for guidelines on how to adjust t he
h e ight of the front head restra ints to suit the oc­
cupant's body size.
A WARNING
- Driv ing without head rest raints or with head
restra ints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck in­
jury dramatically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
r:.> page 137,
Proper adjustment of head restraints.
Seats and storag e
(D Tips
Correctly adjusted head restraints and safety
belts are an extremely effective combinat ion
of safety features.
Rear head restraints
F ig . 6 9 Rear seat : head restra ints
Fig. 70 Rear seat: o ute r head restraint
If there is a passenger on the rear center seating
pos it ion, slide the center head restra int upward
at least to the next notch
c:> ,A .
Adju sting the head restraints
.. To move the head restrain t up, hold it a t the
sides with both hands and s lide it upward until
you feel it click into p lace.
.. To move the head restraint down , press the
button @ and slide the head restraint down­
ward.
Removing the outer h ead restra ints
.. Fold t he backrest forward c:!) page 69 .
.. Move the head restraint upward as far as it can
go.
.. Press the re lease ®
c:> fig. 70 with the mec han­
ical key
c> page 37 and the button @ c:> fig. 69. IIJJ,
67

Sea ts and stor age
Install ing the attachments
.. Remove the cap @~ fig. 84 .
.. Slide the attachment into the T-groove (2) .
.. Tighten the attachment according to the roof
rack installation instruct ions .
.. Close the cap.
Installing th e cover p rofile
.. Seal the openings in the T-groove (2) wi th the
cover profile @ after having installing the at­
tachments.
.. If you not want to use the attachment, seal the
whole T-groove
0 with the cover profile @.
.. Cut the cover profile to the length needed, if
necessary.
Roof load
The cargo on the roof must be securely attached.
Handling characteristics change when cargo is
transported .
The permissible roof load for your vehicle is
1 65 lbs (75 kg ). The roof load is the total of the
weight of the roof rack, the attachments and the
cargo you are carrying .
_&. WARNING
-The cargo must be secu rely attached on the
roof rack, otherwise you risk an accide nt.
- Distribute the load as evenly as possible and
do not make the roof rack wider than the
maximum pe rmitted.
- You m ust under no circumstances exceed
the permiss ible roof load, the perm iss ible
axle loads a nd the permissib le overa ll
weight of your vehicle -risk of an accident.
- Mount the attachments to the roof rack only
after you have placed the roof rack on the
vehicle.
- Consider that when transpo rting heavy ob­
jects or one wi th a large surface, the han­
dling characteristics change due to shift in
the center of gravity or the greater surface
exposed to the wind. So adapt your driving
and your speed to prevailing conditions. We recommend that you do not dr ive faster
than 80 mph (130 km/h) .
74
-Mounting a roof rack changes the height of
your veh icle. Keep th is in m ind when parking
your veh icle in your garage, or when dr iving
through a tunnel or under an overpass .
(D Note
- Make sure the rear lid does not hit the cargo
on the roof rack when you open it. On
vehicles with automat ic rear lid/trunk lid
operation* you may have to adjust the open
posit ion of the rear lid
~ page 44 .
-Remove the roof rack and attachment be­
fore taking your vehicle through an auto­ matic ca r wash to avoid damage .
@ For the sake of the environment
As a result of the increased wind resistance
created by a roof rack, your vehicle is using
fuel unnecessarily . So remove the roof rack
after using it.
Beverage holders
Fig . 85 Cente r co nso le : F ro nt cupho lders
Fig . 86 Beverage storage in th e rea r armrest
Fr ont cuphold ers
.. You can accommodate two beverages in this
storage
q fig. 85.

Driving
Driving
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
The height and reach of the steering wheel can
be adjusted .
Fig . 98 Lever under the s tee ring column
Fi rs t, adjust t he driver 's sea t cor rect ly.
• Pull the lever¢
fig. 98 -Arrow-¢ &_.
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired posi­
t ion.
• Push the lever agains t the steering col umn un-
ti l it locks .
There m ust be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the cente r of the steering
wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25
cm) from the steering whee l, see if adaptive
eq uipment is available to help you reach the ped­
als and increase the distance from the steering
wheel.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 64.
A WARNING
Improper use of steering whee l adjustment
and improper seati ng position can cause ser i­
ous pe rsonal injury.
- Adjust the steering wheel column on ly when
the vehicle is not moving to prevent loss of
vehicle control.
- Adjust the dr iver's seat o r steering wheel so
that there is a min imum o f 10 inches (25
cm) be twee n your chest and the s teer ing
wheel
¢page 135, fig. 151 . If you ca nnot
84
maintain t his minim um distance, the airbag
system cannot p rotect yo u properly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from the
steer ing whee l, check with your author ized
Aud i dea ler to see if adaptive equipment is
ava ilable.
- If the steer ing whee l is aligned with your
face, the s upplementa l dr iver's a irbag can­
not provide as much protect ion in an acci­
dent . Always make sure that the steer ing
wheel is alig ned wi th your chest.
- Always hold the steering w heel with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the ris k of pe rsonal injur y if
the dr ive r's ai rb ag de ploys .
- Never ho ld the stee ring w heel at t he 12
o' cl oc k position or with your hands inside
the stee ring wheel rim or on t he steering
wheel hub. Holding the steering w heel the
wrong way can cause se rious i njuries to the
hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys .
Ignition lock
Starting engine with the key
The ignition is switched on and the engine start ­
ed with the ignition key.
F ig . 9 9 Ign iti on key
Starting the engine
• In sert the key in to the ignition lock.
• Hybrid d rive *: refer to the information fo r sta rt­
i ng the veh icle under ¢
page 98 .
• Step on the brake pedal and move the selector
lever to the P or N posit ion.
• Press the key¢
fig. 99 -the eng ine will start. .,.

Driving sa fe ty
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safe ty first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instruct ions and warn ings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others. We have summar­ ized here what you need to know about safety
be lts, a irbags, child restra ints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1 . Al­
ways observe the i nfo rmation and wa rn ings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information i n this section applies to all
model versions of yo ur vehicle . Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in t his sections may be s tanda rd
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others . If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in th is
Manual.
It is in your interest and in the in­
te rest of your passengers .
- Always keep the comp lete Owner's Litera­
ture in your A udi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the d river and
passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner 's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
t ions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce
the risk of injury in a wide variety of occident si t­
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advan ces i n tech­
nology have made a var iety of features avai lab le
to help reduce t he risk of injury in an accident .
134
The following is a list of just a few of the sa fety
features in your Audi :
- sophis tica ted safety be lts fo r dr ive r and all pas-
senge r seat ing pos itions,
- belt fo rce limi ters for the front seats,
- be lt pretensione rs fo r the seats,
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats *,
- side curtain airbags,
- special LAT CH anchorages for ch ild rest rai nts,
- adj ustab le steer ing column.
T hese ind iv idual safety features , can work to­
gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide range of acc idents. These
features cannot wo rk as a system if they are not
a lways correc tly ad justed a nd cor rect ly used.
Safety i s everybody' s responsibil ity!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care ­
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that a ll lights and signals are operat ­
ing correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.,. Secure all luggage and othe r items ca refully
i=> page 77 .
.,. Ma ke sure that noth ing ca n interfere wi th the
pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head rest raint and mirrors
correctly for yo ur height.
.,. Instruct passeng ers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their he ight.
.,. Make sure to use the rig ht child restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
c> page 171 , Child
safety . ..,.

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Automatic safety belt r etractors
Every safety be lt is equ ipped wi th an automatic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
l ocks the belt when the belt is p ulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt
may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv­
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety belt pret en sioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten­
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated.
The funct ion of the pretensioner is monitored by
a warning light
r::> page 16 .
Switchabl e lo ck ing feature
Every safety belt exc ept the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety be lt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the important information about this feature
r::;, page 180 .
A WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accident
r::;, page 147,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the body.
- Always ma ke sure tha t the rear sea t bac k­
rest to wh ic h t he cente r re ar safety be lt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen­
ger will move forward with the backrest dur­
ing sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a cras h.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle w ill red uce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious personal in­
jury .
- A passenger who is not p roperly restrained
can be seriously in ju red by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger parts
Safet y bel ts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­
men .
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
r::> page 182.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 161 Safety belt pos it ion
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to ma tch your body
s iz e.
- be lt height adjustment for the front seats,
- he ight-adjustable front seats .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can ca use
se rious personal injury in an acc ident.
- The shou lder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body . Ho ld the belt
above the latch to ngue and pull it evenly
across the chest so th at it sits as low as pos­
sible on the pe lvis and there is no p ressure
on the abdomen . The belt should a lway s fit
snug ly
r::> fig. 161. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary .
- The lap be lt portion of the sa fety belt must
be positioned as low as possible across pel­
vis and never over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug
r::> fig. 161 . Pull on
the belt to tighte n if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
in ju ries by shifting its position on your body
~
147

Safety belts
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢
page 145.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
correctly -throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 162 Safety belt pos ition during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection , safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear­
er's body ¢
page 147.
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rectly ¢
page 63, General information .
,.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt.
,.. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis¢
fig. 162, ¢ &.
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢page 146, fig .160 .
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
,8. WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos­
sible across the pelvis and below the round­
ing of the abdomen.
148
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information ¢
& in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page 147.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 163 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
.,. Push the red release button on the buckle
¢ fig. 163. The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle ¢
&-
.,. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
,8. WARNING
Never unfast en safety belt while the vehicle is
moving. Doing so will increase your risk of be­
ing injured or killed.
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strap routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size .
Fig. 164 Safety belt heigh t adjustment for the front seats
- loop- around fittings
Sf 0 0
0
CJ Sf m

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,...., The shoulder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the bod y ¢
A in Safety belt position on
page 147.
.. Push
the loop- around fittings up ¢ fig. 164 @,
or
.. squeeze to gether the@ button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn@ .
.. Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is p roperly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important informat ion
¢ page 145.
With the front seats, the height adjustment
of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts .
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they a re correctly pos itioned on the body .
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
n ess of safety be lts and will even inc rease the
ris k of injury and death by mov ing the safety bel t
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Imp roper seating
positions also increase the risk of serious inj ury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occ upant who is not in the co rrect seat ing posi­
tion . A driver is respons ible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and espec ia lly for children.
Therefore:
.. Never permit anyone to ass ume an incorrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile traveling
¢ &, .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury a nd death wheneve r
a vehicle is be ing used.
S afet y be lts
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
are cor rectly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­ ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat io n ¢
page 145.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts
are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equ ipped w it h safety belt
pretens ione rs . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, s ide and rear-end collisions of great se­
ver ity and in a ro llover. This tightens the bel t and
t a kes up belt slack¢.&.
in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 150.
Taking up
the slack he lps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Neve r let the belt remain over a rea r seatback
that has been folded forwar d.
{D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be ac ti­
vated once.
- T he safe ty be lt pretensione rs do no t de ploy
in minor fron tal, side a nd rear -end colli ­
sions .
- W hen the safe ty belt pretensioners are acti­
vated, a fine dust is released . This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the ve hicle .
- T he relevant safety requirements mus t be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An autho rize d
Audi dealer or qua lified workshop is familia r
w ith these reg ulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to yo u.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmenta l
and other regulat ions if the vehicle or indi­
vidua l parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have yo ur autho rized Aud i
dea ler perform t his service fo r you.
149

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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. 177 Rear seat: child p roper ly 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 ch ildren 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 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 chi ld 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
r:=>page 176.
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, part icularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
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 child'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 a lone
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 be lt 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 snug ly 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
pant 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 inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close , he or she
will be struck violently and w ill receive serious or
possibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protect ion, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children , who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from t he airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child's ..,_
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