lock AUDI A7 2017 Owner´s Manual

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-Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
coverings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning.
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving . Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­ ing a loss of veh icle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment.
L oose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
teristics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a collision.
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as far forward as
possible.
.,. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
¢ page 55 .
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps.
Driving safety
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible .
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 129.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
f itting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows , the power roof* and the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to reduce the r isk of
in jury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
-
that it is properly closed and locked. ~
135

Safe ty belts
Autom ati c s afet y belt retr actors
Every safety belt is equ ipped with an automa tic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard braking and in a n accident . The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. Dur ing normal driv­
ing the belt lets you
move freely .
Safety belt p ret en sion ers
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten­
sioner that helps to t ighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
¢
page 146 . The function of the pretensioner is
mon itored by a warn ing light¢
page 17.
Con vertible loc king retracto r
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
¢ page 183 .
.&_ WARNING
Improperly pos it ioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident ¢
page 144,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat bac k­
rest to which the center rea r safety belt* 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 crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong b uckle will reduce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious persona l in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously in jured by the safety be lt it­
self when it
moves from the stronger parts
144
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­ men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child seat in the ve­
hicle
¢ page 185.
(D Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
refer to¢
page 146 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 151 Safety belt posit ion
Use the height adjustment to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts .
.&_ WARNING
Imp roperly positioned safety belts can cause
serio us pe rsonal injury in an a cc ident.
- The shou lde r belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the body. Ho ld the belt
above the latch to ngue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos ­
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should a lways f it
snug ly ¢
fig. 151. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
injuries by sh ifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious i nju ry .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
r=;, page 142 .

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-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 .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands any­
where inside the steering wheel or on the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering
wheel the wrong way increases the risk of
severe injury to the arms, hands, and head if
the driver airbag deploys.
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in ­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds 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 struck
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 personal injury.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never place accessories or other objects
(such as cup holders, telephone brackets,
note pads, navigation systems, or things
that are large, heavy, or 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 place them between
these areas and you or any other person in
the vehicle .
- Never attach objects to the windshield
above the passenger front airbag, such as
accessory GPS navigation units or music
players. Such objects could cause serious in­
jury in a collision, especially when the air­ bags inflate .
Airbag system
-Never recline the front passenger seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side airbags or
the front airbag during breaking or in a sud­
den maneuver. Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerously through the passenger com­
partment and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in­
flate.
& WARNING
= -
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­ ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
= The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the .,low risk" opt ion for 3-
and 6-year-old children under the U.S. Fed­
eral Standard if a child with electrical capac­ itance greater than the combined capaci­
tance of a typical one-year old infant re­
strained in one of the forward facing or rear­
ward-facing child seats with which your ve­
hicle was certified is on the front passenger
seat and the other conditions for airbag de­
ployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing pos ition.
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly 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 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ..,.
153

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the front passenger seat. Always make sure that
the safety belt for the front passenger seat is proper ly fastened .
The PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF ligh t will sh ow
the statu s of the fr ont sea t pass eng er 's frontal
A dvanced Ai rb ag a fe w second s after the igni­
tion i s swit ched on and the air bag indi cator
light goes off. The PA SSENGER AIR BA G OFF
light:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occup ied;
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas­
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed ­
era l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
which the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i­
cl e was certified ; Fo r a listing of the child re­
straints th at were used to ce rtify you r vehicle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢ page 174.
-wi ll go out if the front passenge r seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system .
- The
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OF F light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and .. .
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front pas ­
senger seat, or
- a rearward-facing child restra int has been in ­
sta lled on the front passenger seat , or
- a fo rwa rd-facing child restra int has been instal­
led on the front passenge r seat,
- and if the e lectr ica l capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typica l 1 year­
o ld infant and one of the rearward-facing o r
forward-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag wi ll not deploy, and the
PAS SENG ER
AIR BA G OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-fac ing child restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
Airb ag sys tem
kind of child restraint is at one o f the seating po ­
sitions on the rear seat¢
page 149, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 172, Child safety .
If the PASSENGER AI R BAG light come s
on ...
If the PA SSEN GER AIR BAG O FF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
ta in that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF light does
not appea r on and does no t stay on a ll the time ,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off for more than 4 seconds and then turn ing it
on again;
- remove and re insta ll the chi ld restraint . Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been correct ly routed through
the child restraint as described in the c hild re ­
straint man ufacturer's instructions;
- ma ke sure that the conve rt ible lock ing retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no e lectrica l device (such as a
laptop, CD player , e lectronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for chi ld seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the c igarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retro­
fitted or otherw ise added to the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make sure that noth ing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
structed;
- 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 . .,._
161

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.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The child 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 vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
c::> page 178.
.,. 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 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 183.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 178 .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size.
.&, WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
176
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 allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt .
They must always 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 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.

Child safety
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSEN GER AIR
BA G OF F
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
l8
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Fig . 16 5 Schematic overv iew: keep unused safety be lts
away from chi ld ren i n chil d safety seats.@-oute r rear
safety belt, @ - center rear safety be lt*
~
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LA TCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety be lts
mu st be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them ¢,& .
- Gu ide the safety belt webbings @and
®* be­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
¢fig. 165. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertib le locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when w inding up the safety be lt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webb ing .
_& WARNING
A ch ild in a child safety seat installed with the
LATC H lowe r anchorages or w ith the standard
safety belt or a child in a booste r seat on the
rear seat could p lay wit h unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause t he chi ld ser ious personal injury
and even death.
- Always sec ure unused rear seat safety belts
o ut of reach of ch ild ren in child seats such
as by proper ly routing them aro und the
178
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate t he convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone s it at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child 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. 166 Sc hema tic ove rview : rearward -facing infa nt sea t,
p rope rly installed on th e rear sea t
.. When using the veh icle safe ty belt to install a
c hild safe ty seat, yo u must first a ct ivate the
convertib le locking re tractor on the safe ty belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
r::!>poge 183 or insta ll the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm).
.. Secure unused safety bel ts on the rear seat
c:!> page 178 .
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg) are
bes t protected in special infant carr iers and child
safe ty seats designed for the ir age group. Many
expe rts be lieve that infa nts and small ch ildren
sho uld r ide o nly in special res tra ints in wh ich the
ch ild faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
II>

Child safety
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 167 Schematic overv iew: installat ion of the attach ­
ments app licable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 168 Schemat ic overview: installat ion of the seat using
the vehicle 's safety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt 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 mov ing
¢ page 183 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
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)
¢ page 183.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 189.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 178.
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).
180
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. 167 and
¢ fig. 168.
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-fac ing child safety seat .
It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong
ch ild safety seat or imprope rly i nstalling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth ­
er emergency situation.
- Ch ildren 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-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 chi ld safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center a rm rest, doo r
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circ umstan ces a nd 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 ch ild safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat.
~

Child safety
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig. 169 Rear seat: ch ild proper 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 chi ld ren 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 be lt 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 pelv is 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
te r seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c> page 178.
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
182
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro­
priate booste r 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 child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under m ust
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) ta ll can generally use the vehicle 's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regard less of how big the
c hi ld is. Always remember that children do not
have the p ronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the
ve­
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
c hi ld's safety absolutely requ ires 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
i ts 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 ve hicle occupant 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 will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the a irbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional c ircumstances, be properly
re stra ined and as far away from the a irbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's .,..

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\.J '<t
body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supp lemental protect ion in certain frontal
collisions.
_&. 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 situat ion. To help red uce the risk of se­
rious personal injury and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie f lat 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 140.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos itioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints : adjust or re ­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat with the head restra int in place
<=? page 50. Ins tall the
head restrain t again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Never let a child put the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind 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 cargo area of
your vehicle.
Ch ild safety
-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. 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 exceptional
circumstances the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on and stay on, when­
eve r the ignit io n is switched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribed
¢ page 160, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions i f the
PAS SENGER AIR
BAG O FF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when ­
ever using a chi ld restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used ¢
page 140, Safety belts,
c:> page 148 , Airbag system and
c:> page 172, Important information.
Securing child 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 emergency lock ing retractors for
the rear seats safety be lts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety be lt have a conve rtible lock ­
ing retractor for child restraints . The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webbing cannot un ­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing normal driving . A ch ild
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety be lt is locked so that the ch ild a nd
c hi ld safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger, .,.
183

Child safety
should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and size.
A WARNING -
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­ tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place
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 in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt* is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se­
cure a child restraint.
- 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.
- 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 in­
flates.
- 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 install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- 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.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢page 172. Special precautions
184
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 149, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
A WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
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 160, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- 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.
- 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 signals
the correct front passenger frontal airbag
status.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
-