child restraint AUDI Q3 2018 User Guide

Airbag syste m
If the front passenger airbag deploys , the Feder ­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electronic control unit . ~
page 124
Alway s rem ember: Even though you r veh icle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat. Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat io n in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARN INGS .
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of inj ury when an airbag in­
flates, a lways wear safety belts properly .
-If you are unrestrained, leaning forwa rd, s it­
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of injury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag r:!> page 114.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rea rward-facing child re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in all con­
ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life o f you r vehicle .
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld re­
straints in the back seat.
120
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SS EN GER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your authori zed Aud i dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcums tances , you must in­
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-facing sea t
has been des igned and certified by its man ­
ufacturer 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 front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad ­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as poss ible, before installing the for ­
ward-facing chi ld restrain t.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the child rest raint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost posit ion i n the seat's fo re and aft
ad justmen t range, as far away from the a ir ­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for ­
ward-facing chi ld restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
' Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot
of very impo rtant parts of the Advanced A irbag
System in it . These parts include the weight-
sensing mat, sensors , wir ing, brackets, and .,.

Airbag syste m
damaged, preventing them and the airbag
system from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or rep lacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats .
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side a irbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- Never use cush ions, pillows, blankets or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The add it ional padding will prevent the
weight-sens ing mat in the seat from acc u­
rately reg istering the ch ild restraint or per­
son on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from funct ioning properly.
- If you must use a child rest raint on the front
passenge r seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer 's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to properly position the ch ild restraint, make
certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSEN GER AIR B AG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately in­
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur autho rized Aud i deale r.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-po int safety belts and the adjustable
head restraints to help reduce the risk of injury in
a w ide range of acc ident and crash s ituations . Be
sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in th is chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the act ivat ion of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
un it. Crash severity depends on speed and de cel-
122
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
u se, the airbag will be turned off if the weight on
the passenger seat is less than the amount pro­
grammed in the electronic control unit . The front
airbag on the passenger side will also be turned
off if one of the child safety seats that has been
certified under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 has been recogn ized on the seat .
The
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF lig ht comes o n
and stays on to te ll you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
q page 115, Child restraints on the front seat­
some important things to know.
A WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in ­
f lates, always wea r safety belts properly.
- If you are un restrained, leaning forward, sit ­
ting sideways or out of position i n any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will a lso receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
q page 114.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 114 Inflated front a irbags
Safety be lts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and prov ide sup-
plemental protection in a fronta l collision . ..,.

a
co
...... N r--. N
'"' 0 0 ::, co
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 115 Sect ion from the instrument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG O FF ligh t is located i n
the center of the instrument panel¢
fig. 115 .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit . Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger sea t is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the re is a small child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go ou t if the front passenge r seat is occu­
pied by an adul t as reg istered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st come
on and stay on
if the ignition is on and
- a car bed has been installed on t he front seat,
o r
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restra int has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear-facing or forward-fac ing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Sta ndard 208 w ith w hic h the Adva nced A irbag
System in your veh icle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front a irbag w ill not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
Airb ag sys tem
AIR BAG OFF light wi ll stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a ch ild in any
k ind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat¢
page 115, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 134, Child safety.
If the PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be su re to check the light regularly to make cer ­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not appear and not s tay o n all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off and then t urning it on again;
- remove and re insta ll the child restraint . Make
sure that the child restraint is properly insta l­
led and tha t the safety belt for the fro nt pa s­
senger seat has bee n correct ly routed around
the child res traint as desc ribed in the c hild re ­
stra int man ufactu rer's instructions;
- make sure that the convert ible lo ck ing retrac­
t or on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight. The belt m ust not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latc h on the seat can do
its job¢
page 144 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passe nger seat;
- make sure that the safety be lt tens ion sensor is
not blocked . Shake the safety belt latch on the
front passe nger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sens ing mat to measu re more weight
t han is actually on the seat.
If th e PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light still does
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(whe n the ignition is switc hed on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and insta ll it properly at one of the rear
Iii--
125

Airbag syste m
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authorized Audi dealer immediately .
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The
P ASSE NGER AIR BAG O FF light shou ld NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front passenger seat. If the
P AS SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adu lt on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the backrest and the
backrest is not recl ined
c> page 98, Correct pas ­
senger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the arm rest ,
- the safety belt is be ing properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­ bing,
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
th ings that may cause an inco rrect read ing o r
imp ression on the weight-sens ing mat under
the upho ls tery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
- a safety be lt extende r has not been left in the
sa fety belt latch for the front passenge r seat .
I n addition to the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the inst rument panel, the
message
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF or PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG ON
wi ll briefly appear in the inst ru ­
ment cluster display . This is to inform the driver
of th e current front passenger airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_& WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
er ly cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal crash.
126
- If the airbag indicator light c> page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.
_& WARNING
I f the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, in a rea rward-facing chi ld safe­
ty seat or in a forward -fac ing chi ld restrain t
that has not been proper ly ins talled will be
seriously injured and can be killed .
- Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that a ll children, espec ia lly 12 years and
younger , always ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size .
- Always install forward or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced A irbag System .
- If you must insta ll a rearward-facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SSEN GER AIR BA G OFF light does not
appear and stay on, immediately install the
rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seat ing
position and have t he a irbag system in­
spected by yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
passenger sea t can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child .
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat 's
fore and aft ad justment range, as far away
from the airbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjus ted to an upr ight position.
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG

Airbag syste m
passenger. In order to he lp provide this add ition­
al protection, the side airbag must inflate within
a fraction of a second at very high speed and w ith
great force. The supplemental side airbag could injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap­
plies especially to children
q page 134, Child
safety.
Supplemental side ai rbags inf late be ­
tween the occ upan t and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
collision
q fig . 117.
Although they are not a sof t pillow, they ca n
"c ushion" the impact and in t his way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may deve lop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags ore only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that yo u and your passengers must
know and act accord ingly to help the safety be lts
and airbags do the ir job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
r isk of se rious personal injury and death
w henever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental s ide airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean aga inst the area where the s upple-
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supp lemental s ide airbag
inflates.
130 -
Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate w ithout interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
A udi.
- Never use addi tional seat cush ions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­
ploy .
- Damage to the orig inal se at cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
- Objects be tween you and the airbag can in­
crease the r is k of injury in an acc ident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by being p ushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
obje cts (s uch as cupholders, telephone
bracke ts, or even l arge, bulk y objec ts) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests .
- Such objec ts and accessories can be come
dange rous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de­ ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to trave l in this position.
- Always use the b uilt-in coat hooks only fo r
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may inte rfere with s ide a irbag deployment
a nd can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The a irbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an autho rized
Aud i dea le rship.
~

Airbag system
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
q page 132, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­ member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts, not just because the law requires you to do so
q page 106, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain airbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, bruising, and m inor abra­
sions can also be associated with these airbags.
Remember too, these airbags will dep loy o nly
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea­
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monito red electronically to
make certa in it is fun ction ing properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignit ion is tu rned off,
- in s ide collisions when the accelerat io n meas-
ur ed by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
132
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
~ page 42,
Front seats .
-If the airbag ind icator light q page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
Fig. 119 Il lustratio n of pr inciple: I nflated s ide curta in air ­
bags on t he le ft s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i­
cle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig. 119.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seat ing position is not prope r or upright or if
i tems a re located in the area where the supple­
mental sid e cu rtain airbag inflates. This applies
especially to children ~
page 134.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cush ion" the impact and in this way .,.

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 10 7, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, weight, and body struc­
ture. Many countries and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an acc ident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restraint on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢page 115. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re­
straint that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental side air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes .
For more information please see information
provided by the:
134
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http :/ /www.safe­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www.tc.gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right fo r
your chi ld's size ¢
page 137, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion , we cannot re­
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children .
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing pos ition. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
-All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined prope rly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An un restrained 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 a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acc i­
dent situat ions.

0 co ......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
A WARNING
Chi ld ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag 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 child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN ­
G ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­
sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child restraint .
- Always ma ke sure that the safety bel t upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the chi ld restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
t ioned.
Ch ild safety
-Always make sure that the PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
@ Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another collision situat ion.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
T he Advanced A irbag system in you r vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low- risk" require­
ments fo r 3- and 6-year old ch ildren on the pas­
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver side.
T he low risk deployment criter ia are intended to
reduce the risk of injury t hrough interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates . In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front a irbag fo r infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in c hild rest raints t hat are lis ted in
the Standard.
E ven though your veh icle is eq uipped wit h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and younger, should a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size . 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 ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
135

Child safety
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight
of the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint ", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re­
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year-old child have been stored in
the control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight
measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be different for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re­
straint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de­
cide" , whether there is a child restraint with a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off.
136
· Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
al circumstances you must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag
is turned off and that the airbag status is always
correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
differen t weights and si zes and different 'foot­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF

0 co ......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Grace Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio S IP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos-
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 2S4 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A 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.
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 immed iately.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categor ies 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 ¢
page 140 .
.,. Always carefully follow the chi ld 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 r etractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
~page 144.
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with yo ur 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).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measu re more weight
than is actually on the seat.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~page 139.
Always remember: Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especia lly those 12 years and younger,
shou ld a lways ride in the back seat proper ly re-
strained for their age and s ize.
liJJ..
137