child restraint AUDI TT COUPE 2017 User Guide

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control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also "de­
cides" whether the safety be lt pretensioners
shou ld be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger detection system under­
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the electrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light
El in the instrument cluster.
- A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Adv a need Airbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light comes
on and stays on in the headliner¢
page 209,
fig. 163 and tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off.
-A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transm its this information to the electronic
contro l unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
Airbag system
-Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacitive pas­
senger detection mat in the front passenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc­
tured.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob­
jects can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged , preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement 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 airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional layers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capacitance of the child safe­
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
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Airbag syste m
system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger 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
PASSENGE R AIR BA G OFF
~; light comes on and stays on whenever
the chi ld restraint is installed on the front
passenge r seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not come on and stay on, immediate ly
install child restra int in a rea r seating posi­
t ion and have the airbag system inspected
by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im ­
mediately.
- If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the a irbag system from work­
ing properly and may, for instance, deact i­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~;
light will come on and stay on together with
the a irbag ind icator light
m in the inst ru­
ment cluster.
- If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not
soa ked in, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking properly and ca use the
passenger frontal a irbag to be enabled
(turned on), even though there is a properly
installed chi ld restraint system on t he seat.
Wet towe ls or other wet things on the seat
c u shion can have the same effect . If the
front passenger frontal airbag is turned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light light
will go out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
ai rbags s upplement the protection offered by the
front three -po int safety bel ts with p retensioners
and load limiters to he lp reduce the risk of injury
in a wide range of accident and crash situations.
206
Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and
the ac tiva tion of the sa fe ty belt pretensioners de ­
pend on the dece leration measured by the c rash
sensors and registered by the electronic contro l
u nit . Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
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
use, the front passenger frontal a irbag will be
turned off if the e lectr ica l capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount
programmed in t he electron ic contro l unit . The
front passenger frontal a irbag w ill also be tur ned
off if the capaci tance measured by the system for
t h e fron t passe nger sea t equals that of a n infan t
of about one year of age in one o f the chi ld sea ts
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Fe d era l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
comes on and stays on to tell you when the front
Advanced Airbag System on the passenger side has been turned off
c> page 209 .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wea r safety belts prope rly.
- If you are un restrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or ou t of position i n any way,
your r is k of injury is much highe r.
- You will also receive ser ious injuries and
could even be killed if yo u ar e u p against the
airbag or too close to i t when it inflates -
eve n with a n Advanced Airb ag
i=>page 197.

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Airbag syste m
front seat p assenge r's frontal Advanced Airbag.
Th e PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light:
-will come o n if the front pa ssenger seat is not
occupied;
- will come on if the e lectr ica l capacitance meas­
u red by the c apac itive passenger detec tion 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 rest raints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Ai rbag System in your veh i­
cle was certif ied; Fo r a listing of the child re­
straints that were used to cert ify your vehicle's
compliance with the U .S. Safety Standard
¢ page 223.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as reg istered by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
- T he
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF~; light must
come on and s tay o n if the ignition is on and . ..
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, o r
-a rearward-fac ing ch ild restrai nt has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat , or
- a forward-facing child restra int has bee n in stal ­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equa l to or less than
the comb ined capac itance of a typical 1 year­
o ld infant and one of the rearward-fac ing o r
fo rward -fa cing chi ld restrain ts lis ted in Federal
Motor Veh icle Safety Standard 208 with w hich
the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was
certified .
I f the fron t passe nger seat is no t occ upied, the
front ai rbag w ill not dep loy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF~;
light wi ll stay on.
Never i nstall a rearward-facing child rest raint on
t he front passenge r sea t, the safes t place for a
chi ld in any kind of child restraint is at one o f the
seating positions on the rea r seat ¢
page 198,
Child restraints on the front seot -some impor­
tant things to know
and ¢ page 221, Child safe ­
ty .
210
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
com es on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light comes
on when one of the condit ions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to make
certain t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~;
light stays on cont inuously whenever the ign ition
i s on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not appear on and does not stay on all the
time, stop as soon as it is safe to do so a nd
- reactivate the system by tur ning the ignit ion
off for more than 4 seconds and then tur ning it
on again;
- remove and re install the ch ild restraint. Make
sure that the child restra int is prope rly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senge r sea t has bee n corre ct ly rou ted th rough
t he child restraint as desc ribed in the ch ild re­
straint man ufact urer's inst ruc tions;
- ma ke sure that the convert ible loc king retr ac­
to r on the safety belt for the front passenge r
seat has been activated and that the safety belt has been pulled tight .
- ma ke sure that no e lectrica l device (s uch as a
laptop , CD p layer , e lectronic games device,
power inverte r 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
struc ted;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towe l) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light still
does not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light st ill
does not come on and does not stay on cont in u­
ous ly (when the ign ition is switched o n),
- take the child restra int off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
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seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your 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.
Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ~ ; light
s h ould NOT com e on ...
The PASS ENGER AI R BAG OFF ~ ; light should
NO T 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 ASS ENGER AIR
BAG OFF ~;
light comes on and stays on while
driving, under these circumstances, make sure
that :
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or he r back up aga inst the backrest and the
back rest is not reclined,
- the adult is not tak ing weight off the seat by
ho lding on to the passenger assist handle
above t he front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the a.rm rest,
- the safety belt is be ing properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush ­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that migh t ca use the ca­
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
-If the status of the Adv a need A irbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;; ON @ light
blinks for about 5 seconds to catch the driv­
er's attention .
If this happens, always stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and check the
steps described above .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;; light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is s itting on the front passenger
-
Airb ag sys tem
seat after taking the steps described above,
make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions . Have the a irbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer before trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
A WARNING
f-
An a irbag system that is not functioning prop-
e rly cannot prov ide supplemental protect io n
i n a front al crash.
- I f the ai rbag ind icator light
~page 15
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children , espec ially 12 years and
younge r, always ride on the back seat p rop­
erly rest rained for the ir age and s ize .
- Always install fo rwa rd or rear-facing child
seats on the rea r seat- even w ith an Ad­
vanced Ai rbag System .
- I f you must install a rea rwa rd-facing child
seat on the front passenge r seat because of
except ional circumstances a nd the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF,;,
light does not appea r
and stay on, immediate ly install the rear ­
facing chi ld seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea ler.
- 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 a irbag as poss ible . The back rest
m ust be adjusted to an upr ight position .
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All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy .
Fully inflated airbags in comb ination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant 's forward movement and help to reduce
the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
to provide s upplemental protection .
,& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in­
jury. Wearing safety bel ts incor rectly and im­
proper seating posit ions increase the r isk o f
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
prope rly if you are seated too close to any of
the a irbag locat ions. When ad justing their
seat positions, it is important that both the
dr iver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies a nd knees at the following
min imum safe d istances:
- at least 10 in (25 cm) between the chest
and the steering wheel/instrument panel.
- at least 4 in (1 0 cm) between t he knees
and the lower part of the instrument pan ­
el.
- The risk of persona l injury inc reases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
imp roper ly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the a irbag deploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
Airb ag sys tem
risk of injury in an accident by interfering
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into you as the a irbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
anima ls r ide in the footwell i n fron t of the
passenger seat.
If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal in juries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot­
well a rea in front o f the d river's o r pas ­
senger's seat . Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper dep loyment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown thro ugh t he
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
o r your passengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch­
es o r othe r damage in the area of the inst ru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated .
- If c hildren are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury inc reases in a coll is ion
~ page 221, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu ­
pants.
F ig. 166 Side a irbag locat io n in the drive r's sea t
The side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 166 fac ing the doors .
T hey are iden tified by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
pos itions have been des igned and certified to
help reduce the risk of in ju ry that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, pa rticul arly when .,.
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Airbag system
the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
straints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts
Qpage 189,
Airbag system Qpage 197, Child safety
c::;, page 2 21 .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the e lectronic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certa in that it is functioning 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 diagnost ics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver 's and front passenger's upper torso on
the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side col­
lision . The airbag deploys in side impacts and on­
ly when the vehicle acceleration registered by the
control unit is high enough. If this rate is below
the reference value programmed into the control
un it, the side a irbags w ill not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a res ult
of the collision.
It is not possible to define an air­
bag tr igger ing range that will cover every poss i­
b le ang le of impact, since the circumstances will
vary considerably between one collision and an­
other. Important factors include, for example,
the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting object,
the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
Q page 217, Important safety instructions on
the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re-
216
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
Q page 189, General notes.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is in g, friction
burns and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certa in
kinds of accidents - your safety belts are always
there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessarily an ind ication
of over -sens itive or fa iled airbag activation. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
on ly once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rea r-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c::;, page 217.
- If the airbag ind icator light Qpage 15
comes when the vehicle 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 wi ll not inflate when it should .

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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig . 167 Inflated side airbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger. In order to help provide this additiona l
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very high speed and with
great force. The s upplemental side airbag cou ld
injure you if your seating position is not p roper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children
¢ page 221, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collis ion
¢ fig . 167.
A lthough they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag sys tem
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position .
There is a lot that you and yo ur passengers must
know and act according ly to he lp the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplementa l
pro tect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upr ight position and never
lean against the area where the supp le­
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Neve r let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side tr im panel in the
area where the s upplementa l side airbag
inflates.
- Always make s ure tha t safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting 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 without interference .
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholste ry over the front seatbacks that
have not been specif ically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cu shions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­ ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers 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 between you and the a irbag can in­
crease the r is k of injury in an ac ciden t by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds o r _,.
217

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Airbag syste m
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflat e within th e blink
of an eye at very h igh speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple ­
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especia lly to children
~ page 221 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you a nd your passengers must
know and do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental protect ion.
_& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
ta in a irbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference .
- Use the built -in coat hooks on ly for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere w ith airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, if
shades installed after the veh icle leaves the
factory, use only genuine Aud i sun shades .
220
-Never swing the sun visors over to the side
w indows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at­
tached to the sun visors . They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cur­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fract ion of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zo ne of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The a irbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all times . Make sure there are no
objects , pets, or other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time .
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors .
_& WARNING
-The a irbag system can deploy on ly once . If
the airbag has been trigge red, the system
m ust be rep laced by an authorized A udi
dea le r o r qualified workshop.
- Always have wo rk invo lv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag components, or other repairs
performed by a q ualified dealership. Other­
wise the airbag system may not work cor­
rectly .
- Never attempt to mod ify any components of
the airbag system in any way .

Page 223 of 322

co
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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
c:> page 191, 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
greater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fu lly devel­
oped, they requ ire restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, we ight, and body struc­
ture. Many countr ies 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- 3 5 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 lbs (6 kg)
infant will be more than 20 times the weight of
the child . This means the weight of the chi ld
would suddenly be more than 260 lbs (120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appropriate child
restraint properly used can reduce the risk of se ­
rious injury . Child restraints, l ike adult safety
belts, must be used properly to be effective .
Used imp roperly, they can increase the risk of se­
rious injury in an accident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat proper ly re­
stra ined for their age and size. If you must install
a child restra int on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
c:> page 198. 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:
Ch ild safety
- 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 chi ld safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
yo ur child's size
c:> page 225 , 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 he re . We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner 's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans ­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
P lease 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 restrained prope rly whenever r iding
in a vehicle. An unrestra ined or improperly
rest rained child cou ld be inju red 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 w ith an inflating a irbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the h ighest degree of protection
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent situat ions.
22 1

Page 224 of 322

Child safety
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
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 child 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 facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF~;
light does not come
on and stay on, immediately install 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
- Forward-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require the following special
precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by its
manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and side airbag.
-Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
222
-Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint.
-Always make sure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly positioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measured by the capaci­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an accident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
-If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF~;
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF,;; light
does not come on and stay on, immediate- ly install the forward-facing child seat in a
~

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