ESP AUDI A3 CABRIOLET 2016 Service Manual

Airbag syste m
-If, in exce ptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-faci ng chi ld restraint on
t h e front passenger seat, always m ove the
seat into its rearmost pos ition in the s eat's
f ore an d aft adjustm ent ra nge, as far away
from th e airbag as pos sibl e. Th e backrest
mus t be adjusted to an up right posit ion.
Make s ure that the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
.&_ WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an ad ult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adu lt is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seat ing positions .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat .
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
l ight will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts of t he a irbag system are installed at many
d ifferent places on your Aud i. Insta lling, remov ­
ing, servic ing o r repa iring a part in an area of the
veh icle can damage a part of an airbag system
and p revent that system from working properly
in a co llision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system wi ll not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or poll ute the
env ironment.
.&_ WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repair proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de-
158
-
p loying when needed or deploy ing an a irbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects s uch as c up ho lders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the a irbag un its .
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened w ith plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the st iffness o r streng th of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and p rotect
prope rly.
- Never repair, ad just, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, inst rument
panel, front seats or e lectr ica l system ( in­
cluding the installation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular tele phones and C B radios, etc.)
m ust be perfo rmed by a qu alified techn ician
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see your au­
thorized A udi dealer or qualified wo rkshop.
- Never modify the front b umper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholstery ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
A udi .
- Never use addi tional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate .
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module mus t always be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an autho riz e d Au di dealer .
- The a irbag sys tem can deploy only once. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, i t m ust be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approved espec ia lly for your
Aud i model version . Replacement of com­
plete airbag systems or airbag components

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Although 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 lower ex­
tremities .
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
wi th 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 o c­
cupant 's forward movement and help to reduce
the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Applies to: veh icles wit h knee airbags
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 belts and airbags
to p rovide supplemental protection .
& WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in­
jury. Wearing safety bel ts incorrec tly and im­
proper sea ting positions increase the r isk o f
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locat ions. When adj usting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies a nd knees at the following
min imum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inc hes (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury inc reases if you
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is
-
Airb ag sys tem
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
- Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference . Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the risk of injury in an acc ident by interfering
with the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed into yo u as the a irbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal inj uries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopp ing
bags, fo r example) can interfere with or
prevent proper dep loyment of the airbag .
Small objects ca n be thrown th rough the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
o r your passengers .
- M ake sure the re are no c rac ks, deep scratch­
es or othe r damage in the area of the inst ru­
men t panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated.
- If children are incorrec tly se ated, their risk
of injury inc reases in a coll is io n
¢ page 165, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
pro tec tion to properly restrained occupan ts .
Fig . 14 3 Side a irbag locatio n in t he drive r's seat
The side airbags a re located in the s ides of the
front sea t backrests ¢
fig. 143.
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-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 17
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Aud i dealer . It is possible that
the a irbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it shou ld .
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu ­
pants who are properly restrained.
F ig. 144 S ide impac t protec tion : inf lated s ide a irbags
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 s ide trim panel and the pas­
senger. In order to help prov ide this add itional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very high speed and with
great force . The supplemental side airbag cou ld
i nju re yo u if your seating position is not p roper or
up right o r if items a re loc ated in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands . This ap­
p lies especially to children
c::> page 165, Child
safety .
Supplemental side a irbags inf late be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
coll is ion
c::> fig. 144 .
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is 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 dep loys.
This is no rmal 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 acco rding 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 ai rbag can cause serious or
fata l injury. Improperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of ser ious 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 posi tion 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 ag ainst 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 th at 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 c ushions 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
mo dule 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 a cciden t by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds o r _,.
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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 136, 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 require restraint systems especially
designed 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 20-3 5 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
adult safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an accident .
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat proper ly re­
strained for their age and size. If you must install
a child restraint on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
c:>page 144. 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:
Child 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 child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
yo ur child's size
c:> page 169, 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 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.
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 properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
rest rained 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 w ith an inflating a irbag.
- A suitable child 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 .
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rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle
c!;> page 135, Safety belts, c!;> page 143,
Airbag system
and c!;> page 165, Impor­
tant information.
{D) Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Ai rbag System" in compliance with United States
F edera l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your veh icle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through 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
sys tem has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand ­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and younger, should always r ide
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
Child safety
the front seat a potentia lly dangerous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-facing child safety seat . It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­
pacit ive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis­
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket are on the front passenger seat . The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a chi ld, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restraint system resting on the seat. The meas­
ur ed capacitance of a child restra int system var­
ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and mode l.
T he elect rical capacitance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restraints specif ied
by the U.S .National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typ ical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat w it h a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenge r detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con­
trol unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been cert ified by its manu ­
facturer for use w ith 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 .,.
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@ Tips
The chi ld 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 a lways use it properly~
page 171.
~ 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 be lt to install a
child safety seat , you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
~ page 176.
~ Push the child safety seat down w ith your full
weight to get the safety be lt rea lly t ight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~ page 171.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag sys tem, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size.
_&, WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat , using the wrong
child sa fety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especia lly 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.
Ch ild safety
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact with an inf lating 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 restra int, 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 lega l requirements per­
ta ining 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 mane u­
vers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a chi ld
safety seat .
- Never let babies or o lder children ride in a
veh icle 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 cou ld not ho ld the
ch ild with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent . The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rear-fac ing child safety seats
or infant car riers on the front passenger
seat. A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
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Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
-------~
Fig. 1 45 Schematic overv iew : keep unused safety belts
away from ch ildre n in ch ild safety seats .@ -outer rear
safety belt
::!
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
mu st be secured so
that the child in the ch ild restraint cannot reach
them
9 &, .
-Guide the safety belt webb ing @ behind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re­
straint is installed
<=:> fig. 145. When do ing so,
do not engage the convertible locking ret rac­
tor! You sho uld not hear a "clicking" sound
when winding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety be lt
webbing .
_& WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LA TCH lower anchorages or wit h the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause the ch ild ser ious personal in jury
and even death .
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of ch ildren in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child
restra int is ins tal led.
- Never act ivate the convertible locki ng re­
t racto r when routing the safety belts around
the head restra ints.
Ch ild sa fety
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.
F ig . 14 6 Schematic overv iew: rearward -fac ing infant seat,
p roperly insta lled on the rea r seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le loc king re tractor on the safety belt
to p revent the chi ld safety seat from moving
9 page 176 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 belts on the rear seat
<=:>page 171.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carr iers and child
safety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
experts be lieve that infants and small ch ildren
sho uld ride o nly in special res tra ints in wh ich the
ch ild faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
c rash
r:::;, fig. 146 .
The airbag on the passenger s ide makes the fron t
seat a potent ially dangerous place for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
c h ild in a forward-facing child seat. It is a very
dangerous p lace for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
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It is usually best to put these children in appro­priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the seat ing pos it ion of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety be lt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places . The rout ing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/ 1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how b ig the
child is. A lways remembe r that children do not
have the pronounced pelv ic struc ture requ ired for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­
hicle's three point lap and shoulder be lts. The
chi ld's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
port ion of the safety be lt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force. In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the a irbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck v iolently and will receive ser ious or
possibly even fatal injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
rest rained and as far away from the airbag as
possib le. By keep ing room be tween the child's
body and the front of the passenger compa rt­
ment, the airbag can inflate comp letely and pro­
vide supplemental protection in certain fronta l
coll isions.
Ch ild safety
_& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or us ing the vehicle safety belt im­
p roperly increases the r isk of serious personal
i njury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se­ rious personal injury and/or death:
- The sho ulde r belt m ust lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's co llar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body . It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure that the belt lies f lat and snug.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Fa ilure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body w ill cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
c:::>page 135.
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re­ move the rea r seat head rest raint if it is dif­
f icult to insta ll the ch ild seat with the head
rest raint in place
c:::> page 55. Install the
head restraint again immed iate ly once the
child seat is removed. Driving witho ut head
restraints or with head restraints that a re
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serio us or fatal neck injury dramatica lly.
- Never let a chi ld put the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the back, because it could
cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Chi ldren on the front seat of a ny car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even k illed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a chi ld stand or kneel on any seat,
for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a chi ld ride in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning fo r­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a dep loying airbag. Th is w ill result in serious
-
personal injury or death . ~
175

Child safet y
-If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rea r seat positions if the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used~
page 135, Safety belts,
~ page 143, Airbag system and
~page 165, 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 locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertib le lock­
i n g ret rac to r fo r child rest raints . The safety belt
m ust be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
chi ld safety seat w ill stay in place .
A lways remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size .
176
A WARNING ,.
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the r isk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
-
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tractor is locked when installing a ch ild
safety seat . An unlocked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal d riving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden s top or in a collision.
- I f the backrest is not se curely latched, the
child and the ch ild restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and w ill
strike parts of the veh icle 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 w ill be seriously injured and
can be k illed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild 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 w ith the deployment of
the airbag and ca use serio us inju ry 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
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c::!;> page 165. Special p recautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor-
tant things to know .
~

<( co .... N ,.__
N .... 0 ,.__
> co
A WARNING 1=
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or rearward -facing ch ild 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
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on , perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN GER AI R
BAG OF F
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of ch ild restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
- An improper ly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the child restra int is properly installed, make certa in
tha t the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the capacit ive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the cor rect front passenger fronta l airbag
status .
A WARNING
Forward-fac ing child rest raints :
- Always ma ke sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a fron t seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
-
Ch ild safety
-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
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as possible , before installing the for­
ward-facing ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild rest raint and
not next to o r in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
A WARNING
= Rearward-facing chi ld restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing c hild safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serio usly injured and can be ki lled if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the c hild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except ional cir­
cumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rea r-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
sys tem inspected by you r Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the c hild safety seat manufacturer 's
instruct ions when installing a child restraint in
177