seats AUDI A3 SEDAN 2018 Service Manual

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 261, 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
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 20-35 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 restraints, 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 accident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restra int on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢ page 270. Infants and other chi ldren 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:
294
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http://www.safe ­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Tr ansport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http ://www.tc .gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in o rder to be sure the seat is right fo r
your c hild's
size ¢ page 298, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
format ion and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restraints in this chapter .
T here is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your veh icle and how they work
when infants and children in child res traints 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
info rmat ion 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 seating position. 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
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 r isk 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 protection
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent situat ions.

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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 serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag i n­
flat es.
- The inflating a irbag w ill 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
doo r.
- 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
PASSEN­
GER 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
- Forward-fac ing ch ild seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the
deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If except ional 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
prec autions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the fo rward-facing
seat has been designed and cert ified by its
manufacturer fo r use on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
proper ly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used .
Child saf ety
- Never put the forward-fac ing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height
adjustment: Always set the safety belt up­
per anchorage to the adjustment pos ition
that permits proper insta llation in accord­
ance with the child restrain t manufactur­
er's instr uctions .
- Always move the fron t passenger seat to
the h ighes t position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
re armos t position in the se at's fore a nd
a ft a dju stmen t range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, befo re installing
the forward-facing child restra int .
- Always make sure tha t the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
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 o r seat heater fo r
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive p assenger detec tion system an d can
also fly around in an a ccid en t a nd c ause
serious person al injury .
- Never pla ce or use any ele ct rical devi ce
(s uch as a laptop, CD player, ele ctroni c
games device, powe r inverter or seat heat ­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to the front passenger
seat, never insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush io n.
295

Child sa fety
- Take the chi ld restraint off the front passen ­
ger seat and insta ll it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSEN GER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have
been statica lly tested by Aud i 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 chi ldren:
~ A lways use the right chi ld safety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
c::> page 300.
~ 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 insta ll a
c hi ld safety seat , you must first activate the
conve rtible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
c::> page 305 .
~ Push the child safety seat down wit h your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 300 .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always r ide in the back seat prope rly re­
stra ined fo r th eir age and size.
_& WARNING
N ot using a c hild safety seat, usi ng the w rong
c hild safety seat or imp roper ly installing a
298
chi ld restraint increases t he risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by strik ing
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
h icle dur ing a sudden maneuve r o r i mpact.
An unrest rained or imprope rly rest rai ned
child is a lso at g rea ter r is k of inj ury o r death
through con ta ct w it h an infl ati ng a irbag.
- Commerc ia lly availab le child safety seats
a re requ ired to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle S afety Standard ( FMVSS) 2 13
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your chi ld and the vehicle .
- Only use child restra int systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush­
i o n. The ch ild restraint must not tip or
lean to e ither side . Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
l egs or tube -like frames. They do not p ro­
v ide adequate cont act wi th t he seat.
- Always heed all lega l req uirements per­
ta in ing to the inst allation and use of child
sa fe ty seats and caref ully follow the in ­
str uctions provided by the manufact urer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under 5 7 inc hes
( 1. 45 meters) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to t he abdomen and
neck areas dur ing sudden brak ing maneu­
vers or accidents .
- Never let more than one c hild occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder ch ildren ride in a
ve hicle w hile sitting on the lap of a nother
passenger.
- Holding a c hild in your a rms is never a s ub­
stitute fo r a ch ild restraint system .
- The s tronges t person cou ld no t hold the
c hil d with the forces tha t exist in an acc i­
dent. The c hild will strike the inte rior of
the ve hicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing chi ld safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be serious ly injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the ch ild in the child seat.
If necessary, ad­
just the angle and posit ion of the seat in
front of the child sea t.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety sea ts installed
on the front passenger's seat can inte rfe re
with the airb ag when i t inflates and cause
serious injury to the child . Always insta ll for ­
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward- facing child restraint on the
front passenge r's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fa cing seat h as
been designed an d certif ied by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas ­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child safety
seat o r ca rr ier.
- 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 airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt up­
pe r anchorage is behind the child restra int
and not next to or in front of the child re-
Ch ild saf ety
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright posit ion.
- Never place or use any elect rical 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 connec ted to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter soc ket .
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to the front passenger
seat, neve r insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger sea t
cush ion .
- Never pla ce obje cts on the sea t (such as a
laptop, CD player, ele ct ronic games de­
vice, power inverter o r seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an acc ident and cause
serious personal injury .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
a sudden stop or in a co llision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
used ~ page 260, Safety belts,
~ page 269, Airbag system and
~ page 294, Child safety.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, ma ke sure
t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ign it ion is switched on.
~
299

Child safety
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
-Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
l8 , ,.,_ _ g
---0
Fig. 247 Schematic overv iew: keep unu sed safety belts
away from chi ldren in chil d safety seats. @-outer rear
safety belt,@- center 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
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,&. .
-Guide the safety belt webbings @and ®* be­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
c hild restraint is installed
c::>fig. 247. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when winding up the safety belt .
-Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with 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
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
300 head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
-Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position* if the center rear safety belt
has been routed around a rear head re­
straint.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 248 Sc hema tic ove rview : re arward -facing infan t seat ,
prope rly installed on th e rear seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c::> page 305 or install the seat using the LA TCH
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
c::> page 300 .
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small ch ildren
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
Ill-

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig. 248.
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-facing child seat. It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash.
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A child will be seriously injured and can be
killed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c> page 2 70, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the forward-facing direction. Such restraints are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing .
- If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- 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.
Child safety
-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.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats) . These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas­
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being
used ¢ page 260, Safety belts,
¢ poge 269, Airbag system and
c> page 294, Important information.
301

Child safety
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 249 Schemat ic overv iew: installat ion of the attac h­
m ents app licab le to
a L ATCH seat
Fig. 250 Schematic overv iew : instal lat ion of the sea t using
the vehicl e's safety bel t sy stem
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c:> page 305 or install 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)
c:>page 305.
... If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the teth er anchors
r::> page 311.
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::>page 300 .
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg).
302
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be
properly restrained in a child safety seat certified
for their size and weight
c> fig. 249 and
c:> fig. 250 .
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 -facing child safety seat . It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth­
er emergency situation.
-Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
-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 arm rest, door
or roof.
-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 be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
~

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif­
ficult to install the child seat with the head restraint in place
c> page 61 . Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c> page 260, Safety belts,
c> page 269, Airbag system and
c> page 294, Important information.
A WARNING
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 that the following special
precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­ tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant 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
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible, before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad­
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up­
right position.
Child safety
-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.
- 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.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas­
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- 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, immediately in­
stall the forward-facing child seat at a seat­ ing position on the rear seat and have the
airbag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer .
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
303

Child sa fet y
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig . 2 51 Rea r seat: c hild proper ly restra ined in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fi t most
chi ldren un til they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1. 45 meters) ta ll and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Boos ter sea ts raise these chi ld ren up so
that t he safety bel t will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
.. Do no t use the conve rtible locking retra ctor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to rest rai n
a chi ld on a booster seat.
.. The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and must lie flat and s nug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck . The
lap belt must lie across the pelv is and never
ac ross the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if ne cessa ry .
.. Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height ad­
justment: If yo u must t ransport an older child
in a booster seat on the front passenger seat,
yo u can use the safety belt he ight adjustment
to help adjust the shoulder portion properly.
.. Secure unused safety belts o n the rear seat
¢ page 300.
Ch ild ren up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in ch ild safety seats de­
signed fo r thei r age and we ight . Experts say that
the skeleta l struct ure, particularly the pelvis, of
304 t
h ese children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
s ui tab le child restraint .
It is usually best to put t hese chi ld ren in appro­
priate booste r seats. Be sure the booste r seat
meets a ll applicab le safety standards .
Booster sea ts raise the seating posi tion of the
c hi ld a nd reposi tion both the lap and shoulde r
parts of the safety belt so that t hey pass across
the child 's body in the rig ht places. The routing of
the be lt over the ch ild's body is very important
for the chi ld's protection, whether o r not a boos­
ter seat is used. C hildren 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
l ap belt portion of the veh icle's safety belt a lone
to restra in any ch ild, regard less of how big t he
c hil d is . Always remember that chi ldren do not
h ave t he p ronounced pelvic str ucture required fo r
the p roper function of lap be lt po rtion of the ve­
hicle's three point la p and shoulder belts. The
c hil d's safety abso lutely requi res that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possib le aro und the pe lvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety be lt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
its job , the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­ pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of pos it ion and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck vio lent ly and w ill rece ive serio us or
possibly eve n fatal injury .
In order for the a irbag to offer protect ion, it is
importa nt that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be ­
cause of exceptiona l cir cumstances, be prope rly
r estra ined and as far aw ay from the a irbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the chi ld's
body and the fron t of the passenger compa rt-
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and
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u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
provide supplementa l protection in certain fron­
tal collisions .
A WARNING -
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly insta lling a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situat ion . To help reduce the r isk of se­
r ious personal inj ury and/o r death:
- The shoulder belt must l ie as close to the
center of the child 's collar bone as poss ible
and must lie flat and snug on the uppe r
body . It must neve r lie across the t hroat or
neck . The lap be lt must lie across the pe lv is
and never across the stomac h or abdomen.
Make sure that the belt lies flat and sn ug .
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to proper ly route safety belts over a
child's body will ca use severe injuries in an
acc ident or other emergency situation
¢ page 260.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should be pos it ioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints: ad just o r re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat w ith the head
restra int i n place
¢ page 61 . Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
c hild seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restra ints or w ith he ad restraints t hat are
not p roper ly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fata l neck injury d ramatically.
- Never le t a child put the sho uld er be lt un der
the arm or be hind t he back, because it co ul d
cause severe injuries in a c rash .
- C hildren o n the front sea t of any car, even
with Adva nced Ai rbags, can be serio usly in ­
jure d or even killed when a n ai rbag inflates.
- Never le t a child stan d or knee l on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never le t a child ride in the c argo a re a of
yo ur vehicle.
- Alw ays remem ber th at a c hild leaning for ­
wa rd, s itting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
Ch ild saf ety
a dep loying airbag. Th is w ill resu lt in serious
pe rsonal in jury or death.
- If you m ust insta ll a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptiona l
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on a nd stay on, when­
ever the ignit ion is switched on.
- If t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
Q page 281, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions if t he
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t does not stay on wheneve r
t he ig nit io n is sw itch ed on.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS whe n­
eve r using a ch ild restrained in a vehicle is
be ing use d
Q page 260, Safe ty belts,
Q page 269, Airbag system and
Q page 294, Important information .
Securing child safety
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 loc king retr actors for
the rear seats safety be lts and for the front pas ­
senger's seat safety be lt have a convertible lock ­
ing retractor for child restraints . The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webb ing cannot un ­
reel. The retractor can be act ivated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing norma l driving . A ch ild
safety seat can only be prope rly installed when
the safety be lt is locked so t hat the ch ild and
c hi ld safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especia lly those 12 yea rs and younger,
sho uld a lways r ide in t he bac k seat p roperly re-
st rained for thei r age and s ize.
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305