child restraint AUDI A4 2016 Owner's Manual

..... N
0 :,,:: co ..... ..... exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
ward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat­
ing posit ion and have the airbag system in­
spected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer.
A WARNING
If, in except ional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide airbag .
- Always follow the manufac turer 's instruc­
tions provided with the chi ld safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possib le before installing the child
restra int. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upr ight position.
-Always make sure that the
PA SSENGER AIR
B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
Always replace ch ild restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visib le could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your veh icle is equipped with a front "Advanced
A irbag System" i n compliance w ith United States
F edera l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Ve hicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your ve hicle has
been ce rtified to meet the " low-risk" requ ire­
ments for 3 -and 6-yea r old children on the pas ­
senger side and sma ll adults on the driver side .
Child safety
The low risk deployment criteria a re intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the a irbag that can occur, for example, by be ing
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system 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 ch ild rest raints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your veh icle is equipped with an Ad·
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and you nger, sho uld a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly restrained for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
' Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
The Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle de ­
tects the presence of an infant or chi ld in a chi ld
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tens ion on the
safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight of the child and the chi ld safety seat and a child
blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
s ign of the child restra int and its "footprint", the
s ize and shape of the bottom of the ch ild re-
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a ch ild
restra int and its "footprint" va ry for different
k inds of child restra ints and for the different
models of the same kind o f chi ld rest raint of -
fered by chi ld restraint manufacturers.
T he we igh t ranges for the indiv id ual types,
makes and mode ls of ch ild restraints that the
NH TSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants .,.
159

Child safet y
and typical 1 year -old child have been sto red in
the co ntrol unit of the Advanced Airbag System.
When a chi ld restra int is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the we ight
measured by the we ight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control un it also registers the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the fro nt passenger
seat will be d ifferent for an adult w ho is p roperly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt w hen it is used to attach a ch ild re­
s tra int to the sea t. The senso r below the la tch for
t he safety belt for the front sea t passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The inp ut from
this senso r is then used with the weight to "de ­
cide", whether there is a child restra int w ith a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenge r
seat and whether or not the a irbag must be
turned off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less of the child restra int tha t you use,
make su re that it h as been cert ified to meet Safe ­
ty Standa rds and has been certified by its manu­
facture r for use wi th an a irba g. A lways be sure
t hat the chi ld restrain t is properly insta lled at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception ­
al c ircumstances yo u m ust use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed a ll of the app licab le WARNINGS . Make cer­
tain tha t the child res tra int is correc tly recog­
n iz ed by the we ight-sens ing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that t he fron t passe nger a irbag
is t urned off and tha t the airbag st atus is always
corre ct ly sign aled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF li ght .
M any types and mo dels of child res traints have
been available ove r the ye ars, new mode ls are in ­
troduce d regularly inco rpora ting new and im­
p roved designs and o lder mode ls are taken o ut of
product ion . Chi ld restraints a re not standardized .
Ch ild restraints of the same type typ ica lly have
d ifferent weights and s izes and d ifferent 'foot­
prints,' the size a nd shape of the bottom of t he
160
ch ild restraint t hat sits on the seat, when they
a re installed on a vehicle seat . These differences
make it virtua lly impossib le to certify comp liance
with the requirements for advanced a irbags w ith
each and every child restra int that has ever been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course of
t h e usefu l life of your vehicle .
For t his reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Admin istrat ion has published a
li st of specific type, makes and mode ls of ch ild
res tra ints tha t must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your ve hi­
cl e w ith the s uppression requirements of Federa l
Mot or Ve hicl e Safety St and a rd 208. These child
r es tra ints are :
Subpart A- Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard Angel Se pte mber 2 5, 20 07
Ride AA 2403F OF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base 22- 999WHO
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just R ight 212
E ven flo Firs t Choi ce December
1, 1 999
2 04
Grace I nfant 8457 December 1, 1999
Grace Sn ugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SIP I MUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Br itax Roundabo ut September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 0 2519 December 1, 1999
...

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... Model Manufactured on or
after
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tr ibute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious inju ry, make sure
that the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re ­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen ­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P A SSEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D 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 veh icle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right chi ld safety seat for each
child and a lways use it properly
q page 163 .
Child safety
.,. Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the ch ild safe ­
ty seat.
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
q page 167.
.,. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with yo ur full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight -sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
q page 163.
Always remember: Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especia lly t hose 12 yea rs and younger,
sho uld a lways ride in th e back seat p roper ly re·
strained for their age and s ize.
A WARNING
=
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly insta lling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must always be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestra ined o r improperly restrained
c hi ld can be injured o r killed by being
thrown aga inst the inside of the veh icle or
by being ejected from it during a sudden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestra ined or improperly restrained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air­ bag.
- Commercially availab le child safety seats
are requi red to comply with U .S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213). ..,_
16 1

Child safety
-When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush­
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames . They do not pro­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in­
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen­
ger seat. A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safe­
ty 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 rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
162
-Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child . Always install 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 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 manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be­
fore installing the child restraint.
- 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.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 130, Safety belts,
¢ page 138, Airbag system
and
¢ page 158, Child safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on. ..,.

,....,
N
0
""' CX) ,....,
I.Cl U"I ,....,
I.Cl ,....,
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig . 160 Schemat ic overv iew: keep unused s-afety belts
away from children in chil d safety seats.@· oute r rear
sa fety belt,
@ -center rear safety bel t
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especia lly with LA TCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,& .
-Gui de the safety belt webbings @ and @ be­
hind the head restra int of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
c::>fig. 160. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "click ing"
sound when w inding 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 booste r seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause the chi ld serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by proper ly routing them aro und the
Child safety
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 restraint.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 161 Sc hem atic overv iew: rearward -fac ing infa nt seat ,
proper ly i nsta lled o n the rear seat
., When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
c::> poge 167 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) .
., Sec ure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 163.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
expe rts be lieve that infants and small children
shou ld ride only in special res tra ints in wh ich the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant ..,.
163

Child safety
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
c:>fig. 161.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous p lace 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.
_&. WARNING
Not using a chi ld safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly install ing a
child restra int increases the r isk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash.
- Never install rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen­
ger seat - even w ith an Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem. A child w ill be seriously injured and can
be k il led when the inflat ing 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 139, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know.
-Always install rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on t he rear seat.
- Never install a rearward-facing child re­
straint in the forward-facing direction. Such
restra ints are des igned for the special needs
of infants and very small ch ildren and can­
not protect them properly if the seat is for­
ward-facing.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
c a use of exceptiona l circumsta nces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
t h e rearward-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c:> page 130, Safety belts,
c:> page 138, Airbag system and
c:> page 158, Important information.
164
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 . 162 Schemat ic overv iew : installat ion of the attach ­
ments applicable to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 163 Schemat ic overv iew: i nstallat ion of the seat using
the vehicle's safety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c:> page 167 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the chi ld safety seat down wi th your full
we igh t to get the safe ty belt really tight so that
the seat cannot
move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm)
<=>page 167.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether ancho rs
c:>page 173.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:> page 163 .
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).
ll>-

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... 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 certi­
fied for their size and weight¢
fig. 162 and
¢ fig. 163.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous p lace 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 infa nt or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the w rong
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 inf lates.
A ch ild 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 a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the bac krest, center armrest, doo r
or roof.
- Always install rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
c ause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rearward-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- 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. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if-
Ch ild safety
ficult to insta ll the chi ld seat with the head
restraint in place¢
page 62. Install the
head restraint again immediate ly once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restra ints that are
not properly adjusted increases the r is k of
serio us or fatal neck inju ry dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
eve r using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
r::!;> page 130, Safety belts,
r::!;> page 138, Airbag system and
r::!;> page 158, Important information .
A WARNING
= -
If exceptional circumstances requ ire the use
of a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well-being requ ire that the following special
precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has been
des igned 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 carrie r.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range , and as
fa r away from the airbag as possib le befo re
installing the ch ild rest raint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rea rmost pos ition in its fore and aft ad­
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up­
right position.
- Make sure that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is swit ched on.
- If the light does not stay on, perfo rm the
checks
r::!;> page 148, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR ...,
165

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supp lemental protect ion in certain frontal
collisions.
_&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­ properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situat ion. To help red uce the risk of se­
rious personal injury and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie f lat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen.
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢page 130.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos itioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat with the head restra int in place
¢page 62. 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.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious personal injury or death .
Ch ild safety
-If you must insta ll a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances the
P AS ·
S ENGER AIR BA G OFF
light must come on
and stay on, whenever the ignit ion is switch­
ed on .
- If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances the
PASS ENGE R AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on and stay on, when ­
eve r the ignit io n is switched on.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SENGER A IR
BAG O FF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 130, Safety belts,
¢ page 138, Airbag system and
¢ page 158, 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's seat can be locked with the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child safety
seats.
T he safety belts emergency lock ing retractors for
the rear seats safety be lts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety be lt have a convertible lock ­
ing retractor for child restraints . The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webbing cannot un ­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing normal driving . A ch ild
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the ch ild and
ch ild safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
ch ildren, especially those 12 years and younger,
shou ld a lways r ide in the back seat properly re-
strained for thei r age and weight.
II>-
167

Child safet y
A WARNING
-
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury and
death in a collision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place dur ing normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear cente r safety belt is being used to se­
cu re a ch ild restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together w ith the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The chi ld
can be se riously injured or killed .
- Never ins tall rearward-fac ing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front passen­
ger seat. A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Forward-facing ch ild safety seats or infant
carr iers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the a irbag and cause serious injury to the
child .
- It is safer to install a forward -facing ch ild
safety seat on the rear seat .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used~
page 158 . Special precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the fron t passenger seat~
page 139, Child
16 8
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
A WARNING
A lways take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
stra int on the front passenger's seat in excep ­
tional s ituations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-fac ing
child restraint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribed
~ page 148, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ger seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protect ion .
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serious ly injure or even kill the child.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never p lace additiona l items on the seat
that can increase the tota l weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restra ints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been des igned and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan-
-
el. ~

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... -Always move the passenger seat into its
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 restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PA SSEN GER AI R BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearwa rd-facing child restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional c ir­
cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
we ight-mat in the seat and register a heavi­
er we ight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier we ight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it m ust be suppressed c ausing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure tha t 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 rearward-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
Ch ild safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufactu rer 's
ins truct ions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefer ably
on the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the w ay out .
.. Route it around or through the child restra int
be lt path
¢ & .
.. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with you r full
weigh t to ge t the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tong ue into the b uck le for that
seating position .
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat .
.. You should hear a ''cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con ­
vert ib le lock ing retractor by pull ing on the belt .
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the re tractor. The convertib le loc kin g re­
t ractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the c hild restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild rest raint o r an improp­
e rly inst alled child restra int can cause se rio us
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tr actor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An un locked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in p lace
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round during
a sudden stop or in a crash. .,.
169