weight AUDI A5 COUPE 2011 Owner's Manual
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Page 217 of 362

Child Safety Ill
-------------------"'---
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
The physical pr in ci ples o f wha t happens w hen yo ur vehicl e is in a crash
app ly a lso to children=>
page 183, "What happens to occupants not
wearing safety be lts?". But unlike adults their mus cles an d bones a re
not fully deve loped. I n many respects children are at greater risk of
serious injury in crashes than adults .
Because children 's bodies a re not f ully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especially designed fo r their size, weight, and body
st ruct ure. Many cou ntries and a ll states of t he Unite d States and
prov inces of Canada have laws req uiring the use of approved ch ild
restrain t sys tems for infan ts an d sm all ch ild ren .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph (30-56 km/h) the forces
act ing o n a 13- pound (6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
we ight of the ch ild . This means the we ight of the child wo uld
suddenly be more than 260 po unds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only a n app ropr iat e child restra int proper ly used can red uce the risk
o f serious injury. Child restrai nts must be used properly to be e ffec
t ive. Used i mpro perly, t hey can increase the risk of serio us injury in an
acc ident.
C onsult the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's i nstr uctions to be s ure
t he seat is right for your child's size
=> page 218, "Importa nt safety
instructions for using ch ild safety seats" . P lease be sure to read and
heed all of the impo rtant informat io n and WARNINGS about child
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the insta llation of ch ild rest raints in
t his chapte r.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
vehicle and how t hey wo rk when inf ants and childre n in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat. Beca use of t he large
Controls and equip
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
amou
nt of importa nt info rmation, we cannot repeat i t all he re. We
urge you to read the detailed information in th is owne r's man ua l
abou t airbags and t he Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information abo ut transporting c hildren on the front
p assenger se at. P lea se be sure to heed the WARNIN GS - they a re
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passe n
gers, especially infan ts and small ch il dre n.
& WARNING
• Accid ent statisti cs have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
re strain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must be
restrained properly when ever riding in a vehicle. An unre strained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or improperly rest rained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflat ing airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating posi tions provides the highest degree of protec
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations.
& 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
c hild in a rearward -facing child safety seat ins talled on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child aga inst the backrest, center armrest or door . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 218 of 362

-Child Safety _____ ____;_..:::.:!.----------------------------
& WA RNING (conti nued)
• Alway s in stall rearwa rd-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in exceptional circumstance s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immed iately install the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immedi
ately by your authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child res traint on the front pas senger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by it s manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer 's instruction s provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the passenger seat into it s rearmost position in
the seat 's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the child restraint. The back rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .•
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equi pped wi th a fron t "Advanced Airbag System" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
( F MVSS) 2 08 as appli ca ble at t he time your ve hicle was manufa c
tured. The Advanced A
irbag system in yo ur vehicle has been certif ied to
mee t the "low -r is k" requiremen ts fo r 3-and 6-ye ar old ch ildre n on
t he passenger side and small adults on the dr iver side . The low risk
dep loyment criteria are inten ded to reduce the risk of injury through
interaction with the a irbag t hat can occur, for example, by being too
close to the stee ring wheel an d instr ument panel when the airbag
inflates. In addi tion, the system has been certified to comp ly with t he
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
fron t air bag for infan ts up to 1 2 months who a re res train ed on the
front passenger seat in child restrai nts that are listed in the Stan
d ar d.
Even thoug h your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
system , a ll ch ildren, especially those 12 years and yo unger, should
always r ide in t he back seat p roperly restrained for t heir ag e and si ze .
Th e ai rbag on the passenge r si de makes the front seat a potentia lly
dange rous p lace for a child to r ide. Th e front seat is not th e safest
place fo r a child in a forward-facing c hild safety seat. It can be a very
d an ge rous p lace for a n infan t or a large r chil d i n a rea rwa rd-facing
seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Advanced A irbag System i n your ve hicle de tects t he p resence o f
an infa nt o r ch ild in a child rest rai nt on the fro nt passenger sea t using
the we ight-sens ing mat in the seat cushion and the senso r be low the
saf ety belt la tch o n th e front passenge r seat tha t measur es t he
tension on the safety belt.
Th e weigh t-sens ing ma t me asures tot al we ight of the child and the
child safety seat and a child blanket on the fro nt passe nger seat . The
we ight on the fro nt passenger se at is re lated to t he design of the
child res traint and i ts "footpri nt", the size and shape of t he bottom
of the ch ild restraint as it sits o n the seat . The weight of a child
restrain t an d its "foo tpr int" vary for differe nt k inds of child res tra ints .,_
Page 219 of 362

_________________________________________ _:C~ h~il ~d ~ S~a ..!.:fe =. t SYL _lffll
and for the different models of the same kind of child restraint
offered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types, makes and models of ch ild
restraints that the NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical infants and typical 1 year
old child have been stored in the control unit of the Advanced Airbag
System. When a child restraint is being used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old chi ld, the Advanced Airbag System
compares the weight meas ured by the weight sensing mat with the
information stored in the electronic control unit .
The electronic contro l unit a lso registers the tension on the front
passenger safety belt. The tension on the safety belt for the front
passenger seat will be different for an adult who is properly using the
safety belt as compared to the tension on the belt when it is used to
attach a child restraint to the seat . The sensor below the latch for the
safety belt for the front seat passenger measures the tension on the
belt. The input from this sensor is then used with the weight to
"decide", whether there is a child restraint with a typical 1 year-old
child on the front passenger seat and whether or not the airbag must
be turned off .•
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use, ma ke sure that it has
been certified to meet United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been ce rtified by its manufacturer for use with an
airbag . Always be sure that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exceptional circumstances you
must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the infor
mation on ch ild safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the
app licab le WARNINGS. Make certain that the child restra int is
correctly recognized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag is turned off and that
the airbag status is always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Many types and models of child restra
ints have been available over
t he years, new models are introduced reg ularly incorpo rating new
and improved designs and older models are taken out of product ion.
Chi ld restraints are not standardized. Child restraints of the same
type typ ically have d ifferent weights and sizes and differe nt 'foot
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the child restraint that
sits on the seat, when they are installed on a vehicle seat . These
differences make it virtually impossib le to certify compliance with
t he requirements for advanced airbags with each and every chil d
restra int that has ever been sold in the past or will be sold over the
course of the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States Nationa l Highway Traffic Safety
Administration has published a list of specific type, makes and
mode ls of child restra ints that must be used to cert ify compliance of
the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Veh icle Safety Standard 208. These
child restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model
Angel Gua rd Angel Ride
AA2403 FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model
Century SmartF it 4543
Cosco Ar riva 22-013PAW and
base 22-999 WHO
Evenflo D iscovery Ad just Right
21 2
Evenflo First Cho ice 204
Manufactured on or
after
December 1, 1999
September 25, 20 07
December 1, 1999
December 1, 1999
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 221 of 362

___________________________________________ C_ h_il _d _ S_a _f _e _t ~y __ _
- If a stra p or tet her is be ing us ed to tie t he chil d safety seat
to t he fro nt passenger seat, make sure that it is no t so
tight that i t causes the weight-sens ing ma t to measure
more weight t han is act ually on the seat.
Alw ays reme mbe r: Even though yo ur vehicle is equip ped with an
Adva nced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially those 12 years a nd
younger, should a lways ride in the bac k seat proper ly rest ra ined for
their age and size .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong child safety seat or
improperly in stalling a child re straint in crea se s the ri sk of serious
personal injury and death .
• All vehicle oc cupants and e specially children mu st always be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child can be injured or killed by being thrown against the inside of the
vehicle or by being ejected from it during a sudden maneuver
or impact .
- An unre strained or improperly restrained child is at much
greater risk of injury or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag .
• Commercially a vailable child safety seats are requi red to
c omply with U .S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS )
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213 ).
- When buying a child restraint, select one that fits your child
and the vehicle.
- Only u se child restraint sy stem s that fully contact the flat
portion of the seat cushion . The child rest raint must not tip or
lean to either side . Audi does not recommend using child
s a fety seats that rest on legs or tube-like frames. They do not
provide adequate contact with the seat .
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
-Always heed all legal requirements pe rtaining to the in stal
lation and use of child safety seat s and carefully follow the
inst ructions provided by the manufacturer of the seat you are
using.
• Never allow children under 57 inche s (1.45 meter s) to wear a
normal safety belt . They must always be restrained by a prop er
child restraint system . Otherwise , they could sustain injuries to
the abdomen and neck areas during sudden braking maneuvers or accidents.
• Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
• Never let babies or olde r 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 stronge st p ers on could not hold the child with the force s
that e xist in an accident . The child will strike the interio r of the
v ehicle and can also be struck by the pa ssenger.
- The child and the passenger can also injure each other in an
accident.
• Never install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
c arrier s on the front pas senger seat. A child will be seriously
injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates- even
with an Advanced Airbag Sy stem.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, door or roof .
- Alway s in stall rearward -facing child safety seats or infant
carriers on the rear seat.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on th e front
passenger 's seat can interfere w ith the airbag when it inflates and
c ause seriou s injury to the child . Always install forward-facing
c hild safet y seats on the rear seat . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 223 of 362

Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and inf ants up to abo ut one ye ar o ld and 2 0 lbs.
or
9 kg nee d s pec ial rea rwa rd -fac ing ch ild restraints tha t
s upport th e back, nec k and head in a crash.
F ig. 187 Schem atic
overview : re arwa rd
facing infa nt seat,
properly install ed on
the rea r seat
- Whe n u sin g the veh icle sa fety bel t to insta ll a child s afety
s e at, you mu st first acti vate the converti ble lo cking
ret ractor on th e saf ety belt to preven t th e chi ld safet y seat
fro m moving==>
page 2 25 or install t he seat usi ng t he
LAT CH attach ments .
- Pus h the child sa fety s eat d own with y our fu ll weight to
g et t he sa fety be lt really tig ht so t hat th e sea t c an not
mov e fo rwar d or sid eways mor e t han one in ch ( 2.5 cm) .
Infa nts up t o ab out one yea r (2 0 lb s. or 9 kg) are best protec ted in
special infant carr iers a nd ch ild safety seats desig ned fo r th eir age
g roup. Many e xperts believe t hat infa nts and sm all c hildr en sho uld
r ide on ly in spec ia l re stra in ts i n w hic h the child faces th e back of the
v ehicle . T hese i nfant seats support t he baby's back, neck and head in
a crash=>
page 221 , fig. 18 7.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
The airbag on the passenger side makes the fro nt seat a potentially
d ange rous place for a child to rid e. Th e front seat is not the safest
place for a ch ild in a forwa rd-faci ng child seat . It is a very da ngerous
place for an infant o r a larger child in a rearward-fac ing seat .
& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, u sing the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a cra sh .
• Never install rearward- facing child safety seats or infant
c arriers 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=>
page 192,
"Child restraints on the front seat -some important things to
know".
• Always install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers on the rear seat .
• Never install a rearward-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 prop·
erly if the seat is forward-facing .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat becau se of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the 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 whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 181, "Safety belts ",
=> page 190, "Airbag system " and => page 215, "Important
things to know". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data
Page 224 of 362

-Child Safety Pll:f __ .,.___ ____________ _
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. 188 Schematic
overview: installation
of the attachments
applicable to a LATCH
seat
Fig. 189 Schematic
overview: installation
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 convertible locking
feature on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving=>
page 225 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)
=>
page 225.
- If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether strap,
attach it to the tether anchors =>
page 232.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an infant restraint if it is
more than one year old and weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg).
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=>
page 222, fig. 188 and=> page 222, fig. 189.
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
sea t.
& 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 other emergency situa
tion.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates. A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on
the front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed
if the front airbag inflates -even with an Advanced 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 armrest, door or roof. ..,
Page 226 of 362

-L~C:_.!:h~ i~ld ~ S~ a:!: f~ e~ t~ y ~ ------------------------------------------
- Do not use the convertible locking retractor when using
the vehicle's safety belt to restrain a child on a booster
seat.
- Always position the shoulder portion of the safety belt midway over the child's shoulder . If you must transport an
older child in a booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you can use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder port ion properly .
- Always make s ure that the shoulder por tion of the safety
belt never rests against or across the child's neck .
- Always make sure that the child can properly wear the lap portion of the belt low across the thighs or pelvis and
never over the stomach or abdomen .
Children up to about 40 lbs. (18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Experts say that the skeletal
st ruct ure, particularly the pelv is, of these chi ldren is not fully deve l
oped, and they must not use the vehicle safety belts without a suit
able child rest raint .
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 port ion of the vehicle's safety belt alone to restra in
any child, regard less of how big the child is. Always remember that
childre n do not have the pronounced pelvic structure required for the
proper function of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point lap and
shoulder belts. The ch ild's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as possible
around the pelvis. Neve r let the lap belt po rtion of the safety bel t
pass over the child's stomach or abdomen.
It is usua lly best to p ut these ch ildren in appropriate booster seats.
Be sure the booster seat meets all appl icable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the child and reposition
both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass across the child
's body in the right places . The rout ing of the belt over
t he c hild's body is very impo rtan t for the chi ld's p ro tect io n, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12 and under must always
ride in the rear seat .
In a crash, airbags m ust inflate with in a blink of an eye and with
considerable force. In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to
infl ate so that it w ill be t he re to protect t he oc cupan t as the occupant
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 a irbag . When a n occupant is too close,
he or she will be struck violently and will receive serious or possibly
even fatal injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all
veh icle occupants , espec ia lly any ch ild ren, who must be in the front
seat because of exceptional c ircumstances, be properly restra ined
and as far away from the airbag as possib le . By keeping room
between the child's body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and provide supplemental
protection in certa in frontal collisions.
& WARNING
Not using a booste r sea t, using th e boo ste r seat improp erl y, inc or
rectl y installing a boo ste r seat or u sing the vehicle saf ety b elt
i mp roperly increa se s the risk of serio us per sonal injur y and death
i n a colli sion or oth er emergenc y situatio n. To he lp red uce the ri sk
of s eriou s pers onal injury and /or d eath:
• Alway s make su re to po sition the shoulder portion of the three
point b elt ove r the middl e of child' s sho ulder.
• Never l et the shoulder p orti on of the b elt re st again st or acro ss
th e neck, fa ce, chin , or thro at of the ch ild.
• Alwa ys make sure the lap belt portion of th e thr ee -point belt i s
worn snug and pa sses as low a s pos sible across the ch ild 's pel vis.
N ever le t th e be lt pa ss over the soft abdomen .
liJ>
Page 228 of 362

•L_---=C:..:h..:.. i:..: l .=d ~S=-= a..:..f .= e ~ty ~ --------------------------------------------
& WARNING (cont inued)
• 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 make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to secure a child restraint.
• If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child restraint will be thrown forward together with the backrest and
will strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child can be seriously
injured or killed.
• Never install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers on the front passenger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest , door or roof.
• Always install rearward-facing child 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 with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the child.
• It is safer to install a forward-facing child safety seat on the
rear seat.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 215. Special precau
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 192, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know".
& WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat in
exceptional situations :
• Whenever a forward or rearward-facing child restraint is
installed on the front passenger 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 described =>
page 201, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System".
• 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 whenever the ignition is switched
on .
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer 's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause
injury in a crash .
& WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
• Always 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 .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up, against or very
near the instrument panel. .,_
Page 229 of 362

Child Safety --------------------"'----
& WARNING (continued)
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
• 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 Advanced 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 armrest, door or roof.
• Always be especially careful if you must install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on
the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier weight registered can make
the system work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• 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 install the rearward-facing child safety seat
in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer. •
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Activating the convertible Locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure
a child
restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's instruc
tions when installing a child restraint in your vehicle. To acti
vate the convertible locking retractor:
- Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on the rear
seat .
- Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
- Route it around or through the child restraint belt path
::::>& .
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight.
- Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that seating
position.
- Guide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat .
- You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
into the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pulling on the belt. You should no longer be able to pull
the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor is now activated.
- Make sure that the red release button is facing away from
the child 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) . .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data
Page 234 of 362

lffll.,___C_h_ i_ ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t...:: y ;....__ _________________________________________ _
in. WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the r isk of
injury in an accident.
• Always follow the child restraint system manufacture r's
instructions for proper in stallation of the child restraint sy stem
and proper use of tether straps as well as the lower anchorages or
s afety belts in your vehicle .
• Always read and heed the important informat ion and WARN·
INGS about child safety and the installation of child restraint
systems ~
page 215, "Child Safety ".•
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig . 1 9 5 T ether
a n ch ors : rece ss fl aps
behind th e rear seat
bac ks
The tether anchors for the rear seat ing pos itions are located i n
recesses in the rear win dow sh elf ~ fig. 195 .
A tet he r i s a st raight o r V-shaped strap t hat attac hes the top pa rt of
a ch ild restraint to spec ia l anchorage points in the vehicle .
T he p urpo se of the tethe r is to reduce t he f orwar d movemen t of the
child restraint in a crash, in order to help reduce t he risk of head injury
t ha t could be caused by st riking the ve hicle in terior .
Forward fac ing ch ild restraints manufactured after September 1,
1 999, are required by U.S . federa l reg ulations to comply with child head movement performance req
uirements . T hese new performance
re qu iremen ts m ake a tet he r ne cessa ry on most new child sa fe ty
seats.
in. WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will inc rease the risk of
injury and death in a cra sh .
• Alw ays follow the instructions pro vided by the manuf acturer
of the child restraint you intend to install in your Audi.
• Improper use of child re straint anchors (including tether
anchors) can lead to injury in a collision. The anchor s are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by co rrectly fitted child
restraint s.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchor point .
• Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap or
tether anchorage.
• Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down hook in the luggage
compartment .
• Never u se child restraint tether anchorage s to secure safety
belts or other kinds of occupant rest raints.
• Never secure or atta ch any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tethe r ancho rs.
• If a tether or other strap is used to attach a child restraint to
the front passenger seat , make sure that it is not so tight , that it
causes the weight -sensing mat to mea sure more weight than is
actually on the seat.
• The heavier weight register ed can make the Advanced Airbag
System work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the
Advanced Airbag when it must be suppre ssed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of e xcept ional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
~