light AUDI A5 COUPE 2013 Manual Online

164 Airbag system
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fig . 14 9 Illust rat ion of p rinciple: In flated s ide cur ta in
ai rbags on the left s ide
The s ide curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is st ruck in a side co llision
<=) fig. 149 .
-"' ..,
-' " 18
When the system is triggered , the side curtain
a irbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the A IRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this addi tional p rotection ,
the side c urtai n airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force . T he side c urtain airbag cou ld in­
jure you if your se ating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curtain airbag
inflates. This applies espec ially to childre n
r::!) page 166.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the r isk of in­
ju ry to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ ploys . This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the veh icle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safe ty belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
The re is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the sa fety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protection.
A WARNING
Imp roperly wea ring safety belts and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the
side curtain a irbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
expansion range of a head airbag can
dangerously inte rfe re with its funct ion. A
deploying head airbag develops enough
for ce to catapul t any p ie ce of add-on
component out of i ts p ath o f infla tio n
and into the passenger compar tment . An
occ upant h it by such a projectile can suf­
fer serious injury or deat h
r::!) page 2 76,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them (for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfe re with a irbag dep loyment
a nd can cause persona l injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hoo ks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the fa ctory, only Audi ro ll­
up suns creens may be u sed
r:!) page 2 75,
-

-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in 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 immediately by your authorized Audi dealer.
,& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- 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.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child 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 airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest 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.
@ Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured .
Child Safety 167
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size . The airbag on the pas ­
senger 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 for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight-sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the
seat. The weight of a child restraint and its "footprint" vary for different kinds of child re -
straints and for the different models of the ..,. •
•

168 Child Saf ety
same kind of child rest raint offered by child
restraint manufact urers.
The weight ranges fo r the ind ividual types,
makes and mode ls o f chi ld restra ints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard
together with the weight ranges of typical in­
fants and typical 1 year-o ld child have been
stored in the control unit of the Advanced A ir­
bag System. When a child restraint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi­
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compa res the we ight measured by the
weight sensing mat with the informat io n sto r­
ed i n the ele ct ron ic cont ro l uni t.
The electron ic control unit also registers the
tension on the front passenge r safety belt .
The tens io n on the safety be lt fo r the front
passenger seat will be d iffe ren t for an ad ult
who is prope rly using the safety belt as com­
pared to the tension on the be lt whe n it is
used to attach a chi ld restraint to the seat.
The sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger meas ures the
tension on the be lt. The input from this sen­
sor is then used with the we ight to "decide",
whether there is a ch ild restraint w ith a typ ical
1 year-o ld child o n the front passenger seat
and whe ther or not the ai rbag must be tu rned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless o f the child restraint t hat you use,
make sure that it has been ce rtified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with a n airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly instal led at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep­
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fro nt passenger sea t, caref ully read all of the
i n format ion on c hild safety and Advanced A ir­
bags and heed a ll of the app licab le WAR N­
I NGS . Ma ke certain that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
fro nt passenger airbag is turned off and that the a
irbag sta tus is always cor rect ly signa led
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
h ave been available over the yea rs, new mod­
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r mode ls are
ta ken out o f product ion . Ch ild restra ints are
not standard ized . Child restraints of the same
type typically have different weights and sizes
and different 'footpr ints,' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they are insta lled on a vehi­
cl e seat. These d iffe rences make it v irtually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re­
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with eac h
and every chi ld restraint that has eve r been
sold in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
F or t his reason, the United S tates National
Highway T raffic Safety Adm inist ration has
published a list of specific type, ma kes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
System i n your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208. These ch ild restraints a re:
Subpart A -Car bed child re straints
Model
A ngel Guard Angel
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury 5martFit December 1, 19 99
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
I
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
I
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
20 4
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999

-Model Manufactured on or
after
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V i- September 25, 200 7
aggio SIP I MUN00US
Subpart C -Forward-facing and
con vertible child r estra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
Booster 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the fro nt pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate­
ly.
Child Sa fet y 169
'
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by A udi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are responsib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially ch il­
dren:
... Always use the right chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢page 172 .
... Always carefully fo llow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
... When usi ng the veh icle safety belt to ins tall
a child safety se at, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 176.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
... If a strap o r tethe r is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the fron t passenger
s eat , make sure tha t it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Sec ure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 171.
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all c h il dren, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper -
ly restra ined for the ir age and size. .,_ •
•

range, and as far away from the a irbag
as poss ible before instal ling the child
restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing pre­
vents the front passenger's seat from be ing moved to the rearmost position
i n its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upr ight position.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c:::;,page 134, Safety
belts,
c:::;, page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 166, Child Safety.
.8, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child rest raint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate­
ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 150 Schematic overview: kee p un used safety be lts
away from chil dren in child safe ty seats. @-oute r rear
safety be lt
.
Child S afety 1 71
If a child safety seat is used on the rea r bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower ancho­
rages, the unused safety belts
must be se­
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
c:::;, &,.
- Guide the safety belt webbing behind the
head restra int of the seat where the child re­
straint is installed ¢
fig. 150. When doing
so, do not engage the switchable locking re­
tractor ! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when wind ing up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
.8, WARNING
A child in a chi ld safety seat installed with
the LA TCH lower anc horages or with the
standa rd safety be lt or a child in a booster
se at o n the rea r seat co uld play with un­
used rear seat safety belts and become en ­
tang led . This cou ld cause t he chi ld ser ious
personal injury and even death.
-A lways secure unused rear seat sa fe ty
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by proper ly rout ing them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the ch ild restraint is installed.
- Never activate the switchable locking re­
tracto r when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.

17 2 Child Safety
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-fac­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
-- /
Fig . 151 Schematic overv iew: rearwa rd -fac ing infant
seat, properly installed on the rear seat
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a ch ild safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ¢
page 176 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
s idew ays more than one inch (2.5 cm).
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 171.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infant carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in spec ial re­
straints in which the chi ld faces the back of
the vehicle . These infant seats support the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a crash¢
fig. 151 .
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
p lace for a child in a forwa rd-facing child seat.
I t is a very dangerous p lace 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 in­
stalling a ch ild restra int increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs on the front pas­
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air­
bag System. A child will be ser iously in­
jured and can be killed whe n the inflat ­
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and smashes the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or roof¢
page 143, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safe­
ty seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rearward-facing ch ild re­
straint in the forward-facing direction .
Such rest ra ints are designed for the spe­
cial needs of infants and very smal l chil­
dren and cannot protect them properly if
the seat is forward-facing.
-If you must install a rearward facing
chi ld safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rearward-fac ing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authorized Aud i dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used
¢page 134, Safety
belts,
¢ page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 166, Important things to know.

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. 152 Schematic overview: installat ion of the at­
tachments applicable to a LATCH seat
F ig. 153 Schematic overview: installation of the seat
using the vehicle's safety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll
a chi ld safety seat, you must f irst activate
the convertible locking feature on the safety
belt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving
c::>page 176 or install the seat using
the LATCH attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down w ith your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c:;, page 176.
.,. If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c:;, page 182 .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:;, page 171.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg). Child Safety 173
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 cert ified for their size and weight
c::>fig . 152 and c::>fig. 153.
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 safe­
ty seat.
It is a very dangerous place for a n in­
fant or a large r ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or imprope rly in­
stalling a chi ld restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situation .
- Ch ildren on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­ bag 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 in­
flates -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 install rearward-f acing child safe­
ty seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rearward-fac ing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authorized Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible
~

174 Child Safety
to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Ad­
just or remove the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the
child seat with the head restraint in place
<=>page 57. Install the head restraint
again immediately once the child seat is
removed. Driving without head restraints
or with head restraints that are not prop­
erly adjusted increases the risk of serious
or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
<=> page 134, Safety
belts,<=> page 142, Airbag system
and
t::> page 166, Important things to know.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safe­
ty and well-being require that the follow­
ing 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 passenger front and side airbag.
-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before 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 the backrest is in 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.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks
<=> page 153, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
-
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
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.
"' .....
"' 0 ±
o5
Fig. 154 Rear seat: child properly restrained in a boos­
ter seat
The vehicle 's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4 ft . 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop­
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies
and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.,. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re­
strain a child on a booster seat.
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
<=>page 171.
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

176 Child Saf ety
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle .
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning
forward, sitt ing s ideways or out of posi­
t ion in any way during an acc ident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
t ional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is sw itch­
ed on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and s tay on, perform
the chec ks described ¢
page 153, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the child rest raint off the front p as­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASS EN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 134, Safety
belts,¢ page 142 , Airbag system
and
¢ page 166, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger's seat can be locked with the con­
vertible locking retrac tor to properly secure
child safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
fro nt passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertible locking retracto r for child restra ints .
The safety belt must be locke d so that belt
webbing can not unreel. The ret ractor ca n be
activ ated to lock the safety be lt and p revent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
d ur ing normal driv ing . A child sa fe ty seat can
on ly be proper ly installed whe n the safety belt is locked so that the chi
ld and child safety
seat wi ll stay in place.
Alw ays remember: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped wi th an A dvan ced Airbag system, all
ch ildren, especially those 1 2 years and young ­
er, sho uld always ride in the back seat prope r­
l y restra ined fo r the ir age and we ight .
A WARNING
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a co llision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. A n un locked safety belt re­
trac to r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing norma l driving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safe ty seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not si tt ing in it.
A lo ose child safe ty se at can fly aro un d
during a s udden stop or in a collision .
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to wh ich the center rear safety
belt is atta ched is securely latched when ­
eve r the rea r center safety belt is being
used to secure a ch il d restra int .
- If the backrest is not securely la tc h ed,
the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back­
rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in­
jured or killed.
- Never install rearwa rd-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rr ie rs o n the front pas­
senger seat . A child will be serious ly in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ge r airbag inflates.
- The infla ting airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infan t carrie r with gr eat
for ce a nd will smas h the child safe ty seat
a nd child ag ai nst the backr est, cen ter
armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always inst all rearward-fa cing ch ild safe­
ty seats or inf ant carriers on the rea r
se at.
~

-Forward-facing child safety seats or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with the de­ ployment 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 ave­
hicle is being used
c:::;, page 166 . Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:::;, page 143, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
A 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
c> page 153, Moni ­
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER 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 protec­
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
- Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis-
Child Safety 177
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
A 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 re­
straint up, against or
very near the in­
strument panel.
- 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.
A 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 exception­
al circumstances .
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas­
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­
bag System. The heavier weight regis­
tered can make the system work as •
•