weight AUDI A5 COUPE 2014 Owner's Manual

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. 141 Illustration of prin ciple: In flated side cur ta in
airbags on the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
c::>fig. 141 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curtain airbag
inflates . This applies especially to children
c::> page 161.
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 risk of in­
jury 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 vehicle .
Airbag system 159
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing 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 airbags 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 interfere with its function . A
deploying head airbag develops enough
force to catapult any piece of add-on
component out of its path of inflation
and into the passenger compartment. An
occupant hit by such a projectile can suf­
fer serious injury or death
c::> page 267,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them
(for example pens) . If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks .
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll-
-
up sunscreens may be used c::, page 266, .,_

Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
q page 130, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adu lts thei r
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In
many respects children are at greater risk of
serio us inju ry in crashes than adults .
Because children's bod ies are not fu lly deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial ­
l y des igned for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many co untries and all states of th e
United States and p rovinces of Canada have
laws requ iring the u se of approved ch ild re­
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a frontal crash at a speed o f 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-po und
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child . Th is means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds ( 120 kg). Under these conditions,
on ly an appropriate chi ld restrai nt properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Ch ild restr aints must be used p roperly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can inc rease
the risk of serious in jury i n an accident.
Consult the chil d safety seat manufacture r's
i nstr uctions to be s ure the seat is r igh t for
your chi ld's size
q page 164, Important safe ­
ty instructions for using child safety seats .
Please be sure to read and heed a ll of the im ­
portant informat ion and WARNINGS abo ut
child safety, Advanced Airbags, and the ins tal­
lation of child restraints in this chapter.
T here is a lot you need to know about the Ad ­
vanced A irbags in your vehicle and how they
work when infants and children in child re­
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be ­
cause of the large amount of important i nfor-
Child Sa fet y 161
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll here . We urge
you to read the detai led information in this
owner 's man ua l about airbags and the Ad ­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transpor t­
ing ch ildren on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
ar e extremely importa nt for your safety and
the safety of you r passenge rs, especially in­
f an ts and small chi ld ren.
A WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that c hil­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­
der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained p roperly when­
ever riding i n a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improper ly restrained chi ld could be
in ju red by str iking the interior o r by be ­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuve r or impact. A n un re­
s tra ine d or improperly restrained ch ild is
a lso at greate r risk of injury o r dea th
through contact with an inflating airbag .
- A suitable ch ild restrai nt properly inst al­
led and used a t one o f the rear seat ing
positions prov ides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
ju red or even killed when an a irbag i n­
flates. A child in a rearward -fac ing ch ild
safety seat installed on t he front passen­
ger seat w ill be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag infla tes.
- The infla ting airbag will h it the ch ild
s afe ty seat or i nfant carrie r wi th grea t
force and will sm ash the child safety se at
and child against the bac krest, cen ter
armrest o r door .
- Always install re arward-fac ing ch ild safe-
ty seats on the rea r seat .
~
•
•

162 Child Safety
-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.
(D 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 . 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 .,.

same kind of child restrain t offered by child
restraint manufacturers.
T he weight ranges for the ind iv idual types,
makes and models o f ch ild restra ints tha t 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 res traint is being
used on the front passenger seat with a typi­
cal 1 year-old ch ild, the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem compares the we ight measured by the
weight sens ing mat with the info rmat ion s to r­
ed i n the electron ic cont rol unit.
The electron ic control unit a lso registers the
tension on the front passenger safety be lt .
The te nsio n on the safety be lt fo r the front
p assenger seat will be d iffe ren t fo r an ad ult
who is properly using the safety belt as com­
pared to the tension on the be lt when it is
used to attach a child restraint to the seat.
T he sensor below the latch for the safety be lt
for the front seat passenger measures the
t ension 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 restrai nt with a typ ical
1 year-o ld child on the front passenge r seat
and whether or no t the airbag must be turned
off.
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regard less o f the child res traint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly insta lled at
one of the rear seat ing pos itions .
If in excep­
tional c ircumstances you must use it on the
fr ont passenge r seat, caref ully read all of the
information on c hild safety and Adv ance d Air­
bags an d heed a ll of the app licable WAR N­
I NGS . Make certai n that the child restraint is
correctly recognized by the weig ht-sensing
mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off and that
Child Sa fet y 163
the a irbag s tat us is a lways cor rect ly signaled
by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child res traints
have been available over t he years, new mod ­
els are introduced regu larly incorporating new
and improved designs and o lde r models are
ta ken o ut of product ion . Ch ild restraints are
not standa rd iz ed. Child restraints of the same
type typically have d ifferent weights and si zes
and different 'footpr ints, ' the size and shape
of the bottom of the ch ild restra int that sits
on the seat, when they a re insta lled on a vehi­
cl e sea t. T hese d iffe rences make i t vir tually
i mpossible to certify compl ian ce wi th t he re­
quiremen ts for advanced airbags with each
and every ch ild restraint that has eve r been
so ld in the past or wi ll be sold over the course
of the useful life of your veh icle.
For t his reason, the United S tates Na tional
Hig hway T raffic Safety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify comp liance of the Advanced Airbag
Sys tem in your veh icle with the suppression
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208. These child res traints are :
Subpart A - Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard A ngel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ce ntury Smart Fit Decembe r 1, 1999
4 543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007 22-013PAW and base
22 -999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad -December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
•
•

164 Child Saf ety
Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Graco Snugride September 2S, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V i- September 25, 2007
aggio SIP IMUN00US
Subpart C -Forward -facing and
con vertibl e child r estra in ts
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 2S, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco Hig h 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 P latinum Ca rgo September 25, 2007
_&. WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
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 front pas­ senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
G ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Aud i dealer immediate­
ly.
(!) Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi 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 driver, you are responsib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il­
dren:
... Always use the right ch ild safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
c::;,page 167 .
... Always carefully follow 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 install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 171.
... Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2.5 cm) .
... If a strap or tether is be ing used to t ie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure tha t it i s n ot so tight th at i t
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
... Sec ure unused safety belts o n the rear seat
c::;, page 166 .
Always remember : Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
chi ldren, especially those 12 years and young­
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat proper-
ly restrained for their age and size. .,.

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 . 143 Sche matic overv iew: rearward-fac ing infant
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 171 or install the seat
using the LA T CH attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 166.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infan t 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 ch ild faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a crash
¢ fig . 143.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a po tentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forward -facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous p lace for an infant or a
l arger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Child Safety 16 7
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in ­
stall ing a ch ild restraint increases the risk
of ser ious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rearwa rd-facing child safety
seats or infant ca rrie rs on the front pas­
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air ­
bag Sys tem. A ch ild will be ser iously in­
jured and can be killed when 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 138, Child restraints on the
front seat- some important things to
know .
-Always install rearward -facing chi ld 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 ve ry sma ll chil­
dren and cannot pro tect them properly if
the seat is forward -facing.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install th e rearward-facing
child safety seat in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspect­ ed by your authorized Audi dealer .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used ¢
page 129, Safety
belts,
Q page 13 7, Airbag system and
¢ page 161, Impor tan t things to know .

168 Child Safet y
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 . 144 Schematic overv iew: installat ion of the at­
t a chments appl icable to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 145 Schematic overview: in stalla tion of t he sea t
using the vehicle's safety be lt 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 171 or insta ll the seat using
the LATCH attachments.
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really t ight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
s ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c::> page 171.
.. If the child safety seat is eq uipped w ith a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 177.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 166.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restra int if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) . T
oddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weig h more
than 20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
always be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for their size and weight
c::>fig . 144 and c::> fig . 145 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly 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 larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat.
_&. WARNING
No t using a child safety seat, us ing t he
wrong child safety seat o r imprope rly in­
stalling a chi ld restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situat ion .
- Chi ldren on the front seat of any ca r,
-
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag inflates . A ch ild 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
f lates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrie r with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center
armrest, doo r or roof.
- Always ins tall rearward-fac ing ch ild safe­
ty seats on the rear seat.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd fa cing
child safe ty seat on the fro nt passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan­
ces and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rearward-facing
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 pos itioned as close as possib le ..,.

172 Child Safety
-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 161. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c::;, page 138, 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 147, 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
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
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy 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, immedi­
ately install the rearward -facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint .
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor :
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.,. Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path¢.&_ .
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.,. Inser t the belt tongue into the buckle for
that sea ting 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 con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
.,. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing 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).
Child Safety 173
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- 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 crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
into place and cannot fold forward. Oth­
erwise, the seatback with the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an accident or other emer­ gency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used ¢
page 161. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 138, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The conv ertibl e locking retractor for child r e­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into
the retractor.
.,. Press the red button on the safety belt buck­
le . The belt tongue will pop out of the buck­
le .
.,. Guide the s afety belt all the way back into
i t s s towed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely
into its stowed position. The safety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with­
out the convertible locking retractor for child
restraints.
•
•

1 78 Child Safety
-Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment .
- Never use child restraint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­
tach a child restraint to the front passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measure more weight than is ac­
tually on the seat.
- The heavier weight registered can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
though an adult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed 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 exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 1S2 Tethe r strap: prope r routing and mounting
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions. .,.
Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint co
fig. 152 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary).
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up­
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in­
stalled. The upholstery would also be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap. This applies especially to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child restraint
systems come with a tether. Please read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur­
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether .
A WARNING ~ -
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat ..,.