ESP AUDI A6 2012 Workshop Manual

Always remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
qu ires you to do soc>
page 133, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental s ide airbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other i njuries, for example, swel ling, b ruising,
frict ion bu rns and minor ab rasions can also be
assoc ia ted with deployed side airbags. Re­
member too, side airbags will deploy only
once and only in certain kinds of accidents -
your safety belts are always there to offer pro­
tection.
Vehicle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessar ily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa ­
tion. In some co llisions, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­
bags will dep loy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acci­
dents in wh ic h airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed.
The side airbag sy stem will not deploy :
-when the ign ition is switched off
- in s ide collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in ro llovers.
In some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curta in a irbags and side airbags may b e
tr iggered toge ther.
_& WARNING
- Saf ety belts and the a irbag system will
only prov ide protection when occ upan ts
are in the proper seating posit ion
c>page 164.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
-
A irba g sy stem 163
system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the ve hicle ac­
celeration in a side col lision is high
enough to activate the a irbag.
How supplemental s ide airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
y)
Fig. lS l In flated side airbags on left side of vehicle,
rear side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through
a seam in the seat surface area ma rked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In orde r to help provide
th is add it io na l prote ction, the side airbag
mus t inflate within a fraction of a second a t
very h igh speed and with great force. The sup­
plementa l side air bag could injure you if your
seating pos ition is not proper or up right o r if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expands. This applies
especially to children
c> page 168, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the v eh icl e that is str uck in certa in side col­
li sion
c> fig. 151.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
h elp to reduc e the risk of injury to the upper
part o f the body.
A f ine dust may develop w hen the airbag de­
ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in th e vehicle.

166 Airbag system
-The side curtain ai rbags above the front and
rear s ide windows
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electron ica lly
to make certain it is f unct io ning properly at a ll
times. Each time you switch on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light will come on
for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignit io n is switched off,
- in s ide coll isions when the accelerat ion
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system w ill
only p rov ide protection whe n oc cupants
are in t he p roper sea ting posit ion
¢ page 50, General recommendations.
- If the airbag indica tor ligh t comes on
when the veh icle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The side curtain
airbag may not work properly even when
the vehicle acceleration in a side coll is ion
is h igh enough to activate the airbag .
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work togeth er with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injurie s for occupants who
are properly res trained.
Fi g. 153 Ill ust ration o f principl e: In flat ed side cur tain
airbags o n th e left s ide
T he side curtain airbags inf late between the
occupant and the w indows on the sid e of the
vehicle that is struck in a side coll is ion
¢ fig . 153.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with prope llant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to he lp provide this additional protec tion,
the side curta in a irbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at ve ry high speed and with
great fo rce . The side curta in a irbag could in­
jure you if your seating posit ion is not prope r
o r u pright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemen tal side curta in airbag
inflates . This applies especially to chi ldren
c> page 168.
Althoug h they are not a so ft pillow, side cur­
ta in airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
j u ry to the head and the upper part of the
body .
A f ine d ust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys . This is qui te 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 bel ts and ride in a
proper seating po sition .
There is a lot that yo u and your passengers
must know and do to he lp the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supp lemental
protection .
A WARNING
'"' Improperly wea ring safety belts and im­
p roper seating pos it ions increase the risk
of ser ious personal in ju ry and death when ­
ever a vehicle is being use d.
- Never let occupants place any pa rts of
t heir bod ies in the area from whi ch the
-
side curta in a irbag inf la te. .,..

168 Child Saf ety
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
~ page 134, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts?.
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­
ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small ch ildren.
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child. This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg). Under these conditions,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Child restraints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your ch ild's size ~
page 172, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags 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 infor­
mation, we cannot repeat it all here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in th is
owner's manual about airbags and the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­
ing children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for your safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children.
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil­
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 properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle. An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str iking the i nterior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal ­
led and used at one of the rear seating positions provides 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
jured or even killed when an airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front 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, or door.
II>-

1 70 Child Safety
c::> page 168, Important things to
know.
(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.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a
capacitive passenger detection system in the front passenger seat cushion that can detect
the presence of a baby or a child in a child
re­
straint system on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system
registers the changes that result in an electri­
cal field when a child, a child restraint, and a
baby blanket are on the front passenger seat .
The change in the measured capacitance due
to the presence of a child, a child restraint,
and a baby blanket on the front passenger
seat is related to the child restraint system
resting on the seat. The measured capacitance
of a child restraint system varies depending
on the type of system and specific make and
model.
The electrical capacitance of the various
types, makes, and models of child restraints
specified by the U.S.National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NH TSA) in the relevant
safety standard are stored in the Advanced
Airbag System control unit together with the capacitances typical of infants and a 1-year
old child. When a child restraint is used on the
front passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Advanced Airbag System compares
the capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system with the data
stored in the electronic control unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system
Regardless of the child restraint 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 installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in excep­
tional circumstances you must use it on the
front passenger seat, carefully read all of the
information on child safety and Advanced Air­
bags and heed all of the applicable WARN­
INGS. Make certain that the child and child re­
straint are correctly recognized by the capaci­
tive passenger detection system in the front passenger seat, that the front passenger air­
bag is turned off, and that the airbag status is .,.

172 Child Safety
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag 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 responsible for the safe­
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially chil­
dren:
.. Always use the right child safety seat for
each ch ild and alw ays use it properly
r:::>page 174 .
.. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety 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
r:::> page 179.
.. 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 ideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young ­
er, should always ride in the back seat proper­
ly restrained for their age and size.
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­ stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
-
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child can be injured or killed by be­
ing thrown against the inside of the ve- hide or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improp erly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply 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 use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion. The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames. They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo­
men and neck areas during sudden brak­
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident.

17 4 Child Safety
standard safety belt on the rear seat may
play with unused rear seat safety belts and
become entangled resulting in ser ious per­
sonal injury and even death.
- Always buck le unused rear seat safety
belts out of reach of chi ldren in ch ild
seats and properly activate the converti­
ble locking retractor so that the child
cannot unreel the safety belt from the
retractor.
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.
F ig. 154 Schemat ic overv iew: rea rwa rd -facing infa nt
sea t, p roper ly in stalled o n the rear sea t
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll
a chi ld safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
c> page 179 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly t ight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
s ideways more than one inch ( 2.5 cm).
I nfants up to about one y ear (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best pro tected 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 special re­
straints in which the child faces the back of the vehicle
. These infant seats support the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a crash¢
fig. 154.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child seat .
It is a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat!
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal anchorages ,
the unused safety belts must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot
reach them .
_&. WARNING
--
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or im prope rly in­
stalling a child restraint incre ases the risk
of ser ious perso nal inju ry and death in a
crash .
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat - even with an Advanced Air­ bag System. A chi ld will be seriously 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, doo r or
roof
c> page 144, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing ch ild restra int
in the forward-facing direction. Such re­
s traints are designed for the special
needs of infants and very small ch ildren
a nd cannot protect them properly if the
seat is forward-facing.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l cir cumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF

176 Child Safety
• 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 179.
• If the child safety seat is equipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 185.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than
20 lbs. (9 kg).
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
¢ fig. 155 and ¢fig . 156.
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 an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat!
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench ,
especially with LATCH universal anchorages,
the unused safety belts must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot
reach them.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situation .
- Children 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 seriously 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
arm rest, door or roof .
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat 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
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c>page 133, Safety
belts,
cc> page 142 , Airbag system and
cc> page 168, 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.
-

178 Child Saf ety
• Always make sure that the shoulder portion
of the safety belt never r ests against or
across the ch ild's neck .
• Always make sure that the child can proper­
ly wear the lap portion of the belt low across
the thighs or pe lvis and
never over the
stomach or abdomen .
Ch ildren up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for the ir age and weight . Ex ­
perts say that the skeletal structure, particu­
l arly the pelvis, of these ch ild ren is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a su itab le child res traint .
It is usually best to put these children in ap­
p rop riate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all app licab le safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
ch ild and reposition bot h the lap and shou lder
pa rts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The
routing o f the be lt over t he ch ild's body is very
important for the c hild's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
C hi ld ren who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/ 1.45 meters) ta ll can generally use the
ve hicle's three point lap and shou lder belts.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle 's
safety belt a lone to restrain any child, regard­
less of how b ig the child is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pe l­
vic structu re required for the proper f unction
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three po int
l ap and shoulder be lts. The child's safety ab­
solutely req uires that a lap be lt po rtion of the
safety be lt be fastened sn ug ly and as low as
possible around the pelvis . Never le t the lap
be lt portion of the safety belt pass over the
chi ld's stomach or abdomen .
I n a crash, airbags mus t inflate within a b link
of an eye and with considerab le force . In orde r
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­
bag. A vehicle occ
upant who is out of posit ion and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating airbag. When an occ upant is too
close, he or she will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
jury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that a ll vehicle occupants, especial­
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances, be
properly restrai ned and as far away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
t h e ch ild's body and the front of the passen­
ger compa rtment, the airb ag c an inflate com­
pletely and p rov ide supplementa l protection
in ce rtain frontal collisions .
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous persona l injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situat ion. To he lp re ­
duce the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and/or death:
- Always make s ure to posit ion the sho uld­
e r po rtion of the three-point belt over
the middle of child's shoulder.
- Never let the shoulder portion of the belt
rest against o r across t he neck , face,
chin, or throat of the ch ild.
- Always make sure the lap belt portion of
the three-point belt is worn snug and
p asses as low as poss ible across the
chi ld's pelv is. Never let the belt pass over
the soft abdomen .
- Fai lure to properly ro ute safety belts
over a child's body wi ll ca use seve re i nju­
ries in an accident or othe r emergency
situation
c::> page 133.
-The rear side of the booster seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is
d ifficult to install the child seat with the
head restra int in place
c::> poge 52 . Ins tall ...

the head restraint again immediately o nce the child seat is removed. Dr iving
without h ead restraints or with h ead re­
straints that are not properly adjusted
increases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck
injury dramat ica lly .
- Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even kill ed when an a ir­
bag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for e xamp le the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the ca rgo a rea of
your vehicle .
-Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forwar d, si tting s ideways o r out of posi­
t io n in any way during an acc iden t can be
st ruck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sul t in se rious personal injury or deat h.
- If you mus t in stall a boos ter seat on the
front passenger seat be cause of e xcep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­ ed on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
<=> page 154, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child rest raint 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.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being use d
<=>page 133, Safety
belts, <=> page 1 42, Airbag system
and
<=> page 168, Important things to know.
_& WARNING
A child in a boos te r seat inst alled with t he
standar d safety belt on t he rear sea t may
play with unused rear seat safety belts and
become entangled res ulting in ser ious per­
sonal injury and even death.
Child Sa fet y 1 79
-Always secure unused rear seat sa fety
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by properly rout ing them
around the head restraint for the seat ing
posi tion where the child rest rain t is in­
stalled .
- Never activate the switchable lock ing re ­
tracto r when routing the safety be lts
around the head restraints.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
T he safety belts eme rgency locking retracto rs
fo r the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety be lt have a co n­
vertib le lo cking ret ractor for child re straints.
T he safety belt m ust be locked so tha t be lt
web bing cannot unree l. The retrac to r can be
activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety be lt webbing from loosening up
during norma l dr iving . A chi ld safety seat can
o nl y be prope rly installed w hen t he safety belt
is locked so that t he ch ild and child safety
seat w ill stay in place .
A lways remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especially those 12 years and young ­
er, sho uld always r ide in the back seat prope r­
l y restrai ned fo r the ir age and size .
A WARNING
Improperly ins talled chi ld safety sea ts in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death in a co llision .
- Always ma ke sure tha t t he safe ty belt re­
tr actor is lo cked w hen in sta lling a child
safety sea t. An unlocke d safety bel t re -
tracto r cannot hold the child safety seat
Ill>
•
•

-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.
.8, 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.
- 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 rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your 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-
Child Safety 181
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
¢ A -
.,. 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 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).
.8, 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
-
•
•