airbag off AUDI A6 2018 Owner's Guide

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' The side airbags are located in t he sides of the
front seat backrests
c:!;>fig . 157 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The s ide airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
stra ints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and wa rnings whenever us ing a child
rest raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts
¢page 134,
Airbag system <:!;>page 142, Chi ld safety
¢page 166.
Th e s ide airbag system ba sically con sis ts of :
-the electron ic control module and externa l side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument cl us-
ter .
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times . Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
a irbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of in jury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the veh icle t hat is struck in a
side coll is io n. T he a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pacts and o nly when the veh icle accelerat ion reg ­
istered by the contro l un it is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact, s ince
the c ircumsta nces will vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another. Important facto rs in­
clude, for example, t he natu re (hard or soft) of
the impact ing object, t he a ngle of impact, vehicle
Airbag syste m
speed, etc. ¢ page 16 2, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir norm al safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the dr iver o r front pas ­
senger in position in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protection .
T he air bag system is
not a substitute fo r you r
sa fety be lt. Ra ther, i t is pa rt of the overall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehi cle. Always re ­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wear ing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
soc:!;> page 134, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
bur ns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents
-your safety belts are a lways
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage a re not necessar ily an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled air bag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have al ready
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end col lisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be tr iggered
togethe r.
..,
161

Airbag system
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements the
safety belts and can he lp to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper to rso . The
side curtain airbag inflates in s ide impacts and
only when the veh icle acce leration registered by
the co ntro l unit is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is be ­
low the refe re n ce value programmed in to the
con trol unit, the s ide curta in a irbag will no t be
tr iggered, even though the ca r may be bad ly
d a mage d as a r esult of the collis io n.
It is not pos­
sib le to def ine an a irbag tr iggering range that
will cover every possib le ang le o f impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature ( hard or soft) of
the impacting object , the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
¢ page 164, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it io n in the event of a collision so
that t he side curtai n airbags can provide protec ­
tion .
The a irbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rathe r, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restrain t system i n your veh icle . Always re­
membe r th at th e airbag system can only help to
p rotect yo u if you a re we aring your safety bel t
and wearing it pro perly . T hi s is anothe r reason
why you should always we ar your s afety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 134, General information .
It is import ant to remember th at whi le t he s ide
curt ain ai rbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihoo d of serious injur ies, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, b ruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents
-yo ur safety be lts are
a lways there to offer protec tion.
The side curtain a irbag system basically
consists of:
-Th e elect ronic control module and external s ide
im pact senso rs
164
-T he si de curta in ai rbags above t he front and
rear side wi ndows with ejection mitigat ion fea­
tures
- The a irbag indicator lig ht in t he instr ume nt
pa nel
The airbag system is mo nitored e lectron ic all y to
make certain i t is func tioning pro perly at all
times . Each t ime yo u switch on the ignit ion, the
airba g system ind icator light will come on for a
few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignitio n is sw itched off,
-i n side co llisions whe n the acce le ra tion meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
-in r ear-end co llisions .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety bel ts and th e air bag sys tem will only
provide pro te ct ion when occup ants a re in
t he prope r seat ing pos ition ¢
page 47,
Seats and storage.
-If the a irb ag ind ic ator light¢ page 1 6
comes w he n th e veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possib le tha t
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup ­
posed to, or will not inflate w hen it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
F ig. 1 60 Illustration of p rincip le: In fl ated s ide curta in air·
bags o n the le ft s ide
..,_

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A 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 i n­
flates.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear ­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­ sition and have the airbag system inspected
immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Forward-fac ing ch ild seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the
deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require the following special
precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-facing
seat has been designed and cert ified by its
manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
proper ly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used .
Child saf ety
- Never put the forward-fac ing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper anchor­
age to the adjustment pos ition that per­
mits proper installation in accordance
with the chi ld restraint manufacturer's in­
structions .
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
af t adju stmen t range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, befo re installing
the forward -facing child restra int .
- Alw ays make sure tha t the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive passenger detection system and can also fly around in an acc iden t and c ause
serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any elect rical devi ce
(such as a laptop, CD player, ele ctronic
games device, powe r inverter or se at heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise ad ded to the front passenger
seat, neve r insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on
167

Child sa fety
all the time whenever the ignition is
sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­ ly install the forward-facing child seat in a
rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Aud i
dealer .
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it . A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop o r in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ~ page 134 , Safety belts, ~ page 142,
Airbag system
and ~page 166, Impor­
tant information .
(D Tips
Always replace chi ld restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash. Damage to
a child res traint that is not visib le cou ld cause
it to fail in anothe r collision situation .
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your ve hicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Veh icle Safe ty
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your ve hicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in you r veh icle has
been cert ified to meet the "low-risk" requ ire­
ments for 3- and 6 -year old children on the pas ­
senger s ide and small adults on the driver side .
The low risk deployment cr ite ria are intended to
reduce t he r isk of injury through inte ract ion with
the airbag t hat can occur, for examp le, by being
too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates . In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppress ion" req uirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restra ined on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard .
168 Even thoug
h your vehicle is equipped w ith an Ad ­
vanced Airbag system, all chi ldren, especially
t h ose 12 years and younger, shou ld a lways ride
i n the back seat properly restrained for their age
and s ize . The airbag on the passenger s ide makes
the front seat a potentia lly dangerous p lace for a
c hi ld to ride . T he front seat is not the safest place
fo r a ch ild in a fo rward-fac ing ch ild safety seat .
It
can be a very dangerous place fo r an infant o r a
l a rge r ch ild in a re ar war d-facing seat.
The veh icle's Advanced A irbag System has a ca­
pac it ive passenger detection system in the front
passenge r seat cushion that can detect the p res ­
ence of a baby o r a c hild i n a child res train t sys ­
tem on this seat .
The capacitive passenger detection system reg is­
te rs the changes that result i n an elect rical field
whe n a child, a chi ld restra int, and a baby b la nk et
are on the front passenger sea t. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a chi ld, a c hild restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is re lated to the child
restra int system resting on the seat . The meas­
ured capacitance of a child restra int system var­
i es depending on the type of system and specific
make and model.
The elect rical capac itance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restraints specif ied
by the U .S . National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
min istrat ion (NHTSA) in the releva nt safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem contro l unit together with the capacitances
typ ic al of infants and a 1 -year old ch ild. When a
c hi ld restraint is used on the front passenger
seat wit h a typical 1 year-old infant, t he Ad ­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con­
tro l unit .
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the ch ild rest raint that yo u use,
make s ure tha t it has been ce rtified to mee t Safe ­
ty Standards and has been cert ified by its man u-
facturer for use with an airbag . A lways be sure
..,.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' that the child restraint is properly insta lled at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
a l circumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on chi ld safety and Advanced Airbags and
heed all of the applicable WARNINGS . Make cer­
tain that the child and ch ild restraint are correct­
l y recogn ized by the capacitive passenger detec­
tion system in the front passenge r seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off, and t hat the
airbag status is always cor rectly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
M any types and models of ch ild rest rai nts have
been available ove r th e yea rs , new mode ls are in­
trod uced regular ly incorporat ing new and im­
proved designs and older mode ls are taken out o f
production . Chi ld restraints are not standardized .
Ch ild restraints of the same type typica lly have
d ifferent weights and s izes and different "foot­
prints", the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat . T hese differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
w ith the requirements fo r advanced airbags with
e ach and eve ry c hild rest raint t hat has ever been
sold in the past o r will be sold over t he course o f
the useful life of your vehicle.
F or this reason, the U nited States National High­
way Tr affic Safety Adminis tration has p ublished a
lis t of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli ­
ance of th e Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child re straint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ange l Guard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Ch ild saf ety
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arr iva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22 -999WHO
Evenflo Discovery
Ad-December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
P eg Pe rego P rimo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SI P IM UNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward -facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 025 19 Decembe r 1, 1999
Cosco Summit De luxe September 25, 2007
H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22 -209
E venflo Tr ibute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generat io ns September 25, 200 7
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Todd le r Safety September 25, 200 7
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the r isk of serious injury, ma ke sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
comes on and stays on whenever a chil d re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
169

Child sa fety
- Take the chi ld restraint off the front passen ­
ger seat and insta ll it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSEN GER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have
been statica lly tested by Aud i only for the Ad­
vanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially chi ldren:
~ A lways use the right chi ld safety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
¢ page 172.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe ­
ty seat .
~ When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll a
c hi ld safety seat , you must first activate the
conve rtible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
¢ page 177 .
~ Push the child safety seat down wit h your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt really 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 172 .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always r ide in the back seat prope rly re­
stra ined fo r th eir age and size.
_& WARNING
N ot using a c hild safety seat, usi ng the w rong
c hild safety seat or imp roper ly installing a
170
chi ld restraint increases t he risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by strik ing
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
h icle dur ing a sudden maneuve r o r i mpact.
An unrest rained or imprope rly rest rai ned
child is a lso at g rea ter r is k of inj ury o r death
through con ta ct w it h an infl ati ng a irbag.
- Commerc ia lly availab le child safety seats
a re requ ired to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle S afety Standard ( FMVSS) 2 13
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your chi ld and the vehicle .
- Only use child restra int systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush­
i o n. The ch ild restraint must not tip or
lean to e ither side . Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
l egs or tube -like frames. They do not p ro­
v ide adequate cont act wi th t he seat.
- Always heed all lega l req uirements per­
ta in ing to the inst allation and use of child
sa fe ty seats and caref ully follow the in ­
str uctions provided by the manufact urer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under 5 7 inc hes
( 1. 45 meters) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to t he abdomen and
neck areas dur ing sudden brak ing maneu­
vers or accidents .
- Never let more than one c hild occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder ch ildren ride in a
ve hicle w hile sitting on the lap of a nother
passenger.
- Holding a c hild in your a rms is never a s ub­
stitute fo r a ch ild restraint system .
- The s tronges t person cou ld no t hold the
c hil d with the forces tha t exist in an acc i­
dent. The c hild will strike the inte rior of
the ve hicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' -The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
- 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 rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the child in the child seat. If necessary, ad­
just the angle and position of the seat in
front of the child seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install for­
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the highest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the 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 .
- Always make sure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re-
Child safety
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly positioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright position.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger seat, never install any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for child seats). These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measured by the capaci­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an accident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used<=;>
page 134, Safety belts,
~page 142, Airbag system and
~ page 166, Child safety.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
~
171

Child safety
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
-Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
l8 , ,.,_ _ g
---0
Fig. 161 Schematic overv iew: keep unu sed safety belts
away from chi ldren in chil d safety seats. @-outer rear
safety belt,@- center rear safety belt*
~
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,&. .
-Guide the safety belt webbings @and ®* be­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
c hild restraint is installed
c::>fig. 161. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when winding up the safety belt .
-Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
172
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
-Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restrain t.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs . or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 162 Schema tic overview : rearward-facing infa nt seat,
prope rly installed on the rear seat
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c::> page 177 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm).
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 172 .
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 special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
II>

a co .... N
" N .... 0 0 \,;J ' seats suppor t the baby's back, nec k and head in a
cras h
¢ fig. 16 2.
The a irbag on the passenger s ide makes the front
seat a potentia lly dange rous p lace for a ch ild to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
chi ld in a forward-facing chi ld seat . It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restra int increases the r isk of serious
personal in ju ry and death in a crash.
- Never install rear -facing chi ld safety seats
o r infant carriers on the front passenger
seat - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A ch ild will be ser iously injured and can be
kille d when the infla ting air bag hits the
child safety seat o r infant carr ier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest,
doo r or r oof
c> page 143, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restra int in
the forward-facing direct ion. Such restraints
are designed for the spec ial needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
c ome on and stay on, imme diate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety sea t in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by you r A udi dealer.
- Never place o r use any elec trical device
(s uch as a la ptop, CD player, electronic
games dev ice, power inverte r o r seat heater
f or child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
Ch ild saf ety
- If a seat heater has been ret rofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat, never install any child restra int system on
this seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the fron t passenger seat cush ion .
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p layer, electronic games device,
power inverter o r seat heater fo r ch ild
seats) . These may influence the elect rical
capacitance measu red by the capacitive pas­
senger de te ct io n s ystem and can al so fly
aro und in an accident an d cause serious per­
sonal injury .
- Always read and hee d all WARNING S when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
u sed ¢ page 134, Safety belts,
¢ poge 142, Airbag system and
c> page 166, Important information.
173

Child safety
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. 163 Schematic overview: installat ion of the attach­
ments app licable to
a LATCH seat
Fig. 164 Schematic overview: installat ion of the seat using
the vehicle 's safety belt system
... When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c:> page 177 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
... Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c:>page 177.
... If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
r::>page 183.
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::>page 172 .
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).
174
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
c> fig. 163 and
c:>fig. 164.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat . It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth­
er emergency situation.
-Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an 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 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 be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
~