ECU AUDI A7 2016 Owner's Manual

Driving safety
-Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other coverings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving . Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­ ing a loss of veh icle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac ­
teristics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a collision.
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as far forward as
possible.
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
¢ page 63, Luggage compartment.
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
_& WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps.
132
_& WARNING ~ -
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible .
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 126.
_& WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed wh ile driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
_& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows,
the power roof* and the rear lid are securely
closed and locked to reduce the risk of injury
when the vehicle is not be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
-
that it is properly closed and locked. ~

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-Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially w ith the rear lid left open. A chi ld
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
persona l inju ry.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupants m ust al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
-Air c irculation helps to reduce window fog­
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re to
k eep the se slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad. The t ire pressure is shown o n the tire
pres sure label. T he tire pressure l abe l is lo­
cated on the d river 's side B-pi llar . The t ire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its max imum capacity weight and the t ires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load cond it ions, please see chap­
te r
c:> page 244.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
c:> page 132, Loading the luggage compartment.
I n a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle wi ll
become heavy miss iles that can cause serious in­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Vehicle speed is the most s ignificant factor .
For example, in a frontal collis ion at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4 .5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the we ight
Dr ivin g s afet y
of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment co uld cause in a col­
li sion like this.
A WARNING
=
Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during ha rd
b raking o r in a coll is ion and cause serious per­
sona l injury.
- Always use su itable mount ing straps and
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from sh ifting or flying forw ard as dan­
ge ro us m issi les.
- W hen the rea r seat backrest is folded down,
always use s uitable mo unt ing straps and
properly secu re items to the tie -downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from f ly ing forward as dangerous mis­
siles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
-
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
has a def ect which could cause a
c rash or could cau se injur y or
de ath, you should imm ediately in­
form the National High way Traffic
S afet y Adm ini stration (NHTSA) in
a ddition to notif yin g Audi of
America, In c.
If NHT SA re ceive s similar com­
pl aint s, it may open an inv estig a­
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defe cts exists in a group of
ve hicles, it may ord er a recall and .,
133

Safety belts
_&. WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death . Safety belts can work only
when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly be­
fore driving off and make sure all passen­
gers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body .
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt .
- Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap .
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven .
- Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat .
- Never
remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted .
- Never wear belts
over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc ., as these may cause
injury .
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat hard ­
ware.
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter­
fere with correct positioning of belts and re ­
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that cre­
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe­
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci­
dent . Inspect belts regularly. If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
138
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen. Anchorages that were loaded must al­
so be inspected.
- Never
remove, modify, disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself .
-Always keep the belts clean . Dirty belts may
not work properly and can impair the func­
tion of the inertia reel¢
table on page 207.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 152 Be lt buckl e and to ngue o n th e dri ver's se at
To provide maximum protection, s afety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wea r­
er's body.
... Adjust the front seat and head restra int proper ­
ly ¢
page 52, General informa tion.
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt
q &_ .
.,. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis ¢&_ .
.,. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢fig. 152.
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle .
II>

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Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safe ty belt is eq uipped w ith an automatic
be lt re tractor on the shou lder belt. This fea ture
l ocks the belt when the be lt is pulled o ut fast ,
d uring hard braking and in an accident . The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv­
ing the belt lets you move free ly.
Safety belt preten sioner s
The safety belts are equipped w ith a be lt p reten ­
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove s lack when the pretensioner is activated
c::> page 141. The funct ion of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warni ng light
c::> page 18.
Convert ible locking ret ra ctor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertib le locking retrac­
tor that
m ust be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
c::> page 177 .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can ca use
ser ious injury in an a cci dent
c::> page 139,
Safety belt position .
-Safety belts offe r optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that t he rear seat back­
re st to which the cente r rear safety belt* is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used . If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen ­
ger will move forward with the backrest dur­
ing sudden braking, i n a sudden maneuver
and especially in a crash.
- Never attac h the sa fety belt to the buck le
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious personal in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not p roperly rest rained
can be seriously in ju red by the safety belt it­
self when it moves from t he stronger parts
Safety belts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­
men .
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are secur ing a chi ld seat in the ve­
hicle
c::> page 179.
@ Tips
For information on safety belt pretensione rs,
r efer to
c::> page 141.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting ma xi­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 1 53 Safety belt posit ion
Use the height adjustme nt to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts .
A WARNING ~
Imp roperly posit ioned safety be lts can cause
se riou s pe rsonal injury in an accident.
- The s hou lder belt should lie as close to the
ce nter of the collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the body. Hold the bel t
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the ches t so t hat it sits as low as pos ­
sib le on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should always fit
snug ly
c::> fig. 153. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can ca use serio us
in juries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable, soft t issue and cause serious injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information<=:>
page 137.
139

Safety belts
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
correctly -throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 154 Safety belt posit ion during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be pos itioned correctly on the wear­
er's body ¢
page 139 .
... Adjust the front seat and adjustab le head re­
stra int* correctly ¢
page 52, General informa­
tion .
... Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest and pelvis¢
fig. 154, ¢ ,.&. .
... Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢page 138, fig . 152.
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos­
sible across the pelvis and below the round­
ing of the abdomen .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ A in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page 139 .
140
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
.,,
Fig. 155 Re leasing th e tongue from th e buckle
... Push the red release button on the buckle
¢ fig. 155. The belt tongue will spring out of
the buckle
¢ A.
... Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehicle is
moving . Doing so will increase your risk of be­
ing injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strap routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size.
Fig. 156 Safety belt heigh t adjustment for the front seats
- loop -around fittings
0 ,-. N 0 :i: .. m
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possible and should fit well
on the body
¢ ,.&. in Safety belt position on
page 139.
~

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~ When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety seat , you must first activate th e
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 177.
~ 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
¢page 172.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children , especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size.
A 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.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
mus t be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal Mo­
tor 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 cush­
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro­
vide 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 in-
Child safety
structions provided by the manufacturer
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 abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers 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 another
passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the child with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- 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 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 install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear 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:
Ill>
171

Child safety
-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 sa fety
seat or carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be­
fore 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 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 device ,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats) . These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive 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
c::> poge 135, Safety belts,
172
c::> page 143, Airbag system and
c::> page 167, Child safety .
A 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 .
- Take the child restraint off the front passen ­
ger 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
Fig. 167 Schem ati c o verview: keep unused safety belt s
away fro m childre n in child safety seats. @ -ou te r rear
s a fe ty belt, @ -center rea r sa fety belt*
If a child safety sea t 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
child restraint is installed
c::> fig . 167. 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.

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_& 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
head restraint of the seat where the child re­
straint 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 restraint.
Child 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. 168 Schematic overview: rearward-facing infa nt seat,
prope rly instal led on t he 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
r::;,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
Child safety
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
... Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::;, 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
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig. 168.
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.
_& 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 crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat -
even with an Advanced Airbag System. A
child will be seriously injured and can be kil­ led when the inflating airbag hits the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great force
and smashes the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof
r::;, 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 child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.
- 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
173

Child safety
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
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 oth ­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint 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 front passenger seat cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas­
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
r::!;> poge 135, Safety belts,
r::!;> page 143, Airbag system and
~ page 167, Important information .
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety sea ts con
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 169 Schema tic ov ervi ew: installatio n of th e atta ch­
m ents app lica ble to a LATCH seat
174
Fig. 170 Schem ati c ove rview : instal la ti on of the sea t using
t he vehicle' s sa fet y bel t 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
¢
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)
r::!;> page 177.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 183.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 172.
A toddler o r 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. 169 and
¢fig. 170 .
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

Child safety
airbag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats con help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who ore less than 4
ft. 9
in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall .
Fig. 171 Rear seat: ch ild prope rly restrained in a booster
seat
"' ,-.
i i
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
• Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
• The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug . Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
• If you must transport an older child in a boos­
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
176
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r=;, page 172 .
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de­
signed for their age and weight . Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro­
priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child 's body in the right places. The routing of
the belt over the child 's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos ­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts . Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
child is. Always remember that childr en do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­
hicle 's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag . When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury. .,..