warning light AUDI A8 2017 Manual Online

Child safety
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle de­
tects the presence of an infant or child in a child
restraint on the front passenger seat using the
weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the
sensor below the safety belt latch on the front
passenger seat that measures the tension on the
safety belt .
The weight-sensing mat measures total weight
of the child and the child safety seat and a child blanket on the front passenger seat . The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
sign of the child restraint and its "footprint ", the
size and shape of the bottom of the child re­
straint as it sits on the seat. The weight of a child
restraint and its "footprint" vary for different
kinds of child restraints and for the different
models of the same kind of child restraint of­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
The weight ranges for the individual types,
makes and models of child restraints that the
NHTSA has specified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges of typical infants
and typical 1 year-old child have been stored in
the control unit of the Advanced Airbag System .
When a child restraint is being used on the front
passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old child, the
Advanced Airbag System compares the weight
measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electronic control unit.
The electronic control unit also registers the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety belt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be different for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tension
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re­
straint to the seat. The sensor below the latch for
the safety belt for the front seat passenger
measures the tension on the belt. The input from
this sensor is then used with the weight to "de­
cide" , whether there is a child restraint with a
typical 1 year-old child on the front passenger
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off.
250
· Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty 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 exception­
al circumstances you must use it on the front passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the weight-sensing mat inside the front
passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag
is turned off and that the airbag status is always
correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
differen t weights and si zes 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. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
For this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the 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 restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007 Ride AA2403FOF

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Grace Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio S IP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Tour iva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos-
September 25, 200 7
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 2S4 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
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.
Child safety
- 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 immed iately.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categor ies A to C have
been statically tested by Audi 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 children:
.,. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly ¢
page 254 .
.,. Always carefully follow the chi ld safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­ ty seat .
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking r etractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
~page 258.
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with yo ur 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).
.,. If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measu re more weight
than is actually on the seat.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~page 253.
Always remember: Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especia lly those 12 years and younger,
shou ld a lways ride in the back seat proper ly re-
strained for their age and s ize.
liJJ..
251

C) C0 ....
"' " "' .... 0 0 :r aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt up­
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
stra int so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly positioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from be ing
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in the upr ight position.
-Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around du ring
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child res tra ined in a veh i. cl e is
being used~
page 218, Safety belts,
~ page 226, Airbag system and
~ page 248, Child safety.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make s ure
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 sw itched on.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Ch ild sa fety
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
F ig. 2 40 Sc hema tic overv iew: keep unused safety belts
away from children in ch ild safety seats.@· ou ter 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 restra int cannot reach
them ~.&. -
- Guide the safety belt webbing behind the head
restraint of the adjacent seat~
fig. 240 . When
doing so, do no t engage the conve rt ible lock ing
ret ractor ! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when wind ing up the safety belt.
- Le t the bel t re tracto r wind up the safety belt
webbing.
& WARNING
A child in a chi ld safety seat i nstalled with the
L ATCH lower anchorages o r with the s tandard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety be lts and become entangled. Th is
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 ro uting them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convert ible lock ing re­
tractor when rout ing the safety belts a round
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been ro uted a ro u nd a rear head restra int.
253

Child safety
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. 241 Schema tic overv iew: rearwa rd -facing infan t sea t,
properly installe d on the rea r seat
• When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢ page 258 or install the seat using the LA TCH
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
¢page 253.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats des igned for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in spec ial restraints in which the
chi ld faces the back of the veh icle. These infant
seats support the baby 's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig . 241 .
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.
254
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of ser ious
personal injury and death in a crash .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat -even w ith an Advanced Airbag System .
A ch ild will be serio usly inju red and can be
killed 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 ¢
page 22 7, 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 p rotect
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 i nstall
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 when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used<=)
page 218, Safety belts,
¢ page 226, Airbag system and
¢ page 248, Important information.

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. 242 Schemat ic overv iew: installatio n of the attac h­
ments app lica ble to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 243 Schematic overv iew : installat io n of the seat using
the vehicle 's safe ty be lt syste m
.. 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
Q page 258 or install the seat us ing the LATC H
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward o r sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm)
Q page 258.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
Q page264.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Q page 253.
~ A toddler or child is usually too large for an in-
;:::: fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
" 8 weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
0 :r Child safety
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
Q fig. 242 and
q fig . 243.
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, us ing the wrong
child safety seat or improperly instal ling a
chi ld 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 ch ild 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 carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center arm rest, door
or roof.
-Al ways install rear-fa cing child safety seats
on the rear seat .
- If you must insta ll a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of excep tional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer .
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat shou ld
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat. Adjust the rear
seat head restraint if it is difficult to install
the child seat w ith the head restraint in
~
255

Child safety
place Q page 210. Driving with head
restra ints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in­
jury dramatically .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::> page 218, Safety belts,
¢ page 226 , Airbag system and
c::> page 248, Important information.
_& WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restra int on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well -being require that the fo llowing special
precautions be taken:
- Make s ure the fo rward-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 instruc­
tions prov ided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible, before installing the for­
ward-facing child restra int .
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly pos i­
t ioned.
- Always make sure tha t noth ing p revents the
front passenge r's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad­
justment range .
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up ­
right position .
- Make s ure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the ligh t does no t stay on, perform the
checks
c::> page 236, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
256
- Take the child restra int 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 can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and 80
lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4 ft.
9
in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall .
Fig. 244 Rear seat: ch ild prope rly restrained in a booster
se at
The vehicle 's safety belts alone w ill not fit most
ch ildre n 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 ch ildren up so
that the safety belt will pass p roperly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety be lt
can he lp protect them in a crash.
.,. Do not use the convertib le loc king re trac to r
when using the ve hicle's safety be lt to restra in
a child on a booster seat.
.,. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the chi ld'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 t he stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug . Pu ll on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
.,. If you must transport an o lde r child in a boos ­
ter sea t on the front passenge r seat, yo u can
use the safety belt height adjus tment to help
adjust the shoulder portion p roperly .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page253 .

Child safety
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when ­
ever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described ¢
page 236, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- 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.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 218, Safety belts,
¢ page 226, Airbag system and
¢ page 248, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertible lock­
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the saf ety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat will stay in place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advan ced 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.
258
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision .
-
-Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor 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 collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se­
cure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed .
- 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 .
- 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 or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 248. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat ¢
page 22 7, Child .,.

0 co .... N ,..... N .... 0 0 :c ' restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
A WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described~
page 236, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installation of chi ld restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
- An improper ly installed chi ld restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash .
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints :
-Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan ­
el.
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad-
Ch ild safety
justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­ bag as possible , before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing ch ild restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serio usly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except iona l cir­
cumstances.
- A t ight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and reg ister a heav i­
er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight reg istered can make the
system work as though an ad ult we re on the
seat and deploy the Advanced A irbag when
it must be suppressed causing serious or
even fata l injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.
259

C) C0 ....
"' ,....
"' .... 0 0 :r that could be caused by striking the vehicle inte­
rior .
Fo rward facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U .S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors (in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a collision. The anchors are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by cor­ rectly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­ pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight , that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
- The heavier weight registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Ad­
vanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to the
child.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
Child safety
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.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 252 Tether st rap: proper routing and mount ing
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restraint according to the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions .
.,. Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint ¢
fig. 252 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary). For child restraints with V­
tether straps, always make sure that the head
restraint guide rods do not interfere with any
part of the top tether strap .
.,. Center seating position*: Guide the upper teth­
er strap over the rear head restraint.
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether anchorage .
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
ca tch of the hook engages.
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions .
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
265

Child safet y
CJ) Note
If you leave the chi ld restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cush ion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around the tethe r strap . This applies especially to
lea ther seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Curre ntly, few rear -facing chi ld restraint systems
come w ith a tether . P lease read and heed the
child restra int system manufact urer 's instruc­
t ions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether .
A WARNING
A child in a rearwa rd-faci ng chi ld safety seat
installed o n the front passenge r seat w ill be
ser iously injured and c an be killed if the fron t
airb ag infla tes -even w ith an Adv ance d Airbag
System.
- T he infl ati ng air bag w ill hit the child sa fety
seat or infant carrier wi th great force and
will smash t he chi ld safety seat and child
against the bac krest, center armrest, o r
doo r.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing child restraint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too m uch pressure
on the we ight-mat in the seat and register a
heavie r weig ht in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem . The heav ier weight registered can
make the system wo rk as though an adult
were on the sea t and deploy the Advanced
Air bag whe n it must be supp res sed ca using
serious o r even fa tal i njur y to the ch ild.
- If you mus t install a rearward fac ing ch ild
sa fe ty seat on the front passenger sea t be­
ca use of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay o n, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
266
Additional information
· Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a n umber of sources of addi tional in ­
formation about ch ild rest raint se lection, instal ­
l ation and use :
N HT SA advises t hat the bes t chi ld safety seat is
the one tha t fits yo ur child and fits in yo ur vehi ­
cle, and that you will use correct ly and consis­
te ntly.
Try befo re yo u buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra ­
tion
Tel.: 1 -888 -3 27- 42 36 ( TTY: 1-800- 424 -9153)
htt p://www.nh tsa.gov
http:/ /www .sa ferca r.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: ( 202) 662-0600
htt p://www.safekids .org
Safety BeltSafe U.S .A
T el.: (800) 745-SA FE (E nglish)
Tel.: (8 00) 747-SA NO (Spanish)
htt p://www.ca rseat.o rg
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll 1 -613-998-86 16 if
yo u are in the Ottawa area
h ttp://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/ roadsafety/menu. htm
Audi Customer Re lat ions
Tel.: (800) 82 2-2834