ABS AUDI A8 2018 User Guide

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" N .... 0 0 :c ' Intelligent Technology Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
The ESC increases driving safety. It reduces the
risk of slipping and improves driving stability.
ESC detects critical situations such as when the
vehicle is oversteering and understeering or the
wheels are spinning. The vehicle is stabilized by
applying the brakes or reducing engine torque .
When the ESC engages,
the G1 indicator light
b links in the instrument cluster.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when brak­
ing. The vehicle can still be steered even during
hard braking. Apply steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stabilize the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis­
tance. It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quickly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold the brake pedal
until the dangerous situat ion is over . In veh icles
w ith adaptive cruise contro l*, the brake assist
system is more sensitive if the distance detected
to the vehicle dr iv in g ahead is too small. On
ve hicl es w ith activated and functioning night vi­
sion assist*, the brake assist system can respond
more sensitively if there is a warning .
Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive wheels
begin spinning and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler­
ate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
EDL applies the brakes to a wheel that starts
sp inn ing and transfers the drive power to the
other driving wheels. This functio n is not availa­
ble at higher speeds.
Intelligent Technology
In extreme cases, EDL automatica lly switches off
to keep the brake on the braked whee l from over ­
heating. The vehicle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switch on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
T he ESC he lp s to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque .
In veh icles with dynamic steer ing*, ESC also
helps to stab ilize the steer ing in crit ica l situa­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel torque control is used when driv­
in g on curves.
The front wheel on the inside of the curve or both
wheels on the inside of the curve are braked se­
lectively as needed. This allows more precise driv­
in g in curves . The applicable system may not acti­
vate when dr iv in g in wet or snowy conditions .
Automatic post -collision braking system
Th e "automat ic post-collis ion braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of addi­
t iona l co llisions after an acc ident. If the airbag
control module detects a co llision above a certa in
vehicle speed, the veh icle is braked by the ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if :
- the dr iver presses the acce lerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle electri ­
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
,--
- The ESC and its integrated systems cannot
overcome the lim its imposed by natural
p hys ical laws. This is especially important
on slippery or wet roads. If the systems be­
g in acting to stabilize your vehicle, you
should immediately alter your speed to
match the road and traffic conditions. Do
not let the increased safety provided tempt
127

Intelligent Technology
you into taking risks. T his could increase
your risk of a co llision.
- Please note the risk of a co llision increases
when driving fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when driv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
vent collisions - there is still a risk of acc i­
dents!
- Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
acce lerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
Switching on and off
even when these control systems are instal­
led and this can affect driving stability and
increase the risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- Th e ABS and ASR only function correct ly
when a ll four wheels have a simi lar wear
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig . 152 Center conso le wit h ESC O FF but ton
ESC levels
Sport mode on
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch sport mode
on in order to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the ve hicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iv in g with snow chains
Sport mode off
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The full stabilization function of the ESC
are limited
¢ .&. . and ASR is ava ilable aga in .
Operation Press th e @ button. Press the@button again.
Indicator II turns on. II turns off .
lights
Messages Stabilization control (ESC): Off Warning! Stabilization control (ESC): On
Reduced stability
A WARNING
Only switch sport mode on when your driving
abilities and the traffic s ituation permit, be­
cause there is a risk of s liding.
- The stabilization function is l im ited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
whee ls could spin and the veh icle could
swerve , espec ially on slic k or slippery road
s urfac es.
128
0) Tips
Sport mode cannot be switched on if the
cruise control system* or adaptive cruise con­
trol* is switched on .

Media dri ve s and connection s
Audi music interface
Introduction
Applies to: vehicles with Audi music interface
You can connect a portable device (such as an
MP3 player) to the Audi music interface using a
special adapter cable* and operate the device through the MMI.
F ig. 195 Adap ter cables
® iPod adapter cable* /iPod adapter cable plus*
@ 3.5-mm stereo jack adapter cable*
© Mini USB adapter cab le*
@ Micro USB adapter cable*
© USB adapter cable*
® AV adapter cable*
@ Adapter cable for Apple dev ices with Lightning
connector*
You can purchase the adapter cable from an au­
thorized Audi or at specialty stores.
@ Note
-Handle the adapter cable carefu lly. Do not
allow it to be pinched.
- Extremely high or low temperatures that
can occur inside vehicles can damage porta­
ble dev ices or affect their performance .
Never leave a portable audio device in the
vehicle in extremely high or low tempera­
tures.
(D Tips
Be sure to pay attention to any messages on
your cell phone when connect ing it w ith the
USB /Mini USB /M icro USB adapter cable. In
186
some cases, it may not be possible to access
the audio files on your cell phone.
Setup
Applies to: vehicles with Audi music interface
The Audi music interface is Located inside the
center armrest.
F ig. 196 Connecting th e portable device
Requirement: The center armrest is folded open .
-Connect ing the ad apter cabl e: connect the
adapter cable
* @ c:> fig . 196 to the port on the
Aud i mus ic interface
(D and then connect it to
the portable audio device ® (such as an iPod).
-Discon necting the adapter c able from the
Aud i m usic i nterf ace :
d isconnect the connector
from the Aud i music interface whi le press ing
the release
tab @.
-Disconne cti ng the iPo d adapter cabl e (plu s)*
from th e iPod :
disconnect the iPod connector
from the iPod while pressing the release tabs
@ .
The media are started and operated through the
portable device or the MMI, depending on the de­
vice be ing used
.:;, page 190 .
(D Note
Remove t he connector from the Aud i mus ic
i nte rface carefully so it is not damaged.
@ Tips
- Do not use USB extension cables or adapt­
ers . They may impair the functionality .
- Functionality is not guaranteed for portab le
devices t hat do not meet the USB 2.0 speci­
fication .
- USB hubs are not supported.

Drivin g saf ety
A 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 .
A 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 pe rsonal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change in the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distribute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as poss ible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
o r the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
doo r jamb. Exceed ing permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
hand le differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
c> page 208.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being d rawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed whi le driving.
- Never transport objec ts larger than those
fi tt ing complete ly into the luggage a rea be­
ca use the rear l id cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely mus t drive w ith the rea r lid
open, obse rve the follow ing notes to reduce
t h e risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof,
214
-
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan­
el,
- Switch off the air reci rculat ion
'
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
A WARNING -
Always make su re that the doo rs, all win ­
dows, the powe r roof and the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to re duce the risk of
in jury when the veh icle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always ma ke sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your veh icle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open . A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rea r lid be­
coming trapped and unab le to get o ut. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
pe rsonal injury.
- Never let ch ildren play in o r around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment . Vehicle occupants mus t al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­ hicle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog­
ging . Stale ai r esca pes to the outs ide
through vents in the trim panel, on the left
side of the luggage compartment. Be sure
to keep t hese s lo ts free and open.
- T he tire p ressure must correspond to the
load. The t ire pressure is shown on t he tire
press ure label. The ti re pre ssure label is lo­
c ated on the drive r's side B- pilla r. The tire
pressu re label lists the recommen ded cold
t ire inflation pressures fo r the veh icle at its
maximum capac ity we ight and the tires that
we re on your veh icle at the time it was man­
ufactured . For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load conditions, p lease see chap­
ter
c> page 294.

Safe ty belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles.
F ig. 220 Unbe lted occupants in a vehicle heading for a wall
Fig . 221 The veh icle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple . Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­
ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi­
neers call this energy "kinet ic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle 's we ight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant fac tor. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to SO
km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of th is veh icle are not us­
ing safety
belts<=> fig. 220, they will keep mov ing
at the same speed the ve hicle was moving just
before the crash, u nti l something stops them -
here, the wall<=>
fig. 221.
220
The same principles apply to people s itting in a
vehicle that is involved in a fronta l collision. Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are a lso not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal coll is ion
they will also keep mov ing forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just befo re the crash.
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens
i n a ll kinds of accide nts and co lli sions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 222 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
thrown forward
F ig. 223 A rear passenger not wearing a safety belt will fly
forwa rd a nd strike the driver
Unbelted occ upants are not ab le to res ist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
braci ng themselves . Without the benefit of safe ­
ty restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel,
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"" ......
"" .... 0 0 :c ' instrument pane l, windshield , or whatever e lse is
in the way ¢
fig. 222. This impact w ith the vehi­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be­
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone fo r protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide on ly additiona l
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equ ipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the dr iver , must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, tha t airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protec tion in those acc idents in w hich
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed. Unbel ted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the vehi cle where even
more severe or fatal injur ies can occur .
It is also important for the rear passenge rs to
wear s afety bel ts corre ctly . U nbel ted passengers
in the re ar seats endanger no t onl y themse lves
but also the driver and ot her passengers
¢ fig . 223. In a fronta l collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brac e the body in a minor collision . It 's simply
not true!
F ig . 2 24 Drive r is correctly rest ra ined in a sudde n brak ing
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big d iffer­
ence. Safety belts he lp to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy leve ls ap-
Safet y bel ts
plied to the bo dy i n an accident, and help prevent
t h e uncontrolled movement that can cause seri­
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of be ing th rown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and g ive
them the benefit of be ing s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" th rough the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inetic ene rgy over a longer period of t ime, the
sa fe ty belts make the fo rces on the body more
"tolerab le " and less likely to ca use in jury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety be lts can also substa ntia lly re ­
duce the r is k of injury in ot her k inds of crashes .
So, whethe r you're on a long tr ip or just go ing to
t h e cor ner store , a lways b uck le up and make sure
othe rs do, too. A cciden t st atis tic s show tha t ve hi­
cl e occupan ts properly wea ring safety bel ts have
a lower risk of be ing injured and a muc h better
chance of surviving an acci dent . Properly using
sa fety belts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
lis ion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most count ries includ ing much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airb ags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags a re not ac ti­
vated in a ll frontal collisions , in side and rear co l­
li sio ns, in roll overs or i n cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceleration throug h impact to the front
of the veh icle. The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly rest rained !
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safe ty belts must always be correctly posi tioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de­
scribed in this chapter .
.. Make sure that your safety be lts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
221

Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu ­
pants .
Fig. 229 Location of driver airbag: in steering wheel
Fig. 230 Location of front passenger's airbag : in the in­
strument panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at
the time your vehicle was manufactured .
The airbag for the driver is in the steer ing wheel
hub ~ fig. 229 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 230. The
general location of the airbags is marked
"AIR ­
BAG" .
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle. We urge you to read the detailed
information about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
lL ~ up the owner's literature. Please be sure to heed
~ the WARNINGS -they are extreme ly important N ...... 0 0 :c ' Airbag system
for your safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infants and small children.
A WARNING
-
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supplemental protection.
-Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained.
_&. WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­ ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these specia l conditions is impossib le in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "low risk" opt ion under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that is
heavier than the typical one-year old child is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position.
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi-
cle was manufactured .
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231

u. co .... N
" N .... 0 0 :c ' If the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Feder ­
a l Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" dep loyment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined in the electronic control unit
r;:;. page 23 7.
Al way s remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith Advanced A irbags, the s afest p lace
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat . Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat io n in the sect ions that follow and be su re to
h eed a ll of the WARN INGS.
A WARNING
T o red uce the r isk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, a lways wear safety be lts properly .
- If you are unrest rained, lean ing fo rwa rd, s it ­
t ing s idew ays or o ut of pos it ion in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive se rious injur ies a nd
cou ld even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates
-
even with an Advanced Airbag I!!> page 22 7.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing chi ld seat insta l­
led on the front passenger seat will be ser i­
ously injured and can be k illed if the front air­
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
yo ur vehicle is designed to turn off t he front
airbag when a rearward-facing ch ild re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can abso lutely g uara n­
tee that deployment is impossible in a ll con ­
c e ivable s ituat ions that may happen dur ing
the usefu l life o f yo ur vehicle .
- T he inf lat ing air bag w ill hit th e chi ld sea t or
infant carrier w it h great fo rce and will
smash the c hild seat and child against the
backrest , center a rmrest, door, or roof.
- Always install rearward -fac ing c hild re ­
straints on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearwar d fac ing c hild
seat on the front passenger seat because of
Airbag syste m
except io n al circumstances and the PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not come on
and stay on, immed iate ly install the rea r­
faci ng chi ld seat in a rear seating pos it io n
a nd have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea le r.
A WARNING
-
If, in exceptional c ircu mstances, you must in­
stall a forward-fa cing child rest ra in t on the
fron t passenger's seat:
- Always make su re the forward-facing seat
has bee n des igned and certified by its man­
uf acture r for use o n a front sea t with a pas ­
senge r front and side airbag.
- N eve r put the fo rw ar d-faci ng chi ld restra in t
up ag ainst o r very ne ar th e i nstr ument pan ­
el.
- Always move the fro nt passenge r seat to
the hig hest posit io n in the up and down ad ­
justment range and move it bac k to the
rearmost positio n in the seat's fo re and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir ­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for ­
ward-facing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the c hild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the ch ild restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned .
- Make sure that t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r th e ignit ion is switched o n.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenge r seat in your ve hicle has a lo t
of ve ry important parts of t he Advanced A irb ag
System in it. These parts incl ude the weight ­
sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and
more . The f unction of th e system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con­
trol unit when the ign ition is on. The control unit
moni tors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the a irbag ind icator light on when a malfunction
i n the system compone nts is detected . The func­
t ion of the a irbag ind icator light is described in
greate r deta il be low. Because t he front
233

lL t:0 ....
"' ......
"' .... 0 0 :c ' @ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al· special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/
perchlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including a irbag modules
and safety belts with p retensioners are scrap·
ped, a ll applicable laws and regu lations must
be observed. Your a uthorized Audi dealer is
familiar w ith these requirements and we rec­
ommend that you have yo ur dealer perform
this service for you .
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-r im
comb ina tions not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, chang ing the s tiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic contro l unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other ki nds of
changes may reduce the fo rce levels measured by
the sensors and preven t the airbag from deploy­
ing when i t should.
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury in a
crash.
-Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your veh icle.
-Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center console can cause the sensors i n the buckle to send the w rong information
to the electronic control modu le and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
- Always make sure that nothing can interfe re
with the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.
F ig . 233 Dr ive r's knee airbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the ins trument panel
u nderneath the steer ing
whee l~ fig. 233, the
airbag fo r the passe nger is at abou t the same
height in the instr ument pane l underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers add itional protection to
t h e driver 's and passenger's knees and uppe r and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
t ion prov ided by the safety be lts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collis ions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
~ page 235, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In add ition to their normal sa fety f unct ion, safe-
ty be lts he lp keep the driver or front passenge r in
..,.
241

Child sa fety
Chi ldren up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety seats de­
signed for their age and we ight . Experts say that
the skeleta l structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fu lly deve loped, 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 seat ing pos ition of the
child and repos ition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety be lt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places . The rout ing 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. Chi ld ren age 12 and unde r must
a lways r ide in t he rear seat.
Ch ildren who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inc hes/
1.45 meters) tall ca n generally use the veh icle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Never use the
lap be lt po rt ion of the vehicle 's safe ty belt alone
to restrain any child, rega rdless of how big the
chi ld is. A lways remember that children do not
have the pronounced pe lvic struct ure req uired for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­ h icle's three po int lap and shoulder belts. The
chi ld's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
port ion 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 o r abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and w it h considerable fo rce . In o rder to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
w ill be there to p ro tect the occ upant as the occu­
p a nt moves forward into the airbag.
A veh icle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflat ing
a ir bag. Whe n an oc cupan t is too close, he o r she
w ill be st ruck v iolently and will receive ser ious o r
possibly even fatal injury.
I n order for the airbag to offer p rotection, it is
important t hat all ve hicl e oc cupan ts, espec ia lly
a ny children, who mus t be i n the fro nt sea t be ­
cause o f exceptional circ ums tances, be p roper ly
258
restra ined and as far away from t he a irbag as
possib le . By keeping room between the chi ld's
body and the front of the passenger compa rt ­
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supplementa l protection in certa in frontal
collisions.
A WARNING
No t using a booste r seat, using the booster
seat imp roperly, incorrect ly install ing a boos­
ter sea t or u sing t he ve hicle safety belt i m­
p roperly increases the r is k of se rious pe rsonal
i njur y and death in a collision or other emer ­
gency situation. To he lp reduce the risk of se ­
rious personal inj ury and/or death:
- The s hou lder belt m ust lie as close to the
center of the chi ld's co llar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It must never lie ac ross the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure that the belt l ies flat and snug .
P ull o n the belt to tig hten if necessary.
- Fa ilure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body w ill cause seve re injuries in a n
accident o r othe r emergency s ituat ion
r=;, page 219.
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be posit ioned as close as possible to the
b ackrest on the ve hicle sea t. A dju st the rea r
seat head restr aint if i t is diffi cult to ins tall
t he child seat w ith the head restrain t in
p lace
r=;, page 211 . D riving with head re ­
st raints that are not prope rly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fata l neck in­
jury dramat ica lly.
- Ch ild ren on the front seat of any car, even
w it h Advanced A irbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even k illed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a ch ild put the shoulder be lt under
the arm or behind the back, because it could
cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Never let a child stand o r kneel on any seat,
for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a chi ld r ide in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember that a ch ild leaning for ­
ward, sitting sideways o r out of position in
-