driver seat adjustment AUDI Q3 2016 Owners Manual

Seats and storage
General information
Important information
A WARNING
-
Refer to ¢ page 95, Driving safety for i m­
portant information, tips, suggestions and
warnings that you should read and follow for
your own safety and the safety of your pas­
sengers.
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide maximum protection if the front seats
are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjusting the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger. Adjust
your seat properly so that:
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the switches
and controls in the instrument pane l
- your body is properly supported thus reducing
physical stress and fatigue
- the safety belts and airbag system can offer
maximum protection
¢ page 112.
In the following sections, you will see exact ly
how you can best adjust your seats.
There are special regulations and instructions for in stalling a ch ild safety seat on the front pas­
senger's seat . Always follow the information re­
garding child safety provided in
¢ page 132,
Child safety .
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and all
other passengers can result in serious person­
al injury.
- Always keep yo ur feet on the floor when the
vehicle is in motion -never put your feet on
top of the instrument pane l, out of the win­
dow or on top of the seat cushion. Th is ap­
plies especially to the passengers. If your
seating pos it ion is inco rrect, you increase
Seat s and sto rage
the risk of injury in the case of sudden brak­
ing or an accident. If the airbag inflates and
the seating posit ion is incorrect, th is could
result in persona l injury or even death.
- It is important for both the driver and front
passenger to keep a distance of at least
10 inches (25 cm) between themselves and
the steering wheel and/or instrument pan­
el. If you're sitt ing any closer than this, the
ai rbag system cannot protect you properly.
I n addition, the front seats and head re­
stra ints must be adjusted to you r body
height so that they can give you maximum
protection.
- Always try to keep as much dis tance as pos ­
sible between yourself and the steering
wheel or instrument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r front passeng­
er's seat while the vehicle is moving . Your
seat may move unexpectedly, causing sud­
den loss of vehicle contro l and personal in­
jury. If you ad just your seat while the veh icle
is moving, you are o ut of pos ition.
Driver's seat
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend that you adjust the driver's seat
in the following manner:
.. Adjust the seat in fore and aft direction so that
you can easi ly push the pedals to the f loor
while keeping yo ur knees slight ly bent ¢
A in
Why is your seat adjustment so important? on
page 49.
.. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit with
your back against the seatback, you can still
grasp the top of the stee ring wheel.
.. Adj ust the head restra int so the uppe r edge is
as
even as possib le w it h the top of yo ur head. If
tha t is no t possible, t ry to adjus t the hea d re­
st raint so tha t it is as close to this pos it ion as
possible
¢ page 51. .,.
49

Seats and storage
_& WARNING
Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not
be able to brake or accelerate.
Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the
rearmost position.
To avoid contact with the airbag while it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instrument
panel than necessary and always wear the three­
point safety belt provided adjusted correctly. We
recommend that you adjust the passenger's seat
i n th e following manner:
• Move the front passenger seat into the rear­
most position of the fore and aft adjustment
range ¢,&.
in Why is your seat adjustment so
important? on page 49.
• Bring the backrest up to an (almost) upright
position. Do not ride with the seat reclined.
• Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible¢
page 51.
• Place your feet on the floor in front of the pas­
senger's seat.
Front seats
Manual seat adjustment
Applies to vehicles: with manually adjustable seats
Fig. 51 Front seats: manua l seat adjustme nt
50
(D -Moving the seat forward/back: pull the lever
and slide the seat.
@-Lengthen ing/shortening the upper thigh
support*: lift the handle.
@ -Adjusting the angle of the seat surface*.
Pull/press the lever.
@) -Adjusting the lumbar support*: press the
button in the desired direction.
® -Moving the seat up/down: pull/press the lev­
er.
@ -Adjusting the backrest angle: turn the ad­
ju sting wheel.
_& WARNING
-Only adjust the front seat with when the ve­
hicle is stationary. Otherwise, this increases
the risk of an accident
- Exercise caution when adjusting the seat
height. Adjusting the seat carelessly or
without checking can pinch hands and fin­ gers.
- The front seat backrests must not be tilted
too far back when driving, because this im­
pairs the effectiveness of the safety belts
and airbag system, which increases the risk
of injury.
Power seat adjustment
Applies to vehicles: with power adjustable seats
Fig . 52 Front seats: power seat adjustme nt
@ -Adjusting the lumbar support: press the but­
ton in the applicable position.
@ -Moving the seat up/down: press the button
up/down. To adjust the front seat cushion, press
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the front button up/down. To adjust the rear seat
cushion, press the rear button up/down.
@-Moving the seat forward/back: press the but­
ton forward/back.
© -Adjusting the backrest angle: press the but­
ton forward/back.
@ -Lengthen ing/shortening the upper thigh
support* : lift the handle .
.&_ WARNING
- Only adjust the front seat with when the ve­
hicle is stationary. Otherwise, this increases
the risk of an acc ident
- The power adjustment for the front seats al­
so works with the ignition switched off or
with the ignition key removed . For this rea­
son, children should never be left unattend­
ed in the veh icle -they could be injured!
- Exerc ise caution when adjusting the seat
height. Unsupervised or careless seat ad­
justment can p inch fingers or hands causing
injuries.
- To reduce the risk of injury during sudden
braking or in a collision, the driver and front
passenger should not have their backrests in
the reclined position while driving or riding .
The safety belts and airbag system can pro­
vide the greatest protection possible when
the backrests are in the upright position and
the safety belts are worn correctly. The
more a backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of injury due to an incorrect seating po­
sition and safety belt position .
Seats and storage
Front center armrest
Applies to vehicles: with front center armrest
Fig. 53 Armrest betwee n the dr iver 's seat and passenger's
seat
.,. Fold up the center armrest support to open the
storage compartment .
.,. To adjust the center armrest, lift up the arm­
rest notch by notch.
.,. To bring the center armrest back down, raise it
out of the top notch and then fold it back
down.
Please note that the driver's ability to move his or
her arm may be restricted when the armrest is
folded down. Because of this, the armrest should
not be folded down during city driving.
The armrest can slide forward and back.
Head restraints
Front head restraints
Fig. 54 Front seats head res traints: adjusting the height
The head restraints on the front seats can be ad­
justed to provide safe support to head and neck at the opt imum height . When optimally adjust-
ed, the top of the restraint should be level with
the top of the head. If that is not poss ible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as close to ..,.
51

Sea ts and stor age
this position as possible ¢ page 98, Proper ad­
justment of head restraints .
.. Grasp the sides of the head restra in t w ith both
hands and slide it upward/downward unt il you
f eel it click into p lace
¢ fig. 54.
Refer to ¢ page 98, Proper adjustment of head
restraints
f or guide lines on how to adjust the
height of the front head restraints to suit the oc ­
cupant's body size.
_& WARNING
- Driving without head restraints or with head
restra ints that are not properly adjusted in ­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in­
jury dramatically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS¢
page 98,
Proper adjustment of head restraints.
@ Tips
Cor rect ly adjusted head restraints and safety
be lts are an extremely effective combination
of safety features .
Rear head restraints
F ig . 5 5 Rear seats: oute r head rest ra in ts
Fig . 56 Rear head restra ints: release po int
52
If there are passengers in the rear seat, move the
head restraints up on the occ upied seats at least
to the next notch
¢ A .
Adjusting the head restraints
.. To move the head restra int up, hold it a t the
sides with both hands and s lide it upward until
you feel it click into place.
.. To move the head restraint down, press the
button @¢
fig. 55 and s lide the head restraint
downward .
Remo ving the head r estraint s
.. Fold the backrest forwar d
<=.> page 59.
.. Slide the headrest all the way up.
.. Press the release point@¢
fig. 56, for exam­
ple with a screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit,
and the button @. Pull the head restra int out
of the backrest at the same time<=.>&.
Installing the h ead re straints
.. Slide the posts on the head restraint down into
the guides until you feel the posts click into
place .
.. Press the button @ and slide the head restraint
all the way down . You should not be able to
pull the head restraint out of the backrest.
So that the driver can have a better view to the rear, the head restraints shou ld be pushed down
completely when the rear seats are not occupied .
_& WARNING
- Only remove the rear seat head restra ints
when nec essary in order to insta ll a ch ild
seat. In stall the he ad restraint again imme­
diately once the child seat is removed. D riv ­
ing without head restrain ts or with head re­
straints that are not prope rly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in­
jury dramat ically .
- Read and heed all WA RNINGS
¢page 98,
Proper adjustment of head restraints.
(D Tips
Correc tly adju ste d h ead res tra ints and safety
belts are an extreme ly effective comb ination
of safety features .
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Driving
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
The steering wheel position is fully adjus table up
and down and forward and back .
Fig. 77 Lever under the ste ering column
Fi rst, ad just t he driver 's sea t correct ly.
• Pull the lever ~
fig. 77 ~ .&,.
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired posi­
t ion.
• Push the lever against the steeri ng column un-
ti l it locks .
There must be a t least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the stee rin g
wheel. If yo u cannot sit mo re than 10 inches (25
cm) from the steering whee l, see if adaptive
equipment is available to help you reach the ped­
als and increase the distance from the steering
wheel.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
~ page 50 .
.&_ WARNING
Improper use of steer ing whee l adjustment
and improper seating position can cause ser i­
ous pe rsonal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l co lumn on ly w hen
the vehicle is not mov ing to prevent loss of
vehicle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel so
that there is a min imum of 10 inches (25
cm) betwee n your chest and t he s teer ing
wheel
~page 96, fig. 107 . If you cannot
-
Drivi ng
maintain t his minim um distance, the airbag
system cannot p rotect yo u proper ly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from the
steer ing whee l, check with your author ized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is
ava ilable.
- If the steer ing whee l is aligned w ith your
face, the supplementa l driver's a irbag can­
not provide as much protect io n in an acc i­
dent. Always make sure that the steer ing
wheel is aligned with you r chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o' clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of pe rso nal injur y if
the dr iver's a irbag dep loys .
- Never ho ld the stee ring wheel at the 12
o'cl ock position or wi th you r hands inside
the stee rin g wheel rim or on the s teer ing
wheel h ub. Holding the stee ring w heel the
wrong way can cause serious inj uries to the
hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys .
Starting and stopping
the engine (vehicles with
an ignition lock)
Starting the engine
Applies to veh icles: w it h ign ition lock
The ignition is switched on and the engine start­
ed with the key in the ignition.
Fig. 78 Ignit io n lock: positio n of th e ig ni tion key
Switching the ignition on /off
• To switch t he ignit ion on, t urn the igni tion key
to position
(D . ..,.
67

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Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others . We have summar­
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al­
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in­
terest of your passengers .
- Always keep the complete Owner's Litera­
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and
passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce
the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit­
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in tech-
~ nology have made a var iety of features available
~ to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident . ....
Driving safety
The following is a list of just a few of the safety
features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all pas-
senger seat ing pos itions,
- be lt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags with ejection mitigation
features,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustab le steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide range of accidents . These
features cannot work as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver .
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make sure that all lights and signals are operat­
ing correctly.
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside .
.,. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
~page 100, ~page 54 .
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
c:> page 132, Child
safety. ..,.
95

Safe ty belts
Autom ati c s afet y belt retr actors
Every safety belt is equ ipped with an automa tic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard braking and in a n accident. The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. Dur ing normal driv­
ing the belt lets you
move freely.
Safety belt p ret en sion ers
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten­
sioner that helps to t ighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated.
The function of the pretensioner is mon itored by
a warning light
r:::') page 16.
Convertib le loc king retracto r
Every safety be lt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
mus t be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the impo rtant information about this feature
c:;,page 141.
.&_ WARNING
Imprope rly pos itioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
¢page 108,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rea r safety belt is
attached is secure ly 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, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety belt effec­
tiveness and can cause serious persona l in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously in jured by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger parts
108
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­ men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child safety seat in
the vehicle
¢page 143.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi­
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 117 Safety belt posit ion
-"' .... 9 I ... a,
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
s ize.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- height-adjustab le front seats.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious pe rsonal injury in an acc ident .
- The shou lder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across t he chest so that it s its as low as pos­
sib le on the pe lvis and there is no p re ssure
on the a bdomen . The belt sho uld a lways f it
snug ly
c:;, fig. 117. Pull on the belt to tig hten
if necessary .
- The lap be lt portion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as possible across pel­
vis and never
over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug
c:;, fig. 117. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can ca use serious
injuries by sh ifting its position on your body ..,_

Safety belts
The shou lder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the body
c::> A in Safety belt position on
page 108.
"' Push
the loop -around fittings up c::> fig. 120 @,
or
"'squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings down@.
"'Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­ er important informat ion
c::> page 106.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and will even inc rease the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Improper seating
positions a lso increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating pos i­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
veh icle occupants and especially for children.
Therefore:
"' Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c>_& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
110
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> page 106.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts ore tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped w ith safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end collisions of great se­
verity and in a rollover. This tightens the belt and
takes up belt slack
c::> & in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 111.
Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seatback
that has been folded forward .
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be acti­
vated once.
- Th e safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear-end colli­
sions.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are acti­
vated, a fine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
- Th e relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar
with these regulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the vehicle or indi­
vidual parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have your authorized Aud i
dealer perform this service for you.

Airbag syste m
Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop ­
er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
ge rs , before driving off, always :
"' Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 96,
"' Adjust the front passenge r's seat properly
¢ page 50,
"'Wear safety belts p roperly ¢ page 106 ,
"'Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children ¢
page 132.
In a coll is io n ai rbags must inflate wi thin the b link
of an eye and with cons iderable force . The sup ­
p lemental airbags can ca use injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger is not seated proper·
Ly. T herefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is important, both as a dr iver and as a pas­
senger to sit properly at all t imes .
By keeping room between yo ur body and the
steering whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the a irbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protect ion
in certain frontal collis ions ¢
page 96, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
¢ page SO.
It's especially important that children a re proper ­
ly restra ined
¢ page 132 .
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the ind iv idual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system .
Proper seating posit ion is important so that the
front airbag on the drive r side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or cond ition that
prevents you from s itting properly on the driver
seat with the safety be lt properly fastened and
112
reaching the peda ls, special modifications to
your vehicle may be necessary.
Contact yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r, or call A udi
C u stomer Rela tions at 1-800 -82 2-2834.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, b reak open the padded cov­
ers, and inflate betwee n the steeri ng wheel and
the driver and between the inst rument panel and
the front passenger . The a irbags w ill deflate im­
mediate ly after dep loyment so t hat the front oc ­
cupants can see through the windsh ie ld again
without interruption.
A ll of th is takes p lace in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be i n the ir way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and lim it the occupant's forward move­
ment . T ogether they he lp to prevent the driver
a nd front seat passenger from h itti ng pa rts of
t h e inside the veh icle w hile reducing the fo rces
acti ng on the occupant dur ing the cras h. In th is
way they help to reduce the risk of inju ry to the
head and uppe r body i n the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions. The trigge ring of the airbag system de ­
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collis ion and registered by the electronic con­
tro l unit . If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the contro l unit, the airbags
will not be trigge red, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a resu lt of the co llision . Vehi­
cle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack of vehi­
cl e damage is not necessari ly an indica tion of
whethe r an a irbag should inflate o r not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cove r every possible k ind and an­
gle of impa ct that will always tr igger the airbags,
s ince the circumst ances w ill vary cons iderably be ­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the natu re (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angl e of
i mpact, vehicle speed, etc . The front airbags will ..,_

exceptional circumstances and the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iately install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected immediately by your Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If, in exceptio nal circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man­
ufact urer fo r use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag .
- Always follow the manufact urer's instruc­
tions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possib le before installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upr ight position.
- Always make sure that the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched on.
{D) Tips
Always replace chi ld restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle dur ing a crash . Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your veh icle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System " in compliance w ith United States
F edera l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Ve hicle Safe ty
Stand ard (CMVSS) 208 as appli cable at the t ime
your vehicle was manufactured .
The Advanced Airbag system in your ve hicle has
been ce rtified to meet the "low-risk " requ ire­
ments for 3 -and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side .
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
Ch ild safety
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instr ument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been cert ified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand ­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in ch ild rest raints that are lis ted in
the S tanda rd .
Even thoug h your veh icle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ildren, especially
those 12 yea rs and younger, sho uld a lways ride
i n the back seat properly restra ined for their age
and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentia lly dangerous p lace for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
Advanced Airbags and the weight -sensing
mat in the front seat
T he Advanced A irbag System in you r vehicle de­
tects the presence of a n in fan t or child in a ch ild
restra int 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 chi ld safety seat and a child
blanket on the front passenger seat. The weight
on the front passenger seat is related to the de­
s ign of the child restra int and its "footprint" , the
s ize and shape of the bottom of the c hild re ­
straint as it s its on the seat. The weight of a chi ld
r estra int and its "footprint " va ry for different
k inds of child restra ints and for the different
models of the same kind of ch ild rest raint of ­
fered by child restraint manufacturers.
T he weight ranges for the individ ual types,
makes and mode ls of chi ld restrain ts that the
N HT SA has spec ified in the Safety Standard to­
gether with the weight ranges o f typical infants
and typical 1 year-old chi ld have been stored in .,.
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