belt AUDI Q5 2015 Service Manual

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 145, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bod ies are not fully deve loped,
they requ ire restra int systems especially de­
signed for their size, weight, and body structure.
Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir ­
ing the use of approved c hild restraint systems
for infants and small children.
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30 -56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant wi ll be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restra int properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Ch ild restraints, like
adu lt safety be lts, must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can inc rease the
risk of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is r ight for
your child's size¢
page 175, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about ch ild safety, Ad­
vanced Airbags, and the installation of child re­
straints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad ­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
172
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manua l about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small chi ld ren.
.&_ WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly restrained ch ild could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve­
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestra ined or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating posit ions
provides the highest degree of pro tect ion
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent sit uations.
.&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the back rest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in

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exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected immediately by your Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
- 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 side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions provided with the child 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 possible before installing the child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to
an upright position.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during 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 vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System " in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
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
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
Child safety
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified 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 child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size . 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 can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
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 offered
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 together
with the weight ranges of typical infants and typ­
ical 1 year-old child have been stored in the con­
trol unit of the Advanced Airbag System. When a
1iJ11-
173

Child safety
child restraint is being used on the front passen ­
ger seat with a typical 1 year-old child , the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the weight
measured by the weight sensing mat with the in­
formation stored in the electron ic control unit.
The electronic control unit a lso reg isters the ten­
sion on the front passenger safety be lt. The ten­
sion on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat will be d ifferent for an adult who is properly
using the safety belt as compared to the tens ion
on the belt when it is used to attach a child re­
straint to the seat. The senso r below the latch fo r
the safety belt for the fron t seat passenge r
measures the tension on the be lt. T he inp ut from
t his sensor is then used w ith the weight to "de­
cide", whether there is a c hild restraint with a
typical 1 year -old chi ld on the front passenge r
seat and whether or not the airbag must be
turned off .
Child restraints and Advanced Airbags
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Un it­
ed States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and has been ce rtified by i ts manufact urer for
use with an airbag . A lways be sure tha t the child
restrain t is properly ins talled at one of the re ar
seating posi tions . If in exceptiona l circumstances
you must use it on the front passenger seat, care­
fu lly read all of the informat ion on child safety
and Advanced Airbags and heed a ll of the appli­
cable WARNINGS . Make certain that the ch ild re­
straint is correctly recognized by the weight -sens ­
i n g mat inside the front passenger seat, that the
front pass enge r airbag is turned off and that the
a ir bag s tatus is a lways corre ctly s ignaled by t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght.
Many types and models of ch ild restra ints have
been ava ila ble over the y ears, new models are in­
troduced regu larly i ncorpo rat ing new and im­
p rove d des igns and o lde r models a re t aken o ut o f
p rod uction. Child rest rain ts a re not standardized .
C hild restraints of the same type typically have
diffe rent weights and sizes and different 'foot ­
prints,' the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, w hen they
are i nstalled on a veh icle seat. These differences
174 make
it virtua lly impossib le to cert ify compliance
with t he requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every chi ld restraint that has ever been
so ld in the past or will be sold over the course of
the usefu l life of your vehicle.
Fo r th is reason, the Unite d States National High­
way T raffic Safety Adm inistrat ion has published a
li st of specific type, makes and models of child
rest raints that must be used to cert ify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i­
cle w ith the s uppression requi rements of Federal
Motor Veh icle Safety S tanda rd 208. These child
r est raints a re:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
A ngel Guard Angel September 2S , 2007
R id e AA 2403FOF
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century Smart Fit 4 54 3 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22 -013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discove ry Ad- December 1, 1999
just R ight 212
E venflo First Choi ce Decembe r 1, 1999
2 04
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Gr aco S nugride Se pte mber 25 , 20 07
Peg Perego Pr imo Viag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP IM UNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
B rit a x Round about Septe mber 25, 200 7
E 9 L02xx
Cosco Tou riva 02519 December 1, 1999

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Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos -September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
3S2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo September 25, 2007
.&, WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­ ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The ch ild seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi on ly 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 safe ty seat for each
child and a lways use it properly ¢
page 177.
Child sa fety
.,. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructio ns 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
convert ible lock ing retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
r::) page 181 .
.,. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with yo ur full
weight to get the safety belt rea lly 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 measure more we ight
than is actually on the seat .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::) page 177 .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 12 years and younge r,
shou ld a lways r ide in the back seat prope rly re­
stra ined for their age and size.
A WARNING
=
Not using a child sa fety seat, us ing the wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must always be restrained properly whenev­
er riding in a vehicle .
- An unrest rained or improperly restrained
ch ild can be injured or killed by being
thrown against the ins ide of the vehicle o r
b y being ejected from it du ring a s udden
maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly res trained
child is at much greater risk of injury or
death by being struck by an inflating air ­
bag.
- Commercia lly available child safety seats
are req uired to comply with U.S. Federa l Mo­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213). .,_
175

Child safet y
-When b uying a ch ild restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- On ly use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush­
ion. The ch ild restra int must not tip or
lean to either s ide. Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs o r tube-like frames . They do not pro­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements pe r­
taining to the installat ion and use of ch ild
safety seats and carefully follow the in­
struc tions prov ided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow ch ildren under 57 inches
(1.45 me ters) to wear a normal sa fety belt .
They m ust always be rest rained by a proper
child restra int system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers or acc idents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Ho ld ing a child in your arms is neve r a sub­
stit ute for a child rest raint sys tem.
- The strongest person co uld not hold the
child with the fo rces that ex ist in an acci­
dent. The child will s tri ke the inte rior of
the vehicle and can a lso be str uck by the
passenger.
- The ch ild and the passenger can a lso in­
jure each other in an acc ident .
- Never ins tall rear-facing chi ld safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat.
A ch ild w ill be seriously injured and can be
killed when the passenger airbag inf lates -
even with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inf lating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
o r roof.
-Always insta ll rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carr iers on the rear seat.
176
- Forwa rd-facing child safety seats insta lled
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
w ith the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install fo r­
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- If except ional circumstances require the use
of a fo rward-facing child restraint on the
front passenge r's seat, the child's safety
and well-be ing require that the following
speci al precautions be taken :
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
factu rer for use on a front seat w ith a pas­
senger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
i nst ructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rea rmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as fa r away from the a irbag as poss ible be­
fo re insta lling the child rest raint.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
the front passenge r's seat from being
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fo re
and aft adjustment range .
- Always make sure tha t the backres t is in
the up right pos ition.
- Always buckle the child sa fety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around d uring
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNI NGS when­
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
¢ page 144, Safety belts,
¢ page 152, Airbag system and
¢ page 172 , Child safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of ser ious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
comes on and stays on whenever a ch ild re­
straint is installed on the front passenge r seat
and the ign ition is switched on . ..,.

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-Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig . 173 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats. @-oute r rear
safety belt,
@ -center rea r safety belt
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench ,
especia lly with LATCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them¢ _&.
- Guide the safety belt webbings @and @ be­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restraint is installed¢
fig. 173. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when w inding up the safety belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LA TCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a ch ild i n a booste r seat on the
rea r seat co uld play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
co uld cause the chi ld serious personal inj ury
and even death.
- Always secure un used rear seat safety belts
o ut of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
Chil d sa fe ty
head restra int of the seat where the child re­
straint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone s it at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs . or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
F ig. 174 Schemat ic overv iew : rearward -fac ing infant seat,
proper ly installed on th e rear seat
., W hen using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safe ty seat, yo u must first ac tivate the
convert ib le lock ing retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child sa fety seat from mov ing
i=:> page 181 or insta ll the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
., Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 177.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best p rotected in spec ial infant carriers and ch ild
safety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
expe rts bel ieve that infants and sma ll children
sho uld ride only in special restrain ts in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant .,.
177

Child safety
seats support t he baby 's back, neck and head in a
crash
r=> fig . 174.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the fron t
seat a potentially dange rous place for a ch ild to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a fo rward-facing child seat. It is a very
dangerous p lace for an infant or a larger chi ld in
a rearward-facing seat .
_&. WARNING
Not using a child safety seat , using the wrong
child safety seat o r imp roperly insta lling a
child restraint inc reases the r isk of serious
personal in ju ry and death in a crash .
- Never install rea r-facing ch ild safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat -
even w ith an Advanced Ai rbag System. A
c hild will be serio us ly injured and c an be kil ­
led whe n the infl ating airbag hits the child
sa fe ty seat or infant carrier w ith great force
and smashes the c hild safety seat and c hild
against the bac krest, center armrest, door
or roof
r=> page 153, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always insta ll rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant ca rr iers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the forward-facing direction. Such restra ints
are designed for the specia l needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them prope rly if the seat is forward-fac ing .
- If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the front pass enge r seat be­
ca use of exceptional c ircumstanc es and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
c ome on an d st ay on, immedi ate ly ins tall
t h e rear-facing c hild safety sea t in a rea r
seat ing position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- Alw ays read and hee d all WARN INGS when ­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c::> page 144 , Safety belts,
c::> page 152, Airbag system
and
c::> page 172, Important information.
178
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 cra sh .
Fi g. 175 Sc hem at ic ove rv iew: instal la ti on of t he attach­
m ents applicable to a LA T CH seat
Fi g. 1 76 Schemat ic ove rv iew : in stal lat io n of th e seat usin g
the v ehicl e's sa fet y bel t system
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child sa fety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking feature on the safety belt to
prevent the child safety seat from moving
r=> page 181 or i nsta ll the seat using the LATC H
attachments.
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r full
weigh t to get the safe ty belt rea lly tight so that
t he sea t ca nnot move forward or sideways mo re
than one inch (2.5 cm)
r=> page 181.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c::> page 187.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r=> page 177 .
A toddler or child is usua lly too large for an in­
fant restra int if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg) .
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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 certi­
fied for their si ze and weight¢
fig. 175 and
¢fig. 176 .
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.
.8, WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth­
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad·
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif­
ficult to install the child seat with the head
Child safety
restraint in place ¢page 67. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 144, Safety belts,
¢ page 152, Airbag system
and
¢ page 172, Important information.
.8, WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger's seat, the child's safety and well­
being require that the following special pre­
cautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
-Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost position of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad­
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up­
right position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks ¢
page 162, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced 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.
179

Child safety
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. 177 Rear seat: child prope rly restrained in a booste r
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs. (36 kg) . Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash .
• Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
• The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and
must lie fla t and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck . The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
• If you must transport an older child in a boos­
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c> page 177.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de­
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
180
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restra int .
It is usually best to put these children in appro­
priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The routing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat .
Ch ildren who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
child is. Always remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts . The
child's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child 's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and will receive serious or possibly even fatal injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the fron t seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's .,,.

M N
co
a:
co
,...., \!) ..,.,
N ..,., ,....,
body and the front of the passenger compart ­
ment, the airbag can inflate comp letely and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in certain frontal
coll is ions .
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the booster
seat imprope rly, incorrect ly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­ prope rly increases the r isk of se rious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency sit uat ion. To he lp reduce the risk of se­
r ious personal inju ry and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt mus t lie as close to the
c en ter o f the child's co llar bone as possible
and must lie f lat and snug on the uppe r
body.
It must never lie across the throat o r
neck . The lap belt m ust lie across the pelv is
and never across the stomach or abdomen.
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to t ighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe in juries in an
acc ident or other emergency situat ion
~ page 144.
-The rea r side of the child safety seat shou ld
be pos it ioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head rest raint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat w ith the he ad
res traint in p lace
~ page 67. Inst all the
head restraint again immed iate ly once the
child seat is removed . Dr iv ing without head
restraints or with head rest raints that are
not prope rly adjusted inc reases the r isk o f
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be ser ious ly in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
yo ur vehicle.
- Always remember that a chi ld lean ing fo r­
ward, sitting s ideways or o ut o f pos ition in
any way dur ing an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. Th is w ill result in ser ious
persona l inju ry or death .
Child sa fety
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenge r seat because o f exceptional
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on and stay on, when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched o n.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribed
~ page 162, Monitoring
th e Advanc ed Airbag System.
- Take t he chi ld restraint off the fron t passen­
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rea r seat posi tions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t does n ot stay on whenever
the igni tion is switched on.
- Always read and heed al l WARN IN GS when­
eve r using a child res tra ine d in a vehicle is
be ing used ¢
page 1 44, Safety belts,
¢ page 152, Airbag system and
¢ page 172, 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 lock ed with th e conv ertible locking
retrac tor to properly secure child safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retracto rs fo r
the rea r seats safety belts an d for the front pas­
senger 's seat safety be lt have a convert ible lo ck­
i ng re tr acto r fo r child restr aints. The safety be lt
must be loc ked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The ret ractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety be lt webb ing
from loosen ing up d uring normal driv ing. A child
safety seat can on ly be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and c h ild safety seat will stay in p lace .
Always remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especially those 12 years and younge r,
shou ld always r ide in the back seat prope rly re ­
stra ined for their age and size.
181