height AUDI Q7 2018 Owner´s Manual

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:E - Engine oil temperature display and boost
indicator
Applies to: vehicles with engine oil temperature display/boost
indicator
Applies to: vehicles with analog instrument cluster
The engine oil temperature and boost indicator
are only show n in the lap timer disp lay
~ page 98 .
Engine oil temperature indicator
Applies to: vehicles with Audi virtual cockpit
The engine oil temperatu re is only shown in t he
e nhanced view or in the spo rt view ~
page 14.
When engine oil temperatures are low, the dis­
p lay -- -°F ( ---
0
() appears in the inst rumen t clus ­
ter .
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture when the engine oil temperature is between
176 °F (80 °() and 248 °F (120 °() under normal
d riving conditions . The eng ine oil temperatu re
may be hi gher if there is heavy eng ine load and
hi gh temperat ures outside. This is not a ca use for
concer n as long as the . ~
page 23 or II
~ page 24 ind icator lights do no t tu rn o n.
Boost indicator
Applies to: vehicles with Audi virtual cockpit
The boost indica to r is only displayed in the sport
v iew ~
page 14.
The current engine load (meaning the c urrent
boost p ressure) is indicated by a ba r.
Head-up display
Applies to: vehicles with head-up display
Fig . 14 In st rum ent pa ne l: kn ob for the hea d-up d is pl ay
Cockpit overview
T he head -up d isp lay pro jects certain wa rnings or
se lected information from the assist systems* or
navigation* on the windsh ield . The display ap­
pears w ith in the driver's field of vision .
Switching on/off
"" To switch t he head- up display on, press the~
knob.
.. To switch t he head -up display off, press the~
knob .
Adjusting the height
The he igh t of t he d isplay can be adjus ted to the
individ ual d river .
"" Ma ke sure you are seat ed co rrectly
~ page 253.
""Tur n the knob~ to adjus t the disp lay.
Settings in the Infotainment system
"" Select in the Infotainment system: I MENU ! but­
ton
> Vehicle > left control b utton > Driver as­
sistance > Head-up display .
Display content
In the Infotainment system, you can specify
which information should be d isp layed: For ex­
amp le , this ca n include navigatio n information *,
adaptive c ruise co ntro l* or camera-based traffic
s ign recognition*.
The display o f ce rtain information and some of
the red indicator l igh ts can not be hidden in the
Infota inment system.
Brightness
You can adjust the disp lay br ightness in the Info­
ta inment system . The display br ightness decreas­
es automatically as the amount of light decreas ­
es. The backg round br ightness is ad justed w ith
the instr ument illumination ~
page 47.
Picture rotation
You can rotate the picture in the Infotainment
system clockwise or counterclockwise.
17

Cockpit overv ie w
{QJ Note
To prevent scratches on the g lass covering the
head -up d isp lay, do not place any ob jects in
the projection opening.
(D Tips
- Sung lasses with polarization fi lters and un ­
favorab le lighting conditions can have a
negative effect on the display.
- An optimum display depends on t he seat
position and the height adjustment of the
head-up display.
- A specia l windshield is needed for the head ­
u p d isp lay f unction.
- For information on cleaning, see¢
table In ­
terior cleaning on page 353.
Indicator lights
Description
The indicato r lights in the inst rument cl uste r
blink or t urn on. They indica te funct ions or ma l­
f u nctions.
M essages may appea r with some indicator lights.
A wa rni ng sig nal w ill sound at the same t ime.
The indicato r lights and messages in the ins tru ­
ment cluster display can be covered by other d is ­
p lays. To show them again, select the second tab
with the mu ltifunction stee ring wheel
¢ page 12.
If there are several malfunctions, you can d isplay
them one at a time using the thumbwheel.
Some indicator lights in the disp lay can display in
several colors.
& Central indicator light
If the . or Q indicator light turns on, check
the message in the instrument cluster .
Overview
Some indicator lights turn on briefly as a function
check when you switch the ign ition on . These sys­
tems are marked wit h a./ in the following tables.
I f one of these indica to r ligh ts does not tur n on,
there is a ma lfu nction in t hat system.
18
Red indicator lights
--------------
Centra l indicator light
¢ page 18,
Audi pre sense*
¢page 112
USA models:
Brake system ./
¢page 21
Canada mod els:
B rake system ./
¢page 21
USA models:
Electromechanical parking brake
¢ page22
Ca nada model s:
E lectromechanical parking brake
¢ page 22
Cooling sys tem
¢page 22
Eng ine o il p ress ure
¢page 23
Engine o il level (MI N)*
¢ page24
Alternator
¢page 23
Safety be lt
¢ page 23
Electromechanical power steering,
all-wheel steering* ./
¢page 146
Steering lock
¢ page24
Eng ine sta rt system
¢page24
Transmission
¢page 90
Hood
¢page24
Adaptive cruise contro l*./
¢ page 104
Traffic jam assist*
¢page 109

Opening and clo sing
Storin g th e luggag e comp artm ent lid
o pening posit ion
~ Bring the luggage compartment lid into the de­
sired open position. The position must be at a
certain height or higher to store.
~ Press and hold the C> button in the luggage
compartment lid for at least four seconds to
store the new open position . A visual and audio
s ignal will follow .
~ To set a h igher open position, wait at least five
seconds and then caref ully press the luggage
compartment lid upward .
~ Press and hold the C> button again for at least
four seconds to store the desired opening posi ­
tion.
The opening/closing process wi ll stop immedi­
ately if :
- Yo u pull/release the
C> switch in the driver's
door, or
- Applies to: vehicles with convenience key:
press/release the
C> button on the remote
contro l key, or
- Applies to: vehicles with conveniern;e key: press
the
C> button or the {n but ton in the luggage
compartment lid, or
- Yo u push the hand le in the luggage compart ­
ment lid, or
- When something b locks the luggage compa rt­
ment lid or makes it difficu lt fo r the lid to
move .
I f you press the hand le or one of the
C> or {n but­
tons (veh icles w it h conven ience key*) now, the
luggage compartment lid w ill either open or
close, depending on its angle .
A WARNING
-After closing the luggage compartment lid,
make s ure that it is latched. Otherwise, the
l uggage compartment lid could open sud­
denly when driving, which increases the risk
of an accident .
- Pay careful attention when closing the lug­
gage compartment lid. Otherw ise, you could
cause serious injury to yourself or others de ­
spite the pinch protection .
36
-To reduce the risk of pinching injuries, a l­
ways make sure that no one is in the operat­ ing area of the luggage compartment lid, in­
cluding the hinge areas and the upper and
lower edge of the luggage compartment lid .
- Never drive with the luggage compartment
lid ajar or open, because poisonous gases
can enter the vehicle inte rior and create the
risk of asphyx iat ion.
- If there is a luggage rack (such as a bicycle rack) on the luggage compartment lid, the
luggage compartment lid may not ope n
comp letely under cert ain ci rcumstan ces or it
co uld close by itself if open due to t he extra
weight. There fore, the open luggage com ­
partment lid must be given additional sup­
port or the cargo must fi rst be removed
from the luggage rack.
@ Note
The l uggage compa rtment lid can bump into
objects s uch as the garage ceiling when open­
i ng and become damaged .
(D Tips
- The settings in the Infotainment system de ­
termine if t he luggage compartment lid can
be opened using the hand le
~ page 34.
- Th ere are audible signals when closing the
luggage compartment lid with the remote
contro l key (vehicles with conven ience key*)
or with the
C> button in the driver's door.
- When the vehicle is locked, the luggage
compartment lid can be unlocked sepa rately
by pressing the
C> button on the remote
control key . The luggage compartme nt lid
locks automat ically when it is closed again.
- Applies to: vehicles with convenience key:
The luggage compartment lid can be closed
with the conven ience from a distance up to
approximate ly 9 ft (3 m).
- T he luggage compartment lid can be oper­
ated manua lly if the veh icle battery is low .
It is necessa ry to use mo re force when do ing
this. Move the lid s low ly to redu ce the
amou nt o f fo rce needed. ..,.

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:E ' Power steering wheel position adjustment
Applies to: vehicles with power steering wheel adjustment
The steering wheel position con be adjusted elec­
trically up and down and forward and bock.
Fig. 80 Steerin g co lu m n: sw itch to adjust th e steeri ng
whee l pos ition
.. To adjust the height, press the switch up/down .
The steer ing column will cont inue moving as
long as you are pressing the switch .
.. To move the steering wheel forward or back,
press the switch forward/back. The steering
column will continue moving as long as you are
pressing the switch.
The steering wheel can also be adjusted when the
ignition is switched off .
In vehicles with memory function*, the steer ing
column sett ings are stored together with the
seat position.
Easy seat entry
Applies to: vehicles with power steering wheel adjustment
Easy seat entry makes it easier to enter and exit
the vehicle by adjusting the steering column au­
tomatically.
.. Select in the Infotainment system: !MENUI but­
ton
> Vehicle > left contro l button > Vehicle
settings> Seats> Driver's seat> Easy entry
function .
When easy seat entry is switched on, the steering
column goes back up into the park position when
the ignition is switched off. After entering the ve­
hicle, the steering column returns to the stored
position once the ignition is switched on.
Driving
Starting and stopping
the engine
Starting the engine
The ! STAR T ENGINE ST OPI button switches the
ignition on and starts the engine.
Fig. 81 Cockpit : S TART ENGINE STOP butto n
Starting the engine
.. Press the brake pedal.
.. Press the
!START ENGINE STOP ! button
c;, fig. 81. The engine will start.
Switching the ignition on/off
If you would like to switch the ignition on with­
out starting the engine, follow these steps:
"' Press the
!S T AR T ENGINE S T OP I button with ­
out pressing the brake pedal. Vehicles without
the Start/Stop system*: the need le in the tach­
ometer moves into the
READY position .
.. To switch the ignition off, press the button
again. The needle in the tachometer moves into
the
OFF position.
Equipment that uses a lot of electricity is switch­
ed off temporarily when you start the engine.
If the engine does not start immediately, the
starting procedure stops automatica lly after a
short time. Repeat the starting procedure.
Applies to: vehicles with diesel engine: it may
take slightly longer for the engine to start when
temperatures are coo ler. Therefore, you must
continue pressing the clutch pedal (manual
transmission) or the brake pedal (automatic
transmission) until the engine starts. The
IJ in­
dicator light turns on while the engine is preheat-
ing .
IJJI>
77

Difficult terrain and off-road
When driving in unfamiliar areas and offroad,
drive slowly and keep on the watch for unexpect­
ed obstacles (such as potholes, rocks, tree
stumps, etc.).
To prevent the vehicle from bottoming out and to
reduce the risk of underbody damage, you should
drive across uneven ground on only one side of
the vehicle so that only two of your wheels cross
the uneven area, instead of driving across the
center of the uneven area with all four wheels.
Drive quickly through sandy or marshy off-road
sections and do not stop , if at all possible.
Driving through water
Also read the information found in r=;, page 74.
Driving on a slope
If you are ever unable to drive up a hill, do not try
to turn around . Drive back down in
reverse in­
stead . Otherwise you run the risk of t ipping over.
If the vehicle threatens to tip over when driving
across a slope, you must immediately steer
downhill in the direction of the slope.
Do not park your vehicle on steep hills .
To reduce the r isk of tipping over, drive on hills in
the direction of the downward slope (fa ll line) -
never crosswise.
Tilt angle display
Description
Applies to: vehicles wit h a tilt ang le display
110 · I l 1ft / offrnortr1 ( ~ ....
All road
!r
-
Q
l " __,.._
Comfort 4 ~
J
ll" 11• Auto O" •
Dynamic

~ ~
Individual 11• I/"
~t-;s
Fig. 84 Infotainment system : tilt angle d isplay
a
~ You can see the vehicle position in relation to a N
~ leve l plane using the tilt angle display in the In-~
g fotainment system . Both the sideways angle @
:E ' Driving
and the lengthwise ang le @ of the vehicle are
displayed. The accuracy depends on the driving
s ituation and is norma lly around 1
°. The side­
ways angle of your vehicle should not exceed the
yellow range in the gauge. If it reaches the red
range, there is a risk that the vehicle might tip
r=;,_& .
Displaying the tilt angle display
.. Select in the Infotainment system: I MENU ! but-
ton>
Vehicle > Lift/ Offroad or Allroad*.
Showing the additional display
To change the contents shown in the right area of
the screen, se lect in the Infotainment system:
right control button>
Additional display.
Angle :
this disp lays the current steering wheel
angle and the maximum angle that was reached
during a drive . These values are reset when the
ignition is switched off .
Position: displays the height, direct ion and geo­
coordinates of the current vehicle posit ion.
Off : only the air suspension display remains on .
.&_ WARNING
- Do not exceed the yellow range in the
gauge. Your vehicle can tip, which increases
the risk of an accident.
- Under some circumstances , the vehicle can
tip over or tilt sideways even if the sideways
angle is low. The angle display does not re­
p lace the driver's attention . To reduce the
risk of an accident, make sure the vehicle
does not tip, especially when you are driv ing
at high speeds.
Automatic transmission
Introduction
T he automatic transmission is controlled elec­
tronically . Power is transferred using a torque
converter.
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode. The transmission upshifts at a lower RPM .,.
85

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:E ' Air suspension *
The air suspension* is an electronically-control­
l ed air suspension and damping sys tem . The ad ­
justment depends on the driving mode selected, steering movements, the driver's braking and ac­
celerat ion, and as the road surface, vehicle speed
and load. The veh icle ground clearance depends
on the mode selected and the speed.
The ground clearance increases s ignificantly
when the vehicle is in the
All road mode . At
speeds from approximate ly 50 mph (80 km/h) to
75 mph (120 km/h), the ground clearance re­
duces in stages . When the speed decreases, the
g round clea rance increases again a utomat ically.
The ground clearance is the lowest in
Dynamic
mode.
Steering
The power steering adapts. Ind irect steer ing that
moves easily as in
Comfort mode is especia lly
suited to long drives on highways. The
Dynam ic
mode provides sporty, direct steering.
All-wheel steer ing*
All-wheel steer ing increases dr iving comfort by
providing add it ional steering ability at the rear
axle. Steer ing in the opposite d irection at low
speeds dec reases the turning rad ius. Steering in
the same d irect io n a t high speeds imp roves the
r e sponse t ime whi le increas ing dr iv ing stab ility at
the same time .
Sport differential*
As a componen t of the all wheel d rive system
(quattro)
~ page 146, the sport diffe rential dis­
tr ib utes the dr iv ing power to the rear ax le de­
pending on the situa tion. The dis tribution of
power var ies dependi ng on the selected mode
from moderate
(Comfort ) to sporty (Dynamic ).
The goa l is a high level of agility and ability to ac ­
celerate on curves . The veh icle is very responsive
to steer ing.
Adaptive cruise control (ACC)*
The behavior when accelerating can be adjusted
from comfortab le to sporty, depending on the
drive select mode . Adaptive cru ise control a lso
A ssi st a nce systems
responds to the driv ing behavior of the vehicle
ahead in a more conservative or sporty manner.
Engine sound*
T he eng ine sound adap ts to the c urren t mode
and can be subtle to sporty .
(D Note
Applies to: vehicles with air suspensio n
-Make sure there is enough clearance above
and below the vehicle when pa rk ing. The
height of the ve hicle (gro und clea rance) can
change once it is par ked due to temperature
fluctuations, changes to the load conditions
and changes to the dr iving modes.
- When transporting the vehicle on a car car ­
r ier, train, ship or by other means, o nly tie
the vehicle down at the runn ing s urface of
the ti res, which is the outer c ircumference.
Sec uring the vehicle at the axle compo­
ne nts , sus pension str uts o r towing eyes is
no t pe rm itted because the pres sure in the
air suspens ion s truts ca n change d uring
tr anspo rt . The ve hicle may not be secu red
sufficiently if this ha ppens.
(D Tips
The "S" se lector lever posi tion automatic ally
engages w hen the
Dynamic mode is selected.
Selecting the driving mode
Applies to: vehicles wi th Aud i drive select
~- ------ -
~
Fig. 1 26 Ce nter console: co ntro ls for d rive select
.,,. Press the le ft or righ t arrow key~ fig. 126 unt il
t he desired mode appe ars in the ins trumen t
cluste r/ Infotainmen t system disp lay. O r ..,,.
129

Drivin g saf ety
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
The individua l safety features of your vehicle can
work together 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 .
This chapter contains important informat ion,
tips, instruct ions and warn ings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of you r passengers and others . We have summar­
ized here w hat you need to know about safety
be lts, a irbags, child restra ints as well as child
safety. Yo ur safety is for us priority number 1. Al­
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section -for your own safety as we ll as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle . Some of the fea­
tures described in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equ ipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your author ized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in th is
manual.
It is in your inte rest and in the in­
te rest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep all of the Owner's L iterature
manuals in yo ur Audi when you lend o r sell
yo ur vehicle so that this import ant informa­
t ion w ill alw ays be availab le to the dr iver
and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner 's Lite ra ture han dy
so that you can find it easi ly if yo u have
questions .
252
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,
bef ore dri ving alw ays:
.. Make sure that a ll 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 vis ibility to the outs ide .
.. Sec ure all luggage and othe r items ca refully
¢ page
257 .
.. Make sure tha t noth ing ca n interfere wi th the
peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their he ight.
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect children¢ page 291, Child
safety .
• Sit proper ly in yo ur seat a nd make sure t hat
your passenge rs do the same ¢ page 54, Front
seats .
.. Fasten your sa fety belt and wear it p roperly . Al ­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty be lts properly ¢ page 261 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the rood without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is responsib le for the safety of the ve ­
hicle and a ll of its occupants. If your ability to
drive is impa ired, safety risks for everybody in the
vehicle increase and you a lso become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢
_&.. Therefore:
.. Do not let yourse lf be distracted by passenge rs
or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by med ications, alcohol, drugs, etc .) .
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed lim its and plain common sense . .,.

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:E ' • Make sure the seatback of the rear sea t bench
is in an upright position and secure ly latched in
place before using the belt¢.&_ .
• Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis ¢
fig. 228, ¢ .&_ .
• Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
• Pullon the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equ ipped with an automatic
belt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
locks the belt when the belt is pu lled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident . T he belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or thr ough a s harp curve. Dur ing normal dr iv­
ing the bel t lets you move freely.
Safet y belt pretensioners
Safety belts wit h pretensioners he lp to tighte n
the safety belt and remove s lack when the pre­
tensione rs a re activate d¢
page 267 . T he fu nc­
t ion of the pretensioner is moni to red by a warn­
ing light
q page 25.
Convertible locking retractor
E very safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is eq uipped w ith a co nvertible locking ret rac­
tor that
must be used when the safety bel t is
used to attach a child safe ty seat. Be sure to read
the impo rtant i nfo rmat ion about this feature
¢ page 302.
.&._ WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
q page 265,
Safety belt position .
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
-Always ma ke sure that the rear seat bac k­
rest to wh ich the center rear safety be lt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear cente r safety belt is being used .
If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen­
ger will move forward with the backrest dur-
Safet y bel ts
ing sudden braking, in a s udden ma neuver
and espec ia lly in a crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attach ing the be lt to the
wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt effec­
tiveness and can cause serio us personal i n­
jury .
- A passenger who is not properly rest rai ned
can be seriously injured by the safety belt it­
self when it moves from the st ronge r parts
of the body into c ritical areas like the abdo­
men .
- Always loc k the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are s ecu ring a c hild safety seat in
the vehicle
q page 304.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi ­
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 22 9 Safet y belt pos it ion
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to matc h your body
s ize .
- be lt height adjus tment for the front seats,
- he igh t-a djust able fro nt seat s.
.&_ WARNING
Im properly posi tioned sa fe ty belts can ca use
se rious pe rsonal injury in an acc ident .
- Th e shou lde r belt should lie as close to the
center of t he collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body . Ho ld the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos-
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure ..,.
265

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:E ' Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strap routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size.
F ig . 2 32 Safety belt height adjustment -loop -around fit­
t ings
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
¢ .&. in Safety belt position on
page 265.
~ Push the loop-a round fitt ings up ¢ fig. 232 @,
or
~ squeeze together the(!) button, and push the
l oop-arou nd 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¢
page 264.
(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 be lts improperly can cause seri ­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can on ly work
when they are co rrectly positioned on the body .
Improper seating positions reduce the effective­
ness of safety belts and will even increase the
Safet y bel ts
risk of in jury and death by moving the safety be lt
to critical areas of the body. Improper seating
pos itions also increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag dep loys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating posi­
t ion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and especially for ch ildren.
Therefore:
~ Never perm it anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
¢ .&_ .
.&, WARNING
Imp roperly wo rn safety belts increase the risk
of ser ious personal inj ury and death whenever
a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all ve hicle occupants
are cor rec tly rest rained and stay in a corre ct
seating posi tion whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other impor tant informat ion¢
page 264.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
Rever sible safety belt pretensioners
The following functions are available when safety
belts w ith reversible safety belt tensioners are
fastened:
-Automatic tensioners: at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automatically adjust to the
passenger after a certain time period or veh icle
speed. To switch the automatic tensioners off,
select the following in the Infotainment sys­
tem:
! ME NUI button> Car > left control b utton
> Vehicle setting s> Seat s > Driver' s seat or
Pa ssenger' s seat > Automati c be lt ten sion er.
- I n ce rta in driving situations, the safety bel ts
may tighten wit h a reversib le tensioning func­
tion
¢ page 112.
-The safety be lts may also tighten with this re­
versible te nsion ing funct ion in m inor collisions . .,._
267

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 . 245 Rea r seat: chi ld p roper ly restrained in a booster
sea t
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 chi ld on a booster seat .
.. The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as possib le 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
¢page 297.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety seats de­
a ~ signed for their age and we ight. Experts say that
N ~ the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis , of
g these children is not fully developed, and they
:E ' Child safety
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 applicab le 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 chi ld's body in the right places. The routing of
the be lt over the chi ld's body is very important
for the ch ild's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle 's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any ch ild, regard less of how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that child ren 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 shoulde r 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 pe lvis . 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 considerab le 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 pan t moves forward into the airbag .
A vehicle occ upant who is out of position and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inf lating
airbag. When an occupant is too close , he or she
will be struck violent ly and w ill rece ive serious or
poss ibly even fata l injury .
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child's ..,_
301