AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2014 Owners Manual

-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 in 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 air­
bag system inspected immediately by
your Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
- Forward-facing child seats installed on
the front passenger seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and
cause serious personal injury to the
child.
- 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 the follow­
ing special precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-fac­
ing seat has been designed and certi­
fied by its manufacturer for use on a
front passenger seat with a front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­
turer's instructions provided with the
child seat or infant carrier.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if
the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions require the top tether strap
to be used.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper an­
chorage to the adjustment position
that permits proper installation in ac­
cordance with the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions.
- Always move the passenger seat into
its rearmost position in the seat's fore
and aft adjustment range, as far away
.
Child Safety 169
from the airbag as possible before in­
stalling the child restraint. The back­
rest must be adjusted to an upright po­
sition.
- Always make sure that nothing pre­
vents the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such
as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats). These may in­
fluence the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger
detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the device is connected
to the 12-volt socket or the cigarette
lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passen­ ger seat, never install any child re­
straint system on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger
seat cushion.
- Always 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 PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the forward-facing child
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
~
•
•

1 70 Child Safety
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in ave­
hicle
q page 133, Safety belts,
q page 142, Airbag system and
q page 168, Important things to
know.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age 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 "Ad­
vanced 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" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with 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 "sup ­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn
off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al ­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger 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 for­
ward -facing child safety seat. It can be a very dangerous place
for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a
capacitive passenger detection system in the
front passenger seat cushion that can detect
the presence of a baby or a child in a child re­
straint system on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system
registers the changes that result in an electri­
cal field when a child, a child restraint, and a
baby blanket are on the front passenger seat .
The change in the measured capacitance due
to the presence of a child, a child restraint,
and a baby blanket on the front passenger
seat is related to the child restraint system
resting on the seat. The measured capacitance
of a child restraint system varies depending
on the type of system and specific make and
model.
The electrical capacitance of the various
types, makes, and models of child restraints
specified by the U.S.National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NH TSA) in the relevant
safety standard are stored in the Advanced
Airbag System control unit together with the capacitances typical of infants and a 1-year
old child. When a child restraint is used on the
front passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Advanced Airbag System compares
the capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system with the data
stored in the electronic control unit. Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in excep­
tional circumstances you must use it on the
front passenger seat, carefully read all of the
information on child safety and Advanced Air-
bags and heed all of the applicable .,..

WARNINGS. Make certain that the child and
chi ld restraint are correct ly recognized by the
capacitive passenger detect ion system in the
front passenger seat, that the front passenger
airbag is turned
off, and that the airbag status
is always correct ly signaled by the
PASS EN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light .
Many types and models of child restra ints
have been available over the years, new mod­
e ls are introduced regular ly incorporating new
and improved designs a nd older models are
taken out of production. Child restraints are not standardized. Ch ild restra ints of the same
type typically h ave different we ights and s izes
and d ifferen t "footprints", the size and shape
of the bottom of the child restraint that sits
on the seat, when they are installed on a vehi ­
cle seat. These differences make it virtually
imposs ible to certify compliance with the re­
qu irements for advanced airbags w ith each
and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold ove r the course
of the useful life of yo ur vehicle.
For this reason, the United States Nat ional
H ighway Traffic Safety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes and
models of child restraints that must be used
to ce rtify compliance of t he Advanced A irbag
System in yo ur vehicle with the supp ress io n
requirements of Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard 208 . These child restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ange
l Guard Ange l September 25, 200 7
Ride AA2403 FOF
Subpart B -Rear -facing child restra ints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit December 1, 1999
4543
Cosco Arriva September 25, 200 7
2 2-0 13 PAW an d base
22-999WHO
Child Sa fet y 1 71
Model Manufactured on or
after
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007 Peg Perego Pr imo Vi- September 25, 2007
aggio SI P IMUNOOUS
Subpart C -Forw ard-facing and
convertible child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 025 19 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco H igh Back September 2 5, 2007
Booster 22- 209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenf lo Meda llion December 1, 1999
254
E venflo Generations September 2 5, 200 7
35 2xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Gr aco Todd ler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco P lati num Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of ser ious injury, ma ke
sure th at the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and st ays on wheneve r a
chi ld restraint is installed on the front pas ­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Ta ke the chi ld restraint
off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on. ~
•
•

172 Child Safety
-Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate­
ly.
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correc t use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safe­
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially chil­
dren :
• Always use the right child safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
r:::;, page 174.
• Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety seat.
• When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
r:;, page 179.
• 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
r:;,page 174.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children , especially those 12 years and young­
er, should always ride in the back seat proper­
ly restrained for their age and size.
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­ stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death .
-
-All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must always be restrained properly
whenever riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child can be injured or killed by be­
ing thrown against the inside of the ve­
hicle or by being ejected from it during
a sudden maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrain­
ed child is at much greater risk of injury
or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that
fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion . The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube -like
frames. They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using .
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt . They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo­
men and neck areas during sudden brak­
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in

an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger .
- The child and the passenger can also
injure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­ ger 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 or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat can in­
terfere with the airbag when it inflates
and cause serious injury to the child. Al­
ways install forward-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- 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 precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­
turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat
into the rearmost position of the pas­
senger 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 pre­
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is
in the upright position .
Child Safety 173
-Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CO player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the device is connected
to the 12-volt socket or the cigarette
lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passen­
ger seat, never install any child re­
straint system on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger
seat cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such
as a laptop, CO player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats). These may in­
fluence the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger
detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious personal injury .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­ hicle is being used
~ page 133, Safety
belts,
~ page 142, Airbag system and
~ page 168, Child Safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat and the ignition is switched
on .
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate ­
ly . •
•

17 4 Child Safety
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 169 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats.@-outer rear
safety belt
If a ch ild safety seat is used on the rear bench,
espec ially w ith LATCH unive rsal lower ancho­
rages, the unused safety belts
mu st be se­
cured so that the ch ild in the child restra in t
cannot reach them
r::;, ,&. .
-Gui de the safety belt webbing @behind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re­
stra in t is ins talled
r::;, fig. 169 . When do ing
so, do not engage the switchable locking re­
t ractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when winding up the safety be lt.
- Let the belt re tracto r wind up the safety be lt
webbing .
~ WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with
the LATCH lower anchorages or w ith the
standard safety belt or a child in a booster
seat on the rear seat could play with un­
used rear seat safety belts and become en­
tangled . This could cause the child se rious
personal in jury and even deat h.
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of ch ildren in ch ild
seats such as by prope rly routing them
around the head res traint of the seat
where the child res traint is installed.
- N ever activate the sw itchab le lo cking re­
tr actor when ro uting the safety belts
around the head rest raints.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs . or
9 kg need special rearward-fac­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
Fig . 1 70 Schem atic overview: rearward-fac ing infant
seat, properly installed on th e rear seat
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from mov ing
c:;,page 179 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachmen ts .
.,.. Push the chi ld safety seat down with yo ur
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:;,page 174.
Infants up to about one yea r (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in spec ial infant carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts be lieve that infants and
small ch ild ren shou ld ride on ly in sp ecial re­
stra ints in wh ich the child faces the back of
t h e ve hicle. These infa nt sea ts sup port the ba­
by 's back, ne ck and head in a c rash
r::;, fig. 1 70 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fron t seat a pote ntia lly dange ro us place for a
c hi ld to ride. The fron t se at i s not the safest
place for a child in a forward-facing child sea t.
It is a very dange rous place fo r an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-fac ing seat .
llll>-

_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­ stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
crash .
- Never install rea r-facing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat - even with an Advanced Air­
bag System. A child wilt be seriously in­
jured and can be ki lled when the inflat ­
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and smashes
the ch ild safety seat and child aga inst
the backrest, center armrest, door or roof ¢
page 144, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know .
- Always install rear -facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint
in the forward-facing direction . Such re ­
straints are designed for the spec ial
needs of infants and very small childre n
and cannot p rotect them properly if the
sea t is forward-fac ing .
-If you mus t install a rea rward faci ng
child safety seat on the fron t passenger
seat beca use of excep tional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on , im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating posit ion and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electron ic
games dev ice, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the devi ce is connected to
the 12 -v o lt socket or the cigarette light­
er soc ket .
- If a seat heater has been re trofi tted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
sea t, never ins ta ll any child rest raint sys­
tem on this seat .
Child Safety 175
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion .
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as
a laptop, CD player, e lectronic games de­
vice, powe r inverter or seat heater for
child seats) . These may influence the
e lectrical capacitance measured by the
capacitive passenge r detection system
a nd can also f ly around in an acc ident
and cause serious persona l injury.
- Always re ad and heed alt WAR NINGS
wheneve r using a child res trained in ave­
hicle is being used ¢
page 133 , Safety
belts,
¢ page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 168 , Important things to know .
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used conv ertibl e child saf ety s eats
can help protect toddlers and children ov er
age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs . (9
and 18 kg) in o crash .
Fig. 1 71 Sc hemat ic ove rv iew : instal lat ion of t he a t·
t ac hment s applicab le to a LA T CH seat
F ig . 1 72 Sc hem at ic ove rview : in sta llati oh of t he sea t
us ing the ve hicle 's s afety be lt syste m
.. When using the vehicle safe ty belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate ..,

176 Child Safety
the convertible locking feature on the safety
belt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving ¢
page 179 or install the seat using
the LATCH attachments .
.,. Push the child safe ty 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)
¢ page 179.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 185.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 174.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg).
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more
than 20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
always be properly restrained in a child safety
seat certified for their size and weight
¢fig. 171 and ¢fig. 172.
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 safe­
ty seat. It is a very dangerous place for an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
collision or other emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag 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 in­
flates -even with an Advanced 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
arm rest, 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 because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately 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.
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or remove the rear seat head restraint if it
is difficult to install the child seat with
the head restraint in place
¢ page 57. In­
stall the head restraint again immediate­
ly once the child seat is removed. Driving
without head restraints or with head re­ straints that are not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢page 133, Safety
belts,
¢ page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 168, Important things to know.
A WARNING ~ -
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's safe­
ty and well-being require that the follow­ ing special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a passenger front and side airbag .

-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
struct ions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of t he passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that noth ing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upr ight position .
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player , electron ic
games dev ice, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the device is conne cted to
the 12-vo lt socket or the cigarette light ­
er socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys ­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never place obj ects on the seat (such as
a laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice , power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the
electrical capacitance measu red by the
capacit ive passeng er detection system
and can a lso fly aro und in an accident
and cau se se riou s person al injury.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht comes on and s tays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and s tay on, immedi­
ately install the forwa rd-facing child seat
at a seating position on the rear seat and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer . Child S
afety 177
- Ta ke the chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs . (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters) tall.
In .... N 0 ±
~
Fi g. 1 73 Rea r seat: c hild p roperly res trained in a boos­
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone w ill not fit
most children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 me ters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs . (36 kg) . Booster seats rais e these chi l­
dren up so tha t the safety belt w ill pass p rop­
erly over the stronge r parts of the ir bodies
and the safety be lt can he lp protect them in a
crash .
.,. Do not use the convert ible lo cki ng ret ra ctor
when using the ve hicl e's s afety be lt to re­
s train a ch ild on a booster seat.
... The shoulde r belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possib le
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap be lt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomac h or abdomen .
Make s ure the belt lies flat and sn ug. Pull on
t h e belt to tight en if necessary.
.,. If you must t ransport an o lde r ch ild i n a
booste r seat on t he front passenger sea t,
you can use the safety be lt height adjus t­
ment to he lp ad just the shou lder portion
prope rly.
Iii>-

178 Child Saf ety
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::!;> page 174 .
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety
seats designed for their age and weight . Ex­
perts say that the ske leta l structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these chi ldren is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts w ithout a su itab le child restraint .
It is us ually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition bot h the lap and sho ulder
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 chi ld 's body is very
important for the ch ild's protection, whethe r
or not a booster 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. (S7 in­
ches/1.4S meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three po int lap and shoulder be lts .
Neve r use the lap belt portion of the veh icle's
safety be lt alone to restrain any child, rega rd­
l ess of how b ig the child is. Always remembe r
that c hildren do not have the pronounced pe l­
vic st ructure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point lap and shoulder be lts. The child's safety ab ­
solutely requires that a lap be lt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possib le around the pelvis . Never let the lap
be lt po rtion of the safety belt pass over the
chi ld's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with cons iderab le force . In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so t hat it will be there to p rotect the occupant
as the occupa nt moves forw ard into the air­
bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an
i n flat ing a irb ag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she w ill be str uck violen tly and will
receive se rious or possib ly even fatal in ­
jury .
In orde r fo r the ai rb ag to offer protect ion, i t is
i mpor tan t t hat a ll vehicle occup ants, espe cial­
ly any children, who m ust be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances , be
proper ly restrained and as fa r away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com ­
pletely and prov ide supplemental protection
in ce rtain frontal coll isions .
.8. WARNING
Not using a booste r seat, using the boos ­
ter seat imp roperly, in co rrectly installing a
b oos ter seat or using the vehicle sa fe ty
belt imp roperly increases the risk of seri ­
ous persona l injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situat ion. To he lp re­
d uce the risk of serio us personal injury
and/or death:
- The shou lder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possi­
b le and must lie flat and snug on the up­
per body . It must neve r lie across the
throat or neck . The lap belt must lie
across the pe lvis and neve r acr oss t he
s tomach o r abdomen.
M ake sure t hat the
be lt lies flat and snug. P ull on the bel t to
tighten if necessary.
- Failure to p roperly ro ute s afe ty belts
over a child's body wi ll ca use seve re inj u­
ries in an accident o r other emergency
situation
¢ page 133 .
-The rear side o f the child sa fety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For ad justab le head restraints: adjust or
remove the rea r seat head restra int if it
is difficult to install the child seat with
the head restraint in place
c:> page 57. In­
stall the head restraint again immed iate­
ly once the child seat is removed . Dr iv ing
without head restraints o r with head re-
.
straints that are not p roperly adjus ted Ii),