ECU AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK 2015 Owner's Manual

128 Driving Safely
th e lu gg age com partment to help pre -Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY :
vent items from shiftin g or flying
1-800-424-9153) or fo rwar d as dange ro us m iss iles.
- W hen the rear seat back rest is folded
1-800 -424-9393
down, always use su itab le mounting
st raps a nd pro perly secure items t o th e
or you may write to:
tie -downs in t he luggage com partmen t
NHTSA to help prev ent item s from f lying fo r-
w ar d as dan gerous miss iles into t he pas-
U.S. Department of Transporta-
se ng er compartm ent .
tion - N ever at tach a child sa fety seat tet her
s tra p to a tie- down.
1200 New Jersey Ave., S. E.
Reporting Safety
West Building
Washington, DC 20590
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
You can also obtain other infor-
mation about motor vehicle
If you believe that your vehicle safety from:
has a defect which could cause
a crash or could cause injury or http:/ /www. safe rca r. gov
death, you should immediately
Applicable to Canada
inform the National Highway If you live in Canada and you
Traffic Safety Admini stration
believe that your vehicle has a
(NHTSA) in addition to notify- defect that could cause a crash,
ing Audi of America, Inc. injury or death, you should im-
If NHTSA receives similar com- mediately inform Transport
plaints, it may open an investi- Canada, Defect Investigations
gation, and if it finds that a and Recalls. You should also no-
safety defects exists in a group tify Audi Canada.
of vehic les, it may order a recall
Canadian customers who wish
and remedy campaign. Howev- to report a safety-related de-
er , NHTSA cannot become in-
feet to Transport Canada, De-
volved in individual problems feet Investigations and Recalls,
between you, your dealer, or may either call Transport Cana-
Audi of America, Inc .
da toll-free at:
....
To contact the NHTSA , you may
either call:

"' N
a:: I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
~ Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
~ Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly.
- Always fasten your safety be lts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­ ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being d riv­
en .
- Never let any person ride with their feet
on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi ­
tion .
Safety belts 133
-Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be requ ired for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly.
If web­
bing , bindings, buckles, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct replacement safety belt
by an authorized Audi dealer. Replace­
ment may be necessary even if damage
cannot be clearly seen . Anchorages that
were loaded must also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or
try to repair the safety belts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inertia reel~
ta­
ble Cleaning interior on page 203.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 154 Bel t b uckle and to ngue on the drive r's seat

134 Safet y belt s
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer 's body .
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restr aint
properly
c::, page 53, General recommenda­
t ions .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright pos ition and securely
latched in place before using the belt
c::, .&, .
.,. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it even ­
ly across the chest and pelv is
c::, .&, .
.,. Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckl e of
yo ur sea t until you hea r it latc h securely
c::>fig. 154.
.,. Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in t he buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat­
i c belt retracto r on the shoulder be lt. This fea­
ture locks the be lt whe n the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and i n an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or throug h a sharp curve.
During normal driv ing the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The sa fety belts are equipped with a be lt pre ­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove s lack when the pretensioner is ac ­
tivated ¢
page 136. The function of the pre­
tensioner is mon it ored by a warning light
¢ page 18.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is eq uipped w ith a convertib le loc king re­
tractor that
must be used when the safety
be lt is used to attach a child seat. Be su re to
read the important information about this
featu re
c::> page 176.
.,& WARNING
Imprope rly posit ioned safety belts can
cause se rious injury in an accident
c::> page 13 4, Safety bel t posi tion.
- Safety belts offer opt imum protection
only when the seatback is upr ight and
be lts are properly posit ioned o n the
body .
- If the rear seat backrest is not securely
latched, the passenger w ill move for­
ward with the bac krest dur ing sudden
b ra ki ng, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
cially in a cra sh.
- N ever attach t he safety belt to t he buck­
le for another seat . Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce s afety be lt
effec tiveness and can cause seri ous per­
sonal injury .
- A passenger who is not prope rly restrain­
e d ca n be seriously injured by the safe ty
be lt itse lf w hen it moves from the st ron ­
ge r parts of the body into cr itical areas
like the abdomen.
- A lways loc k the conve rtible locking re ­
tractor when you are secu ring a child
seat in t he veh icle
c::, page 178.
(D Tips
F o r i nforma tion on safe ty belt pre tension­
e rs, refer to
c::, page 136.
Safety belt position
Correc t belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 155 Sa fety belt pos it ion
U se the height adjustment to change the posi­
tion of t he shoulder belt of the front safety
belts.
~

"' N
a:: I.J "". rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
_& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent .
- The shoulder belt shou ld lie as close to
the center of the collar bone as poss ible
and should fit we ll 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 possible on the pe lvis and there is
no press ure on the abdomen. The be lt
should a lways f it snugly
c> fig. 155 . Pull
on the be lt to tighten if necessary.
-A loose -fitting safety be lt ca n cause seri ­
o us injuries by shifting its position on
yo ur body from the strong bones to more
vulnerab le, soft tissue and cause serious
injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important information
c:.>page 133.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly- throughout the preg­
nancy .
Fig. 156 Safety belt pos it io n durin g pregnancy
To provide maxim um protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
c> page 134.
.. Adjust the front seat and adj ustab le head
restraint * correctly
c:.> page 53, General rec ­
omm endations.
Safety belts 135
.. Ho ld the belt by the tongue and pull it even ­
ly ac ross th e chest and pelv is
c> fig. 156,
c>&_ .
.. In sert the tongue into the cor rect buck le of
your sea t unt il you hear it la tch securely
c:.> page 133, fig . 154 .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buck le .
_& WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety belts can
cause ser ious persona l inju ry in an acc i­
dent .
-
-Expectant mothers m ust alw ays wea r the
lap portion o f the safety bel t as low as
possible across the pelvis and below the
round ing of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed a ll WARNI NGS and
other important information
c:.> &. in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 134.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
F ig. 157 Re le asin g the tong ue fro m the b uckle
.. Push the red release button on the buckle
c> fig . 157 . The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle
c> A_ .
.,. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the bel t tongue to its stowed position .
_& WARNING
Never unfasten sa fety belt whi le the vehi­
cle is mov ing . Doing so wi ll increase your
risk of being in jured or k illed .

M N
0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
-Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate­
ly.
(D Tips
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
Correct 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
¢ page 171.
~ 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
¢ page 176.
~ 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 171.
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.
-
Child Safety 169
- 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
•
•

"' N
a:: I.J ""'. rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 169 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from chi ldren in child safety seats. @-outer rear
safety belt
If a child safety seat is used o n the rear bench,
espec ially with LATCH universal lower ancho­
rages, the unused safety belts
mu st be se­
cured so that the ch ild in the ch ild restra int
cannot reach them ¢
,&..
- Gu ide the safety belt webbing @behind the
head restraint of the seat where the child re­
stra int is ins ta ll ed
¢ fig. 169. When do ing
so, do not engage the conve rtible locking re­
tractor! You should not hear a "clicking''
sound when winding up the safety be lt.
- Let the belt re tractor wind up the s afety be lt
webbing.
_& WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with
the LATCH lower anchorages or with the
standard safety belt or a child in a booster
seat on the rear seat could play with u n­ used rear seat safety belts and become en­
tangled. This could cause the child serious
pe rsonal in ju ry and even deat h.
-Always secure u nused rear seat safety
belts out of reach of ch ild ren in ch ild
sea ts such as by properly routing them
around the head res traint of the sea t
whe re the child res traint is installed.
- Never act ivate the convertib le loc king re­
tra ctor when rout ing the safety belts
around the head res traints.
Child S afety 1 71
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 . 170 Schematic overv iew: rearward-fac ing infant
seat, properly installed on t he rear seat
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertib le locki ng retractor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safety seat
from moving¢
page 176 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachmen ts .
.. Push the chi ld 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 171.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in spec ial infant carriers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group . Many experts believe that infants and
small ch ildren shou ld r ide on ly in special re­
stra in ts in wh ich the child fa ces the back of
the vehi cle. These infant sea ts support the ba­
by 's back, neck and head in a crash ¢
fig. 170 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentia lly 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 place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat. .,._

M N
0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
the convertibl e locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ¢
page 176 or install the seat
u sing the LATCH attachments .
.,. Push the child safe ty seat down with you r
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 176.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 182.
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Q page 171.
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 Qfig . 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.
Child Safety 173
- 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 130, Safety
belts,
Q page 139, Airbag system and
¢ page 165, 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 .
•
•

M N
0:: <.J 'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 171 .
Children up to at leas t 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 letal structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these chi ldren is not fu lly
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a su itable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
chi ld and reposition both the lap and shou lder
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 ch ild's protection, whether
or not a booste r seat is used . Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
C hi ldren who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three po int lap and shoulder belts .
Never use the lap belt portion of the veh icle's
safety be lt a lone to restrain any child, regard­
l ess of how b ig the child is. Always remembe r
that children do not have the pronounced pe l­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the ve hicle's three point
l ap and shoulder be lts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requ ires that a lap be lt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
be lt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a cras h, airbags must i nflate within a blink
of an eye and with cons iderable force. In orde r
to do i ts job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to p rotect the o ccupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­
bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of pos ition and
too close to the airbag gets i n the way of an
inflat ing a irbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she w ill be str uck violen tly and
Child Sa fet y 175
will receive se rious or possib ly even fatal in ­
jury .
In orde r fo r the airbag to offer pro te ction, i t is
important tha t all veh icle occupants, espec ial­
ly any children, who m ust be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the a irbag can inflate com ­
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions .
_&. WARNING
Not using a booste r seat, using the boos­
ter se at imp roperly, incorrectly installing a
boos ter sea t or using the vehicle safety
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
duce the risk of serious 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
ble and must lie f lat and snug on the up­
per body . It must never lie across the
throat or neck . The lap belt must lie
across the pelvis and neve r across the
s tom ach o r abd omen. Make sure that the
be lt lies flat and sn ug. Pull on the bel t to
tighten if necessary.
- Failure to p roperly ro ute safety belts
over a child's body will ca use seve re inj u­
ries in an accident or othe r emergency
situation
c::> page 130 .
-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 adj ustab le head restraints: adjust or
remove the rea r seat head restraint if it
is difficult to install the child seat w ith
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 properly adjusted ~
•
•

176 Child Saf ety
in creases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramat ically.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even w ith Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inf lates.
- 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
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning
forward, sitt ing s ideways or out of posi­
t ion in any way during an acc ident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or dea th .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep ­
t ional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the igni tion is sw itch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come o n and s tay on, perform
the chec ks des cribed
<=> page 151, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the child rest rain t off the front pas ­
senge r seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and hee d all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest ra ined in ave­
hicle is being used<=>
page 130, Safety
belts,<=> page 139, Airbag system
and
<=> page 165, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the conver tible
locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
f or the rear seats safe ty belts and for the fron
t passenger's seat safety be lt have a con ­
vertib le locking ret ractor for child restraints .
The safety belt m ust be locked so that be lt
webbing cannot unreel. The retractor can be activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from looseni ng up
duri ng normal dr iv ing. A child safety seat can
o nl y be prope rly insta lled when the safety be lt
i s lo cked so that t he ch ild and child safety
sea t w ill stay in place .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 1 2 years and young­
er, sho uld always r ide in the back seat prope r­
l y restra ined for the ir age and size.
& WARNING ,____._ -
I mproperly installed chi ld safety seats in ­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal in jury
and death in a co llision.
- Always make s ure that the safety belt re­
tracto r is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An un locked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing no rma l driving o r in a
crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it .
A loose child safety seat can fly arou nd
du ring a sudden stop or in a collision.
- If the rea r set backrest is not secure ly
latched, the ch ild and the child restra int
will be throw n forwa rd togethe r with the
backrest a nd wi ll str ike par ts of t he ve hi­
cle interior. The chil d can be ser iously in­
ju red or killed.
- N ever inst all re ar- fa cing child safety
seats or in fant c arriers on the front pas­
sen ger seat . A child will be serious ly in ­
jured and can be killed whe n the passen ­
ge r airbag in flates.
- The inflating air bag will h it the c hild
safety seat or infant carrie r with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst t he backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.

178 Child Saf ety
- 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
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint .
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
e r's instructions when install ing a ch ild re­
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tib le locking retractor:
• Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
• Slow ly pull the be lt
a ll th e wa y out.
• Route it around or through the chi ld re­
straint be lt path
q ,& .
• Push the child safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly t ight.
• Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position.
• Gu ide the safety belt back into the retractor
unt il the belt lies flat a nd snug on the ch ild
safety seat.
> You should hear a "click ing" noise as t he
belt w inds back into the ine rtia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt . You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor . The con­
vertib le lock ing retractor is now act ivated.
• Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the c hild restra int so that it
can be unbuckled quickly .
• Pullon the belt to make sure the safety belt
is p roperly t ight a nd fastened so that the
seat cannot move fo rward or sideways mo re
than one inch (2.5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
p roperly installed chi ld restraint can cause
serious pe rsonal injury or death in a c rash .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is loc ked when installing a child
safety seat. An un locked safety belt re­
tracto r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing no rma l driving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not si tt ing in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a s udden stop or in a crash .
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright pos ition and securely latched
into place and cannot fold fo rward. Oth­
erwise, the seatback with the child sa fety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an accident or other emer­
gency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave­
h icle is being used
q page 165. Special
p recautions apply when insta lling a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
q page 141, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound oil the way bock into
the retractor.
• Press the red b utton on the safety belt buck­
le. The belt tong ue will pop o ut of t he b uck­
le .
• Guide the safety belt all the way back into
its stowed position .
Always let the safety be lt retract completely
into its stowed position. The safety be lt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt w ith­
out the convertible locking retracto r for child
rest raints .
...