weight AUDI S3 SEDAN 2015 User Guide

Airbag syste m
-take the chi ld restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the chi ld is properly restrained in a
child restra int that is appropriate for its si ze
and age .
The PA SSENGER AIR B AG light sh ould NOT
c ome on ...
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat . If the
PAS SENGER AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes fo r about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the ba ckrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or suppo rting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is bei ng p roperly wor n and that
there is not a lot of s lack in the safety be lt web ­
bing,
- the re are no aftermarket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca­ pacitive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
.&_ WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SS ENGE R AI R BA G OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion. If this happens, always stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri ­
bed above .
162
-If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is sitting on the front passenger seat
after tak ing the steps described above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
.&_ WARNING
-
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator light~
page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should .
.&_ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or in a rearward -facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint that has not been proper ly installed
will be ser iously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make ce rtain
that a ll children, especially 12 years and
younger, a lways ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size.
- Always install forward o r rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearwa rd-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN·
G ER AIR BAG OF F
light does not appear and
stay on, immediately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer .
- If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the

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by being pushed into you as t he a irbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, te lephone
b rac ke ts, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near t he area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests .
- Su ch ob jects and accessories can become
dangerous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplementa l side airbag de­
ploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de ­
p loyment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this position.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side a irbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitt ing the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the a irbag has been triggered, the
system must be rep laced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
o rigi nal seat cove rs or to the seam in the
area o f the side airbag module must always
be repaired immedia tely by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- If children a re seated improperly, their risk
of inj ury in crea ses in the case of an a ccident
c> page 172, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any compo nents of
the a irbag sys tem in any way.
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags will not func ­
t io n properly if senso rs ca nnot correctly
measu re increasing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door pane l.
- Never drive w ith inter ior door trim pane ls
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
open ings they l eave have not been p rope r­
ly closed.
Ai rb ag system
- Never drive when lo udspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additiona l speakers or
other equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protec tion to properly restrained oc­
cupants.
Fig . 1 36 Side curtain a irbags , driver 's side: side cu rta in air ­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side w in­
dows
c> fig . 136. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the cen­
te r roof pi llar .
The side curtain airbags conta in features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle
i nterior in certa in side impacts and ve hicle roll­
overs.
T he side curtain airbag system supplements the
safe ty belts and can help to reduce the r isk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and uppe r torso on the
s ide of the vehicle t hat is str uck in a side coll i­
s io n. The side curtain airbag inflates in side im -
pacts and only when the vehicle acce leration
Ill--
169

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..,.,
..,., ,....,
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and wi th great force.
T he side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especially to children
q page 172 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion " the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to provide supplemental protection.
,&. WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbag inflate.
-Always make sure that the side curtain air­ bags can inflate without interference.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing . Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
Airbag system
-Only use factory-installed sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use only genuine Audi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the side
windows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at­
tached to the sun visors . They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cur­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fraction of a second and with great force .
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the deployment zone of a side curtain airbag .
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all times. Make sure there are no ob ­
jects, pets, or other persons in the space be­
tween any vehicle occupant and any airbag
at any time.
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors .
,&. WARNING
-- The airbag system can deploy only once. If
the airbag has been triggered, the system
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop.
- Always have work involving the side curtain
airbag system, removal and installation of
the airbag components, or other repairs per­
formed by a qualified dealership. Otherwise the airbag system may not work correctly.
- Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system in any way.
171

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 141, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adults.
Because children's bod ies are not fully deve loped,
they requ ire restra int systems especially de­
signed for their size, weight, and body structure.
Many countr ies and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir ­
ing the use of approved c hild restraint systems
for infants and small children.
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30 -56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant wi ll be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restra int properly used can reduce
the r isk of serious injury . Ch ild restraints, like
adu lt safety be lts, must be used properly to be
effective. Used improperly, they can inc rease the
risk of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is r ight for
your child's size¢
page 175, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about ch ild safety, Ad­
vanced Airbags, and the installation of child re­
straints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad ­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
172
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manua l about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small chi ld ren.
.&_ WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
m ust be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly restrained ch ild could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve­
hicle dur ing a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestra ined or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating posit ions
provides the highest degree of pro tect ion
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent sit uations.
.&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in

Child safety
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was
manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression " requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and size. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat .
It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat .
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­
pacitive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis ­
ters the changes that result in an electrical 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 re­
straint system resting on the seat. The measured
capacitance of a child restraint system varies de-
174 pending
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 Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem 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 Air­
bag 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 Unit­
ed States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
and has been certified by its manufacturer for
use with an airbag. Always be sure that the child
restraint is properly installed at one of the rear
seating positions. If in exceptional circumstances
you must use it on the front passenger seat, care­
fully read all of the information on child safety
and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the appli­ cable WARNINGS. Make certain that the child
and child restraint are correctly recognized by the
capacitive passenger detection system in the
front passenger seat, that the front passenger airbag is turned off, and that the airbag status is
always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light .
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
production. Child restraints are not standardized.
Child restraints of the same type typically have
different weights and sizes and different "foot­
prints", the size and shape of the bottom of the
child restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat . These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with ..,.

Child safet y
"'When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the ch ild safety seat from moving
¢ page 182.
"' 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).
"' Secu re unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 177 .
Always remember: Even thoug h your veh icle is
eq uipped w ith an Advanced Ai rbag system, all
chi ldren, espec ia lly those 12 years and yo unger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and s ize.
A WARNING
Not using a chi ld safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly insta lling a
child restraint increases the r isk of serious
personal injury and death .
- All veh icle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle du ring a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
thro ugh contact with an inflat ing airbag .
- Commercially avai lab le child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S . Fede ral Mo ­
tor Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a ch ild restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle.
- On ly use child restra int systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush­
ion. The ch ild restra int must not tip o r
lean to either s ide. Audi does no t recom­
mend using child safety seats that res t on
legs o r tube -like frames. They do not pro ­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements pe r­
taining to the installation and use of ch ild
safety seats and carefully follow the in-
176
str uctions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a norma l safety belt.
They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder children ride in a
veh icle wh ile sitting on the lap of another
passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest pe rson could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the veh icle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in­ jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat.
A child will be serious ly injured and can be
killed when the passenger airbag inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing ch ild safety seats
or infant car riers on the rear sea t.
- Forwa rd-facing child safety seats instal led
on the front passenger's seat can inte rfe re
wit h the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. A lways install fo r­
ward-facing child sa fety seats on the rear
seat.
- If except ional circumstances req uire the use
of a fo rward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-be ing require that the following
special precautions be taken : ..,.

Child safety
_& 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 cou ld play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child re­
straint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re­ tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 139 Schematic overview: rearward-facing infant seat,
properly installed on the rear seat
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt 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
c::> page 182 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
178
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 177.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restraints in which the
ch ild faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
c::> fig. 139.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous place for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing ch ild seat.
It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a Larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious personal injury and death in a crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat -
even with an Advanced Airbag System. A
child will be seriously injured and can be kil­ led when the inflating airbag hits the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great force
and smashes the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof
c::> page 149, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing chi ld safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-fac ing ch ild restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
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the rear-facing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CO player, electron ic
games dev ice, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the dev ice is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the c igarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never i nstall any ch ild restra int system on
this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no wa ter or othe r
liquids on the front passenger seat c ushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD playe r, e lectronic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for chi ld
seats). These may influence the e lectr ica l
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas·
senger detection system and can a lso fly
around in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when·
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
c:::> page 140, Safety belts,
¢ page 148, Airbag system and
c::> page 172, Important information.
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
F ig . 140 Schemat ic overview : installat ion of t he atta ch­
ments applicab le to a LATCH seat
Chil d sa fe ty
Fig. 141 Schemat ic overv iew: installat io n of the seat us ing
the vehicle's sa fety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convert ible lock ing retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c::> page 182 or install the seat using the LATC H
attachments .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt rea lly t ight so that
t he seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm)
c::> page 182.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c::> page 188 .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::>page 177.
A toddler or child is usua lly 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 certif ied
for their size and we ight
c:::> fig . 140 and
c::> fig . 141.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous p lace for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
child i n a forward-fac ing child safety seat. It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
c h ild in a rearward-facing seat.
_&. WARNING
No t using a child sa fety seat, us ing the wrong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
~
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airbag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos it ions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing be tween 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. 14 2 Re ar seat: child pro perl y restrain ed in a booster
seat
T he vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children unti l they are at least 4
ft . 9 in . (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and we igh about 80 lbs .
(36 kg) . Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety bel t will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a c rash.
.,. Do not use the co nvertib le locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety bel t to restra in
a ch ild on a boos ter sea t.
.. The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen­
te r of the child's co llar bone as possible and
must lie flat 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
ac ross the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug . Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary .
.,. If you must transpo rt an older chi ld in a boos­
ter seat on the front passenger sea t, you can
use the safety belt height adj ustmen t to help
adjust the shoulder port ion properly .
Child sa fe ty
.. Secure unused sa fety belts on the rear seat
i=> page 177.
Childre n up to at least 8 yea rs old (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de ­
s igned for their age and weight . Experts say that
the skeleta l structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these chi ldren is not f ully deve loped, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
su itable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these child ren in appro­
priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicab le safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the seating position of the
child and reposit ion 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 ­
te r 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
th ree po int lap and shoulder be lts . N ever use the
lap belt portion of the veh icle's safety belt a lone
to re strain any child , regardles s of how b ig the
c hi ld i s. A lways remember that c hildren do no t
have the pronounced pe lv ic struct ure required for
the p roper function of lap belt port ion of the ve­
hicle 's t hree point lap and shoulder be lts . The
c h ild 's safety abso lutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snug ly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the ch ild's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be the re to p rotect the occ upant as th e occu­
pant moves fo rward into the airbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of posit ion and too
close to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag . When an occupan t is too close, he o r she
will be struck violent ly and w ill receive ser ious or
poss ibly eve n fa ta l injury. .,,.
181

Child safety
-Always 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.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, aga inst or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-fac ing child restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
_&. WARNING
Rearward-fac ing ch ild restra ints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System .
- T he inflating airbag wil l hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir­
cumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the t ime
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately in­
stall the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer.
184
· Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle . T o activate the convert ible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on
the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt pat h
c::> ,&..
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety be lt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the ch ild safety
seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con­
vert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on the belt .
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the ret ractor. The convertible locking re­
tractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or s ideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm).
_&. WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp­
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is loc ked when insta lling a child safe­
ty seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a chi ld is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a crash.
.