2009 AUDI S3 Owners Manual

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(The term "ISOFIX" regarding lower anchorages had been used by
Audi and other manufacturers in the past, but LATCH is now the
standard name for the new child restraint anchorage system.)
Some child restraint system manufacturers have been providing
tether straps on certain models of their child restraint systems, either as standard equipment or as a retrofit, for several years .
Check with the manufacturer of the child restraint system for tether
strap availability .
To provide a simpler and more practicable way to attach the child
restraint system on the vehicle seat, U.S. Federal regulations require
the phase -in of lower anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
child restraint systems to attach to the vehicle anchorages.
Child restraint system manufacturers will probably offer two kinds
of lower anchorages on their child safety seats
They could come with:
• hooks or other latches attached to adjustable straps or
• rigid latches on bars that extend out the back of the child
restraint and are released with release buttons at the bottom of the
child restraint.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, both of these child
restraint systems use tether straps to help keep the child restraint
system firmly in place .•
Where can I get additional information about
child restraint application and usage?
There are a number of sources of additional information about child
restraint selection, installation and usage :
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is the one that fits
your child and fits in your vehicle, and that you will use correctly and
consistently.
Try before you buy!
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Tel.: (888) DASH -2 -DOT
www.nhtsa .dot .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662 -0600
www.safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747 -SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat .org
Transport Canada
Tel.: (888) 333-0371
www.tc.gc.ca
Audi Client Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834 •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Lower anchorages and tether for
children (LATCH)
Location
LATCH is the acronym for Lower Anchor and Tethers for
Children and designates a special child safety seat
restraint system. In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universal anchorages" (or "lower universal
anchorage bars") are used to describe the system.
0
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Fig . 155 Schematic
overview: LATCH
anchorage point loca­
tions
The illustration ~ fig. 155 shows the seating locations in your
vehicle which are equipped with the lower universal anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for quick
locating.
Fig . 156 Rear seats:
lower anchorage
bracket locations
Attachment locator markers for lower anchorages
Circular locator buttons on the rear seatback indicate the lower
anchorage locations on the rear seating positions .
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are located between the
rear seatback and rear seat cushion~ fig. 156.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in the seat without
using the vehicle's safety belts. Anchorages provide a secure and
easy-to-use attachment and minimize the possibility of improper
child restraint installation.
All child restraints manufactured after September 1, 2002, must
have lower anchorage attachments for the
LATCH system .
Please remember that the lower anchorage points are only intended
for installation and attachment of child restraints specifically certi­
fied for use with
LATCH lower anchorages. Child restraints that are
not equipped with the lower anchorage attachments can still be
installed in compliance with the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions on using vehicle safety belts. ...

& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury in a crash.
• Always carefully follow the child restraints manufacturer's
instructions for proper installation of the child restraint and
proper use of the lower anchorages or safety belts in your vehicle .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the
LATCH
lower anchorages.
• Always read and heed the important information about child
restraints in this chapter and WARNINGS=:>
page 169, "Child
Safety". •
Installing a child restraint using the LATCH
system
Child safety seats equipped with the LATCH system can
quickly and easily be secured to the rear
seats.
Safety first
Fig. 157 LATCH-type
seat with both latch
bars extended
Child Safety
Fig . 158 Installation of
child safety seat with
rigid latches on bars
Whenever you install a child restra int always refer to the
child restraint manufacturer's inst ructions.
- Make sure the seat back of the rear seat bench is in the
upright position and securely latched in place.
- Inser t the latches onto the lower anchorages=> fig. 158.
- Make sure you hear the child restraint click securely into
place. This indicates that the seat is securely mounted on
the anchors.
- Pull on the child restraint once you have mounted it to
make sure it is secure.
& WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in an accident.
• These anchors were developed solely for child safety seats
using the "LATCH" system.
• Never attach other child safety seats, belts or other objects to
these anchors.
• Always make sure that you hear a click when latching the seat
in place . If you do not hear a click the seat is not secure and could •
Vehicle care
I I irechnical data

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& WARNING (continued)
fly forward and hit the interior of the vehicle, or be ejected from
the vehicle.
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury in an accident.
• Always follow the child restraint system manufacturer's
instructions for proper installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as well as the lower anchorages or
safety belts in your vehicle.
• Always read and heed the important information and WARN­
INGS about child safety and the installation of child restraint
systems =>
page 169, "Child Safety". •
Mounting and releasing the anchorage hook
If you use a child restraint system with hooks or other
latches attached to adjustable straps.
Mounting
Press the anchorage hook with the spring catch release
onto the lower anchorage so that the anchorage hook
locks into place.
Pull on the anchorage hook to make sure that it has
securely engaged the lower anchorage .
Tighten the strap following the child restraint manufac­
turer's instructions.
Releasing
- Loosen the tension on the strap following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions. -
Depress the spring catch on the hook.
- Hold the spring catch in depressed position.
- Move the hook in the direction of the vehicle floor so that
there is enough space to release the anchorage hook
from the lower anchorage.
& WARNING
• Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injuries in a crash.
• Always refer to the child restraints manufacturer's instructions
for proper installation of the child restraint and proper use of the
lower anchorages or safety belts in your vehicle.
ti
Tether anchors
Fig. 159 Tether
anchors: attachment
hook locations behind
the rear seatbacks
Beginning wi th model year 2000, the rear seating positions are
equipped with three tether anchors.
The tether anchors for the three rear seating positions are located
on the backside of the rear seatbacks
=> fig. 159. .,_

Using tethers on rear -fac ing child restraints
C urrently, ve ry few rear -facing chil d restrain ts co me with a te ther .
P lease r ead and fo llow the ch ild restraint manufacturer's instruc ­
t ions ca re fu lly to dete rmine how t o pr operly insta ll the te ther .
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash.
• Improper u se of child restraint anchors {tether anchors) could
lead to injury in a collision . The anchors are designed to withstand
only those loads imposed by correctly fitted child restraints .
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchor point .
• Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap or
tether anchorage.
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of
the child restraint you intend to install in your Audi.
• Never use child restraint tether anchorages to secure safety
belts or other kinds of oc cupant restra ints .
• Never attach a tether strap to a tie -down hook in the luggage
c ompartment .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether anchors .
• If a tether or other strap is used to attach a child restraint to the
front passenger seat , make sure that it is not so tight , that it
c au ses the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than i s
actually on the seat .
• The heavier weight registered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Ai rbag
when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to
the child .•
Safety first
Child Safety
Tether strap
A tethe r is a straight or V-s h ap ed st rap t hat attach es t he
to p pa rt of a chil d res tra int t o spe cial a nchorage p oin ts in
th e veh icle.
Fig . 160 Tether strap
( center ): pr oper r outing
and mounting
Fig . 161 Teth er strap
( outboard ): pr ope r
routing and mounting
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the fo rward movement of the
child restraint in a cra sh, i n order to he lp reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by striking the vehicle interior.
F orwa rd facing child re str ain ts ma nufact ured after Sep te m ber 1,
1 99 9, are required by U.S. federal re gulations to comply w ith child
head movement performance require ments. These new perfor ­
ma nce re quireme nts make a tet her necessary on most new c hild
safety seats.
~
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury in a crash .
• Never atta ch a child safety seat tether strap to a tie-down hook
in the luggage compartment.
• Never se cure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether.
• If a tether or other str ap is used to attach a child restraint to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight , that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat.
• The heavier weight registered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Ai rbag
when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal injury to
the child .•
Using tethers on rear-facing c hild restraint
sys tems
Currently, few rear -facing child restraint systems come with a tether.
Please read and heed the child rest raint system manufacturer's
instructions careful ly to determine how to properly insta ll the
tether .
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -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 , or door .
& WARNING (continued )
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-m at in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advan ced Airbag System . The heavier weight regi stered can m ake
the system wo rk as though an adult were on the seat and deploy
the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious or even fatal inju ry to the child .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immed iately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag sy stem inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer . •
Securing the upper tether strap to the anchor
bracket
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Fig . 162 Tether strap:
proper r outing and
m ounting
Securing the child restraint tether strap to the
tether anchor
Re lease o r deplo y t he tethe r strap on the chil d restraint
acco rdin g to the c hild restrain t manu facturer 's usa ge
inst ructio ns. ..,

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- Guide the upper tether strap under the rear head
restraint ~
page 188, fig. 162 (raise the head restraint if
necessary).
- Tilt the recess flap-detail view-~
page 188, fig. 162 up to
expose the anchor bracket.
- Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor bracket.
- Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring catch of
the hook engages.
- Tighten the tether strap firmly following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
- Loosen the tension following the child restraint manufac ­
turer's instructions.
-Depress the spring catch on the hook and release it from
the tether anchor .
& WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS .
0 Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether strap firmly installed
for several days, this could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where the tether strap was
installed. The upholstery would also be permanently stretched
around the tether strap . This applies especially to leather seats .•
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieval after an accident or crash event . EDR's
are sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by EDR's that were insta lled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent .
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped
with a number of electronic control modules for various vehicle systems such as, for example, eng ine function, emission control, as
well as for the airbags and safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record vehic le -related data
during norma l vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
The recording capacity of the electronic cont rol modules is limited
to data (no sound is recorded) and only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when
a system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit . Some
of the data then stored may relate to vehic le speed, direction,
braking as we ll as restraint system use and performance in the
event of a crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and
downloaded with special equip men t.
Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP)
General
The Electronic Stabili ty Program increases driving
stability.
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cons ole with E SP
sw itch
With ESP, control over the veh ic le is increased in situations when
the vehicle is close to the limits of grip, such as during acce leration
and in curves. ESP reduces the risk of skidding a nd improves vehicle
stability under all road conditions . It operates at all speeds .
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), E lec tronic Differentia l Lock (EDS)
and Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec­
tronic Stability Program .
How ESP work s
The ESP control unit processes the fo llowing data from high-sensi ­
tive sensors : the rotational speed of the vehicle about its vertica l
axis, fore -and -aft and lateral acceleration forces, brake pressure and
steering angle.
Using steering ang le and vehicle speed, the direction the driver
wishes to travel is determined and continuously compared with
t,.