2011 AUDI A3 seats

-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).
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are best protected in
special infant carriers and chi ld safety seats designed for t heir age
group. Many experts believe that infants and small childr en should
r ide only in spec ia l restra ints in w hich the child faces the back of the
vehicle. These infant seats support the baby's back, neck and head in
a crash=> fig. 144.
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 ch ild in a forward-facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous
place for an infant or a large r child in a rear ward-fac ing 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 killed 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=>
page 147, "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 rest raint 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 because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light does not come on and stay on,
Safety
first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
& WARNING (continued)
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 135, "Safety belts",
=>
page 145, "Airbag system" and=> page 167, "Important
things to know ".•
Convertible child safety seat:s
Properly used convertible child safety seats can help
protect toddlers and children over age one who weigh
b etween 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg) in a crash.
Vehicle care
Fig . 145 Schematic
overview: installation
of the attachments
applicable to a LATCH
seat
ti,
Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

-Child Safety PJU __ .,.___ ____________ _
Fig. 146 Schematic
overview: installation
of the seat using the
vehicle's safety belt
system
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convertible locking
feature on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving~
page 177 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 the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch
(2.5 cm)
=>
page 177.
- If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether strap,
attach it to the tether anchors=>
page 184.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an infant 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~
page 173, fig. 145 and~ page 174, fig. 146.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a poten tially
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 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 collision or other emergency situa­
tion.
• 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 seriously 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 armrest, 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 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 airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used~
page 135, "Safety belts",
~ page 145, "Airbag system" and~ page 167, "Important
things to know".
& WARNING
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:
11'-

& WARNING (continued)
• Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certi·
fied by its manufacturer for use
on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions provided with
the child safety seat or infant carrier.
• Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost posi­
tion of the passenger 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 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
upright position.
• 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 light does not stay on, perform the checks => page 156,
"Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System".
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG
OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on. a
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect children
weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80 lbs. (18 kg and
36 kg) who are less than 4 ft.
9 in.
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig. 147 Rear seat:
child properly
restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most children until
they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and
weigh about 80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt can help
protect them in a crash.
- Do not use the convertible locking retractor when using
the vehicle's safety belt to restrain a child on a booster
seat.
- Always position the shoulder portion of the safety belt
midway over the child's shoulder. If you must transport an
older child in a booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you can use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly.
- Always make sure that the shoulder portion of the safety
belt never rests against or across the child's neck.
9'>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

____ C_ h_ i _l_d _S_ a_f _e _ty ~ --------------------------------------------
- A lways make sure that the chi ld can properly wear the lap
po rtio n of the belt low across t he th ig hs o r pelvis a nd
never over the stomach o r abdome n.
Ch ild ren up t o at le ast 8 years old (over 40 lbs or 18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats des igned for their age and we ight.
Expe rts say t hat the ske letal structure, par tic ul arly the pelvis, of
these ch ildren is not fully developed, a nd they must not use the
vehicle safety belts w it h out a suitable c hild rest raint.
It is usually best to pu t these ch ildren in app ropria te booster seats.
Be sure the booster seat meets all appl icable safety standards.
Booste r seats r aise the se ating posi tion of the child and reposi tion
both the lap and sho ulder parts of the safety belt so t hat they pass
across the c hild 's body i n the rig ht places . The ro uting of the be lt ove r
t he c hild 's body is ve ry i mp ort an t fo r th e ch ild's p rot ection, wh eth er
or not a booster seat is used . Children age 1 2 and under m ust a lways
r ide in t he re a r se at.
Chi ldren who are at least 4 ft . 9 in. (57 inc hes/1. 45 meters) tall can
gene rally use t he ve hicl e's th ree poi nt la p and sho uld er bel ts. N ever
use t he lap belt port ion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone to restra in
a ny chi ld , re gar dless o f how big t he ch ild i s. Always remem ber that
childr en do no t have the pronounced pelvic s tru ctur e required for the
pr op er f unc tion of lap belt port io n of the vehi cle's t hree poin t lap and
shoulder b elts. Th e chi ld's saf ety absolu tely r equir es tha t a lap belt
portion of the safety be lt be fastened snugly and as low as possible
arou nd the pelvis. Never l et t he lap bel t port ion of the safety b elt
pass over the child's stomach o r abdome n.
I n a cra sh, air bag s must inflat e withi n a bli nk of an eye a nd wi th
cons iderable fo rce. In o rder to do its job, the airbag needs room to
in flat e so t hat it will b e the re to p rotect th e occupa nt a s th e occu pan t
mov es forward into t he a irbag.
A vehi cle occ upant who is out of position and too close to the a irba g
ge ts in the w ay of an inf latin g air bag. Whe n an o ccup ant is too clos e,
he or s he will be struck violently and will rece ive s erio us or poss ibly
eve n fata l in jury. I
n order for the airbag to offe r protect ion, it is impo rta nt t hat all
ve hicle occupant s, especiall y any childr en , wh o must b e in t he front
sea t beca use of exc eptiona l circu mstances, be pro per ly r estra ined
and as far away from t he a irba g as possib le . By keep ing room
b etween t he child's body and the front o f the passenger co mpart­
ment , th e a irba g can inflate completely an d prov ide sup plemental
pr ote ction in ce rt ain fro ntal coll isions.
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster seat improperly, incor­
rectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety belt
improperly increases the risk of serious personal injury and death
in a collision or other emergency situation. To help reduce the risk
of seriou s personal injury and/or death:
• Always make sure to position the shoulder portion of the three­
point belt over the middle of child 's shoulder.
• Never let the shoulder portion of the belt rest against or acros s
the neck, face, chin, or throat of the child.
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three-point belt is
worn snug and passes as low as possible across the child's pelvis.
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
cause severe injuries in an accident or other emergency situation
~ page 135 .
• The rear side of the booster seat should be positioned as close
as possible to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or remove
the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the child seat
with the head restraint in place
~ page 78 . Install the head
restraint again immediately once the child seat i s removed.
Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramatically.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates.

_____________________________________________ C _h_i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t__. y'---_ffl'II
& WA RNING (c on tinued )
• Never let a child stand or kneel on an y seat , for e xample the
front seat.
• Never let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle .
• Always remember that a child leaning forward , sitting s ide­
ways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck
by a deploying airbag . This will result in se rious personal injury or
death.
• If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional circumstance s the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on , whenever the ign ition is
switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight does not come on and
s tay on , perform the checks described=>
page 156, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child re straint off the front pa ssenger seat and in stall
it properly at one o f the rea r seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition i s swit ched
on.
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS whenever u sing a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 135, "Safety belts",
=>
page 145 , "Airbag sy stem " and => page 167, "Important
things to know ".•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
lnstalli ng a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S
afety belts for the rear sea ts and the fron t passen ger
can be l ocke d with th e co nverti ble lo cki ng retract or to
p ro p erly secur e child saf ety seats.
T he safety belts emergency locking retractors for the rear seats
safety belts and for the front passenge r's se at safety belt have a
convertible locking retractor for child restrai nts. The safety belt must
be locked so that belt webbing canno t unreel. The retra ctor can be
act ivated to lock the safety belt and prevent the safety belt webb ing
fr om loosen ing up du ring normal dr iv ing. A child sa fe ty sea t can on ly
be properly installed when the safety belt is locked so that the child
and child safety sea t will s tay in place .
Always remembe r: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equipped w ith a n
Advanced Airbag system, all ch ildren, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and
younge r, should a lways ride in t he back seat properly res tra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly in stalled child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision .
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a chi ld safety 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 safet y 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 colli sion.
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to secure a child restraint.
9JI,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

• .___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t--= y '------------------------------------------------
& WARNING (cont inued)
• If the backrest is not securely latched, the child and the child
restraint will be thrown forward together with the backrest and
will strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child can be seriously
injured or killed.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag inflates.
• 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 or infant carriers installed on
the front passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the child.
• It is safer to install a forward -facing child safety seat on the
rear seat.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used~
page 167. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat~
page 147, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know".
L1}. WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or
rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat in
exceptional situations:
• Whenever a forward or rearward-facing child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on whenever the ignition is
switched on.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, perform the checks described
~ page 156, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System".
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition is switched
on.
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
L1}. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up, against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint . The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on . _.

• .___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t--= y '------------------------------------------------
& WA RNING (conti nued)
• Always bu ckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child i s not sitting in it . A loo se child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
• Always make sure the seat backre st to which the child restraint
is installed is in an up right position and securely latched into place
and cannot fold forward . Otherwise, the seatback with the child
safety seat attached to it could fly forward in the event of an acci ·
dent or other emergency situation.
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS wheneve r using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 167. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the front
passenger seat =>
page 147, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
Deactivating the convertible Locking
retractor
The convertible l ocking retrac tor for child restraints will
be d eactivated automatically when the belt is wound all
the way back into the retractor.
- P ress t he red butto n on t he safety be lt buckle . T he belt
to ngue will pop out o f the buckle.
- G uid e the s afety belt all the way back in to its stowed posi-
t ion .
Always le t the safety be lt retract comple tely i nto i ts s towed position.
T he safety bel t can now be used as an ord inary safety belt without the
convertib le locking ret ractor for ch ild rest raints.
If th e convertible locking r etractor should be activated inadve rtently,
the safety be lt must be un fastened and guided comp letely back into
i t s s towe d position to de activa te th is fe ature. If th e convert ible locking retractor is
not deact ivated, the safety belt w ill gradua lly
become tigh ter and uncomfo rtable to we ar.
& WARNING
Improperly in stalled child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convertible
lo cking retractor for child restraints while the vehicle is moving.
You would not be restrained and could be seriou sly injured in an
a ccident .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever u sing a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used =>
page 167. Special precau·
tions apply when in stalling a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat =>
page 147, "Child restraints on the front seat -
s ome important things to know ".•
LATCH Lower anchorages and
tethers for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
T o prov ide a s imp le r a nd more practic able way to a ttach the child
restraint on the vehicle seat, Federal regulat ions require special
lowe r anch orages in ve hicl es and devi ces on new ch ild rest rain ts to
attac h to the veh icle anchorages.
Th e combination of the tether anchorages and the lower anchorages
is now gene rally called the
LATCH sys tem fo r "Lowe r Anch orages and
T ethers for Children ."
Forw ard -fa cing child res train ts manuf actured aft e r September 1,
1999, are required by U.S. federa l regu lat ions to comp ly with new
c hild head moveme nt performan ce requirements. These new per for -
~

mance requirements make a tether necessary on most new ch ild
seats.
Installing a child restra int that requires a top tether w ithout one can
seriously impair the performance of the chi ld restrai nt and its ability
to prote ct the child in a collision. Insta lling a child restraint tha t
requires a top tether without the top tether may be a violation of
state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower anchorages on the ir
child seats with hook -on or push-on connectors attached to adjust­
able straps .
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these child restraint
systems usually require the use of tet he r straps to he lp keep the child
restra int firm ly in place.
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash.
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer
of the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle.
• Never install a child restraint without a properly attached top
tether strap if the child restraint manufacturer 's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
• Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower anchorage points
can lead to injury in a collision . The LATCH lower anchorage points
are designed to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly
fitted child restraints .
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchorage point .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other item to the LATCH
lower anchorages .
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
(I) Tips
• In Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower universal anchor­
ages" (or " lower universal anchorage bars") are used to describe the
system.
• In other countries, the term "ISO FIX" is used to descr ibe the lower
anchorages. •
Location
Fig. 148 Schematic
overview: LATCH
a nchorage point loca­
tions
Th e illustrat io n shows the seat ing locat ions in your vehicle whic h are
equipped with the lower anchorages system. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data