178 Child Safety
the child's body and the front of the passen
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate comp lete ly and provide supp lemental protection
in certain fronta l collisions .
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos
ter seat improperly, incorrect ly install ing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri
ous personal injury and death in a col lision
or other eme rgency s ituation. To help re
duce the risk of ser ious persona l injury
and/or death:
- Always make su re to position the should
er portion of the three -point belt over
the midd le of child's sho ulder.
- Never le t the shoulder port ion of the belt
rest against or across the neck, face,
chin, or throat of the child.
- Always make su re the lap belt portion of
the three-po int be lt is worn sn ug and
passes as low as possib le across the
child's pelvis. Never let the belt pass over
the soft abdomen.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a ch ild's body will cause severe inju
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation
c;,page 137.
-Children on the front seat of any car,
even w ith Advanced A irbags, can be seri
ous ly injured or even killed when an a ir
bag inflates.
- 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 ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways or out of posi
t ion i n any way during an acc ident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re
sult in serious personal injury o r death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is sw itch
ed on .
-
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OF F light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
c;, page 156, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PA SSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever us ing a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
¢ page 137, Safety
belts,
c;, page 145, Airbag system and
c;, page 169, 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 convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety be lt have a con
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints .
The safety belt must 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 loosening up
during normal dr iving . A child safety seat can
o n ly be properly instal led when the safety belt
is locked so that the chi ld and child safety
seat w ill stay in place .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
child ren, especially those 12 years and young
er, shou ld always r ide in the back seat prope r
ly restrained for the ir age and size.
A WARNING
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a co llision. -
-Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re
tractor 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 child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt is attached is securely latched when
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used to secure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched,
the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back
rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in
jured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas
senger seat. A child will be seriously in
jured and can be killed when the passen ger airbag inflates .
- 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 in
fant carriers installed on the front pas
senger's seat may interfere with the de
ployment 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 ave
hicle is being used
¢page 169. Special
precautions 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.
Child Safety 1 79
A 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.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
¢page 156, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec
tion.
- An improperly installed child restraint
can interfere with the airbag as it de
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child .
- Always carefully follow the manufactur
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier .
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight regis
tered by the weight-sensing mat and can
cause injury in a crash.
A 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 re
straint up, against or very near the in
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from •
•
180 Child Safety
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upr ight
posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
t ime whenever the ignition is switched
on.
A WARNING , _
Rearward-fac ing ch ild restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenge r
seat will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof .
- Always be especially caref ul if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenge r seat in exception ·
al circumstances .
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front pas
senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and reg is
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced A ir
bag System. The heav ier we ight regis
tered can make the system work as
though an adult were on the seat and de ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be s uppressed causing ser ious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi
ately install the rea r-facing chi ld safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
Act ivating the convertible locking
retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufactur
er's instructions when installing a child re
st ra int in your vehicle. To activate the conve r
t ible lock ing ret ractor:
.,. Place the ch ild restraint on a seat, prefera
bly on the rear seat .
.,. Slowly pu ll the belt
all the wa y out .
.,. Route it around or through the child re
straint belt path
¢ _& .
.,. Push the chi ld safety seat down with yo ur
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buck le for
that seating position.
.,. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor
until t he belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
be lt winds back into the inertia ree l. Test the
convert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on
the belt . You shou ld no longer be able to
pull the be lt out of the retractor. The con
vertible locking retractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is fac
ing 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 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 personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safety belt re-
tractor 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 norma l dr iving or in a
crash.
-Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around during a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
into place and cannot fold forward. Oth
erwise, the seatback with the child safety
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 using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used
Q page 169. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
Q page 147, 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 all the way back into
the retractor .
.. Press the red button on the safety belt buck
le . The belt tongue will pop out of the buck
le.
.. Guide the safety belt all the way back into
its stowed position.
Always let the safety belt retract completely into its stowed position. The safety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with
out the convertible locking retractor for child
restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt must
be unfastened and guided completely back in
to its stowed position to deactivate this fea
ture. If the convertible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be
come tighter and uncomfortable to wear.
Child Safety 181
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti
vate the convertible locking retractor for
child restraints while the vehicle is mov ing. You would not be restrained and
could be seriously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used¢
page 169. Special
precautions 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.
LATCH Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federal regulations require special lower
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
child restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho
rages .
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called
the
LATCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children."
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements .
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the
performance of the child restraint and its abil
ity to protect the child in a collision. Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether ..,. •
•
182 Child Safet y
without the top tether may be a vio lation of
state law.
Ch ild restra int manufacturers offer LATCH
lowe r anchorages on the ir ch ild seats with
hook-on or push -on connectors attached to
adj ustab le straps.
I n addition to the LATC H lower anchorages,
these child rest raint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restraint firmly in place.
.&_ WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
- Always fo llow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re
straint you intend to install in your veh i
cle.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether st rap if the
child restra int manufacturer's inst ruc
t ions req uire the top tether strap to be
used .
- Improper use of child restra int LATCH
lower anchorage po ints can lead to injury
in a collision. The LA TCH lower anchorage
points a re des igned to w ithstand only
those loads imposed by correct ly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mount two ch ild restraint systems
on one LA T CH lower anchorage poin t.
- Never se cure or attach any l ugg age or
other item to the LATC H lower anchorag
es .
(j) Tips
-In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universa l anchorages" (or " lower
universa l anchorage bars") are used to
describe the system.
- In other co un tries, the term "ISO FIX" is
used to desc ribe the lower anchorages.
Location
F ig. 162 Sc hem at ic ove rv iew : LATCH anch orage po int
l ocat io ns
T he illust rat ion shows the seat ing loca tions in
your vehicle which are equipped wi th the low
er anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating.
F ig . 1 63 Rear seatb acks: loc ato r but tons for lowe r an
chorages
en
lg
± ...
"' (
F ig . 16 4 Rea r seats : lowe r an cho rage b ra cket lo cat ions
Attachment locator markers for lowe r
anchorages
Circular locator buttons o n the rear seatback
indica te the lowe r an chorage locations on the
rear seating posi tions
~ fig. 163 . ..,.
Lower ancho rag es
The lower anchorage attachment points are
located between the rear seatback and rear
seat c ushion
¢ fig. 164.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat witho ut using the vehicle 's safety
be lts . Anchorages provide a secure and easy
to- use attachment and minimize the possibili
ty of improper chi ld restraint installation.
All ch ild restra ints man ufact ured after Sep
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system.
Remembe r that the lowe r anchorage points
are only intended for i nstallation and attach
ment of child restraints specifical ly certified
for use with
LATCH l ower anchorages . Child
restra ints that are not equipped with the low
er anchorage attachments can still be instal led in compliance with the c hild restra int
manufacturer's instruct ions on using vehicle
safety belts .
_&, WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal i njury in an ac
cident .
- Always carefully fo llow the ch ild re
straints manufacturer's inst ruct ions for
proper installation of the child restra in t
and proper use of the lower anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle .
- Never secure o r attach any l uggage or
other items to the
LATCH lower ancho
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in
formation about child restra ints in this
chapter and WARNINGS
¢ page 169,
Child Safety .
Child Safety 183
Guidance fixtures for lower anchorages
Special guidance fixtures increase the conven
ience of the lower anchorages and ore ovoilo
ble from your authorized Audi dealer .
Fig . 1 65 Outer r ear seats : inst alling the gu idanc e fix
t u res
8 ± ... a,
Fig . 1 66 Close-up: fitt ing t he g uida nce fixture over the
l ower ancho rage bracket
T he lower ancho rage attachment poi nts are
located on the rear seats between the seat
back and the seat cushion. Special guidance
fixtures increase the convenience of the lower
anchorages and help protect the seat material
from possible damage when install ing ch ild
restraints.
Installing the guidanc e fixture s
.,. Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visible .
.,. Ho ld the guidance fixture with the part
number facing downward and push it in the
direction of the arrow onto the anchorage
¢ fig . 166 .
.,. Make su re that each of the two guidance fix
tures per seat snaps into place .
Removing the gu idance fixtures
.,. Remove the ch ild restraint according the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions. .,..
184 Child Safet y
• Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visib le.
• Pull
off the guidance fixtures from the lower
anchorages.
• Always remove the guidance fixtures and
keep them in a safe place when not in use.
You may find it easier to install child re
straints equipped with hooks attached to
straps without the guidance fixtures in place.
If this is the case, remove the guidance fix
tures by pull ing them
off the anchorages .
H oweve r, the guidance fixtu res can he lp you
to locate the
LATCH ancho rages.
.&_ WARNING
Imprope r use of tether anchorages or low
er anchorages ca n cause serious persona l
injury in a crash .
- Always carefully fo llow the child re
straint manufacturer 's instructions for
proper insta llation and use of child re
straint systems .
- Never use the
LATCH or tethe r anchorag
es to attach safety belts or other kinds of
occupant restraints.
- Child restraint tether attachments and
lower attachments are only des igned to
secure a child restraint t hat has been
equipped to use these anchorages.
- Tether anchorages and lower anchorages
are designed to withstand only those
loads imposed by correctly fitted ch ild
restraints. Under no circumsta nces can
they be used safely for adu lt or chi ld
safety belts o r harnesses.
- Never mou nt more than one ch ild re
stra in t to a sing le tether or to a low er an
c ho rage poin t. Attac hing two chi ld re
st rain ts to a sing le anchor age poi nt can
cause the anchorage to fail and cause se
rious persona l injury in a crash .
0 Note
- Remove the guidan ce fixt ures before
fo ld ing t he rear sea tba ck t o preven t
dam aging the seat c ushion . -
To attach the ch ild restraint sec urely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
posit ion, the seat height set to the low
est position and t he head restraint must
be adjusted to the vertical position
¢page 57.
-If you leave the guidance f ixtures instal
led for several days , they could leave a
mark on the upholstery on the seat cush
ion and back rest in the area that the
guidance fixtures were installed . T he up
holste ry wou ld al so be pe rmanen tly
stretched aro und the gui dance fix tures.
Th is ap plies especia lly to lea ther seats .
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in
structions.
F ig. 167 Lowe r a nchorages: proper mount ing
Mounting
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and securely
latched in place .
• Attach bo th hook-on connectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
on to the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock into place
¢ fig. 167.
•Pullon the connector attachments to make
sure they are proper ly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
• Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer's instruct io ns. .,,.
Releasin g
• Loosen the tension on the straps following
the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instruc
tions .
• Depress the spring catches to release the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag
es.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in p lace.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can in
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in an acc ident.
- These anchors were developed only for
child safety seats us ing the "LATCH" sys
tem .
- 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
cou ld fly forward and h it the interior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi cl e.
A WARNING
Imprope r insta llation of chi ld restr aint s
w ill increase the risk of inju ry in an acc i
dent.
- Always fol low the child rest raint sys tem
man ufacturer's instr uctions for proper
installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tethe r straps as we ll as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your vehicle.
- Always read and heed the important in
format ion and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re
straint systems
q page 169, Child Safe
ty .
(D Note
On veh icles with power adjustable rear
seats* some criter ia must be observed
Child S afety 185
when attaching the ch ild restraint using
the
LATCH system:
- T o attach the chi ld restraint securely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
position, the seat height set to the low
est position and the head restraint must
be adjusted to the vertical pos ition
9page57.
- If a child safety seat is attached to one of
the rear seats, this seat must not be ad
justed using the power controls under
any c ircumstances. The
Entry assistanc e
for this seat must also be deactivated in
the MM I
9 page 60. The child safe ty seat
as well as the rear seat can be damage d
by t he a dju stmen t process.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 168 Tet her anc hor s: recess flaps beh ind t he rea r
seatbacks
The tether anchors for the two * /t hree rear
seat ing pos itions are located in recesses in the
rear window shelf
q fig . 168. Vehicles with
two rear seating positions* are equipped w ith
two tether anchors .
A tether is a stra ight or V-s haped strap that
attaches the top part of a ch ild restraint to
special anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for
ward movement of the child restraint in a
crash , in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by striking the ve
hicle interior .
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new child head movement performa nce requ irements .
II-