2012 AUDI A6 ECU

the head restraint again immediately o nce the child seat is removed. Dr iving
without h ead restraints or with h ead re­
straints that are not properly adjusted
increases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck
injury dramat ica lly .
- Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even kill ed when an a ir­
bag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for e xamp le the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the ca rgo a rea of
your vehicle .
-Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forwar d, si tting s ideways o r out of posi­
t io n in any way during an acc iden t can be
st ruck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sul t in se rious personal injury or deat h.
- If you mus t in stall a boos ter seat on the
front passenger seat be cause of e xcep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­ ed on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
<=> page 154, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child rest raint 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.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being use d
<=>page 133, Safety
belts, <=> page 1 42, Airbag system
and
<=> page 168, Important things to know.
_& WARNING
A child in a boos te r seat inst alled with t he
standar d safety belt on t he rear sea t may
play with unused rear seat safety belts and
become entangled res ulting in ser ious per­
sonal injury and even death.
Child Sa fet y 1 79
-Always secure unused rear seat sa fety
be lts out of reach of children in child
seats such as by properly rout ing them
around the head restraint for the seat ing
posi tion where the child rest rain t is in­
stalled .
- Never activate the switchable lock ing re ­
tracto r when routing the safety be lts
around the head restraints.
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.
T he safety belts eme rgency locking retracto rs
fo r the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety be lt have a co n­
vertib le lo cking ret ractor for child re straints.
T he safety belt m ust be locked so tha t be lt
web bing cannot unree l. The retrac to r can be
activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety be lt webbing from loosening up
during norma l dr iving . A chi ld safety seat can
o nl y be prope rly installed w hen t he safety belt
is locked so that t he ch ild and child safety
seat w ill stay in place .
A lways remember: Even tho ugh your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especially those 12 years and young ­
er, sho uld always r ide in the back seat prope r­
l y restrai ned fo r the ir age and size .
A WARNING
Improperly ins talled chi ld safety sea ts in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death in a co llision .
- Always ma ke sure tha t t he safe ty belt re­
tr actor is lo cked w hen in sta lling a child
safety sea t. An unlocke d safety bel t re -
tracto r cannot hold the child safety seat
Ill>
•
•

180 Child Safety
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
whenever 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
r::;,page 168 . Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
r::;, page 144, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
& 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
r::;, page 154, 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.
- After checking to make sure that the child restraint is properly installed, make
certain that the child restraint is correct­ ly recognized by the capacitive passenger
detection system in the front passenger
seat and that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light signals the correct front pas­
senger frontal airbag status.
& 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
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.
.8, WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- 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 be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
- 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re-
Child Safety 181
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat , prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
.,. Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path
¢ A -
.,. Push the child 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 belt back into the retractor
until the belt lies flat and snug on the child
safety seat.
.,. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the
belt winds back into the inertia reel. Test the
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The con­
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 more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
.8, WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im­
properly installed child restraint can cause
serious personal injury or death in a crash.
- 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 crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
-
•
•

the use of tether straps to help keep the child restraint firm ly in place .
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
will 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 strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions requ ire the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of ch ild restra int LATCH
lower anchorage po ints can lead to injury
in a collis ion. The LATCH lower anchorage
poin ts are designed to w ithstand only
those loads imposed by correct ly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anc ho rage point .
- Never secure o r attach any luggage or
other item to the LATC H lower anchorag­
es .
(D Tips
-In Canada, the terms " top tether" with
"lowe r universa l anchorages" (or " lower
universa l anchorage bars") are used to
describe the system .
- In ot her count ries, the term "ISO FIX" is
used to describe the lower anchorages.
Location
F ig. 158 Schematic overv iew: LATCH anc horage poi nt
locatio ns
"' 0
8 6
"' CD
Child S afety 183
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the low­
er anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions ore marked
for quick locating.
Fi g. 159 Lower a nchorages, covers marked
Fig. 160 Rea r seats : lower ancho rage b racket locations
Lo wer anchorage s
The circular markings on the rear seat he lp
you to identify the location of lower anchorag­
es for the two outboard seating positions
¢fig . 159 =*. The LATCH lower universal an­
chorage attachment points are between the rear seatback and rear seat cush io n.
Remove the covers¢
fig. 159 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment points are
visible ¢
fig. 160.
Lower anchorages secure the chi ld restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety
belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy­
to-use attachment and minimize the possib ili-
ty of improper child restraint installation.
Iii-

184 Child Saf ety
All child restraints manu factured after Sep­
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LA TCH system.
P lease remember that the lower anchorage
points are only intended for installation and
attachment of child restraints specifically cer­
tified for use w ith
LATCH l ower anchorages.
Ch ild restra ints that are not equipped with the
lower anchorage attachments can still be in­
stalled in compl iance with the child restraint
manufacturer's instruct ions on us ing vehicle
safety be lts .
A WARNING
Imprope r use of LATCH lower anchorages
can ca use se rio us pe rsonal inj ury in an ac­
cident .
- Always ca refully follow the c hild re­
st ra ints manuf acturer's inst ruct ions for
proper installa tion of the child restrain t
and proper use of t he lowe r anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle .
- Never secure o r attach any l uggage or
other items to t he LATCH lower ancho­
rages .
- Always read and heed the important in­
formation about child restraints in this
chapter and WARNINGS ¢
page 168,
Child Safety .
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you ins tall a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions .
Fig. 161 Lower a nch orag es: p roper mount ing
Mounting
.,. Ma ke s ure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and secure ly
latched in place .
.,. Attach both hook-on connectors with the
sp ring catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock into place¢
fig. 161 .
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATC H
lowe r ancho rage .
.,. Pull straps tight fo llow ing the child re­
s tr ain t manufacture r's instructions.
Releasing
.,. Loose n the tension on the straps following
the child restra int manufacturer's inst ruc­
tions.
.,. Dep ress the spring catches to release the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag­
es.
Remember: Use tether s traps to help keep the
c hi ld restra in t fi rm ly in place.
A WARNING
=
I mp roper use of the LATCH system can in -
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury
and death in an accident.
- These anchors were deve loped only for
child safety seats using the "LATCH" sys­
tem.
- Never attach othe r chi ld safety seats,
be lts 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 fly forward and hit the inter ior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi­
cle .
A WARNING
Imp roper installat ion of ch ild restra ints
will i ncrease the r isk of injury i n an acci­
dent.
- Always follow the child restraint system
manufacturer's inst ruct ions for proper
i n stallation of the child restra int 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 in­
formation and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re­
straint systems
r::;, page 168, Child Safe­
ty.
Tether anchors and tether straps
F ig . 162 Tethe r ancho rs: re cess flap s behin d the rear
sea tbacks
The tether anchors for the rear seating pos i­
tions are located in recesses in the rear win­
dow she lf
c::> fig. 162
A tether is a straight orV-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a child restraint to
specia l anchorage poi nts in the veh icle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for ­
ward movement of the ch ild restra int in a
crash, in o rder to he lp reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by s triking the ve ­
h icle inter io r.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after Septembe r 1, 1999, are required by U.S .
federal regulations to comply with new c hild
h ead movement performance requi rements.
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new chi ld safety
seats .
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
Child S afety 185
-Always follow the instr uctions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a coll ision. The anchors are de­
sig ned to withstand only those loads im ­
posed by correctly fitted child restraints .
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATC H lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether strap or tether anchorage .
- Never attach a te ther strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or ot her
kinds of occupant restraints .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
c e s and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and s tay on, im­
medi ately insta ll th e rear-fac ing c hild
safety seat i n a rea r seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dea ler.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig . 1 63 Tether strap : prop er ro uting and moun ting
Installing the tether strap
.. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint accordi ng to the child re­
stra int manufacturer's instructions .

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
T railer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita­
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted secure ly on t he veh icle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a t railer
h itch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check with the tr ailer hitch man ufac tur er to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
T he hitc h must be installed in such a way that
it does not inte rfe re with the impac t-absorb­
i ng b umper syst em. No modifica tions should
be made to the vehicle exhaus t and b rake sys­
tems . From t ime to time, check that a ll hitch
mo unt ing bolt s remain securely fas tened.
W hen you are not tow ing a trailer, remove the
trai le r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi­
cle be str uck from be hind
¢ &. .
Trailer brakes
If yo ur tra iler is equ ipped w it h a braking sys­
tem, check to be su re that it conforms to a ll
r eg ulat io ns.
Trailer towin g 201
The trailer hyd ra ulic bra ke system must not be
direct ly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Alw ays use saf ety chains between your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Tra iler lights must meet all reg ulations . Be
su re to check with your Audi dea ler fo r cor re ct
wir ing, swi tches and relays.
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside m irrors, then you
must i nsta ll ext ended mir rors . It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis ion to the rear .
.8, WARNING
-
Afte r removing the trailer hit ch, do no t
s tore i t in yo ur vehicle . In case of sudden
b raking, the h itch cou ld fly forwar d an d in­
ju re you or yo ur passengers .
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehicle is limited to a ty pical
cl ass 1 or class 2 tra ile r.
Trailer load distribution
B e sure the loa d in the tr aile r is held secure ly
i n place to p reven t it from shift ing forw ard,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢ &. in Driving instru ctions on page 20 2.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
perfo rmance is up to the additional load .
Make sure that the coo ling syst em has enough
f lui d.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer , inflate the tires of your
vehicle to t he cold tire pressure listed under .,..
•
•

-Never smoke or work near heate rs or
open flames. Fluids in the engine com­
partment could start a fire.
- Keep an approved fire extinguisher im­
mediately ava ilable.
- To avoid elect rical shock and persona l in­
jury while the engine is running or be ing
started, never touch:
- I gnition cables
- Othe r components of the high voltage
electronic ignition system.
- If you must pe rform a check or repa ir
with the engine running:
- F irst, fully apply the pa rking brake,
move selector lever to "P" (Park) .
- Always use extreme caution to prevent
clothing, jewelry, or long hai r from get­
ting caught in the radiator fan, V-belts
or other moving parts, or from contact­ ing hot parts. T ie back hair before
starting, and do not wear cloth ing that
will hang or droop into the eng ine.
- Min imize exposure to emission and
c h emical hazards
c:> &,.
A WARNING
California Propos ition 65 Warning:
- Engine exhaust, some of its constituents,
and certai n veh icle components co nta in
or em it chemicals known to the State of
Californ ia to cause cancer a nd b irth d e­
fects a nd rep roduct ive ha rm. In addi tion,
c e rta in fluids cont ained in vehicle s and
c ertain p rod ucts of component wear con­
tain or emit chemicals known to the
State of Ca lifo rnia to cause cancer and
birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- Battery posts, terminals and re lated ac ­
cessories contain lead and lead com-
Checkin g and fillin g 221
poun ds, c hemicals known to the State of
California to cause cancer and reproduc­
tive harms. Wash hands after handling.
([) Note
When adding fluids, always make su re that
they are poured into the p roper conta iner
or fi ller opening, otherwise serious dam­
age to vehicle systems w ill occur .
@ For the sake of the environment
To detect lea ks in time, inspect the vehicle
floor pan from underneath regular ly. If
you see spots from oil or other ve hicle flu­
i ds, have you r vehicle inspected by an au­
thorized Audi dea ler.
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down until the pressure from
t he st ruts is reduced.
.. Let the hoo d
drop down and latc h in p lace.
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage 9 A_ .
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
i ng.
- When you close the engine hood, chec k it
to make sure t he safety catch has prope r­
ly engaged. The hood shou ld be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts .
- If you notice while driv ing that the hood
is not secured prope rly, stop at once and
close it. •
•