2012 AUDI A8 Owners Manual

the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com ­
p letely and provide supplemental protection
in certa in frontal col lisions .
_&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, us ing the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrect ly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other eme rgency s ituation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious persona l injury
and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt mus t lie as close to the
center of the child's co llar bone as possi ­
ble and must lie flat and sn ug on the up­
per body . It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen . Make sure that the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to
t ighten if necessary.
- 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 ¢
page 134 .
-The rea r side of the child safety seat
sho uld be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the ve hicle seat. Ad­
just the rear se at head res traint if it is
difficult to install the child seat w ith the
head restraint in place¢
page 128. Driv­
ing with head restraints that are not
properly ad justed increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with 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 examp le 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 io n in any way during an acc ident can be
Child Sa fet y 175
struck by a dep loying a irbag . This will re­
sult in ser ious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because o f excep­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght 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, pe rform
the checks descr ibed¢
page 153, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take t he chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it prope rly at one
of t he rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- Always rea d and heed all WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child res tra ine d in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 134, Safety
belts,
¢ page 142, Airbag system and
¢ page 166 , 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 belt have a con­
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to loc k the safety belt and prevent
the safety be lt webb ing from loosening up
dur ing norma l dr iving . A ch ild safety seat can
o nl y be properly installed when t he safety bel t
is loc ked so that t he chi ld and child sa fety
seat w ill stay in place.
Always remember: Even tho ugh you r vehicle is
equipped wi th an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hil dren, especially those 1 2 years and .,. •
•

176 Child Safety
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and size.
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision .
-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
c> page 166. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:> page 144, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
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
c> page 153, 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
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.
A 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.
-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 regis­
ter a heavier weight in the Advanced Air­
bag System. The heavier weight 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 suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child .
Child Safety 177
-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
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). .,._
•
•

178 Child Saf ety
8_ WARNING ,~
Using th e wrong child restraint or an im­
prope rly insta lled child rest raint can cause
ser ious perso nal in jury or death in a cras h.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re-
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unloc ked safety belt re ­
t ractor ca nnot ho ld the child safety seat
in pla ce d uring norm al driv ing or i n a
c rash.
- Alway s bu ckl e the child safety seat firmly
in pla ce even if a child is not s itting in i t.
A loose ch ild safety sea t ca n fly around
dur ing a sud den s top or in a crash .
- Alw ays m ake su re the se at backrest to
wh ich the child restrain t is ins talled is in
an upr ight position and sec urely latched
into p lace and cannot fo ld forward. Oth­
erwise, the seatback w ith the chi ld safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an acc ident or other emer­
gency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS
w henever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is bei ng used
r::;, page 166 . Special
precautions apply whe n installing a c hild
safety seat on t he fro nt pas senge r seat
r::;, page 1 44, Child restrain ts on the fron t
seat -some imp ortant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
T he 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 be lt
buck le . The belt tongue wi ll pop out of the
buck le .
.. Gui de the safety belt a ll the way back into
its stowed posit io n.
A lways let the safety belt retract comp lete ly
into its stowed posit ion. The safety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with­
out the convert ib le lock ing retractor for chi ld
restra ints .
-
If the conve rtib le locking retractor sho uld be
activated inadvertent ly, the safety be lt must
be unfastened and gu ided comp lete ly back in­
to its stowed posit ion to deactivate this fea­
tu re. If the convert ible locking retractor is not
deact ivated, the safety belt w ill gradua lly be­
come tig hte r and uncomfortable to wear .
8_ WARNING
=
Im properly installed ch ild safety seats in-
crease the r is k of serious pe rson al injury
a nd dea th in a co llision.
- Neve r unfasten the safety belt to deacti­
vate the conve rtible locking retrac to r f or
child res traints whi le the vehi cle is mov ­
ing . You would not be restrained and
could be se rious ly in jured in an accide nt.
- Always rea d and heed all WARNIN GS
wheneve r using a chi ld res traine d in ave ­
h icle is being used
r::;, page 166. Special
preca utions app ly when insta lling a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
r::;, page 144, 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
T o p rov ide a simple r and more pr acticable w ay
to attach the child restraint on the vehi cle
seat, Federal regulat ions req uire spec ia l lowe r
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
ch ild restra ints to attach t o the ve hicle ancho­
rages.
T he combi nation of t he tether anchorages and
the lowe r anchorages is now generally ca lled
t h e
LATCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for Children ."
Forward-facing chi ld restraints man ufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S.
federa l reg ulations to comply with new child
head movement performance req uirements . .,._

These new performance requirements make a
tethe r necessary on most new chi ld seats.
I ns tal ling a child restraint that req uires a top
tether witho ut one can serio usly impair the
performance of the child restraint and its abil­
ity to protect the child i n a co llision . Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
wi thout the top tether may be a vio lation of
state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower anchorages on the ir ch ild seats with
hook-on or push-on connectors attached to
adjustable straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re­
st raint you intend to install in your veh i­
cle.
- Never install a child restraint witho ut a
properly attached top tether s trap if the
child restrain t manufacturer's instruc­
t ions requ ire the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of c hild restra int LA TCH
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision . The LA TCH lower anchorage
points are des igned to w ithstand only
those loads imposed by correct ly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anc horage point.
- Never secure o r attach any l uggage or
other item to the LATCH lower anchorag­
es.
(D Tips
- In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universa l anchorages" (or "lower
-
Child S afety 1 79
universal anchorage bars") a re used to
describe the system .
- In o ther coun tries, the term " ISOFIX" is
used to describe the lower anchorages .
Location
Fig. 159 Sc hemat ic ove rv iew : LAT CH a nch orag e poin t
l ocat io n s
T he illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the low­
er anchorages system .
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick loca ting.
Fig. 160 Rea r seat backs : locato r but tons fo r lowe r an ·
cho ra g es
r
~ I
Fi g. 1 61 Re ar seat s: low er an cho rage bra cket lo cat ion s IJI,-

180 Child Safety
Attachment locator markers for lower
anchorages
Circular locator buttons on the rear seatback
indicate the lower anchorage locations on the
rear seating positions¢
fig. 160 .
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are
located between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion
¢ fig . 161.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat witho ut using the vehicle 's safety
belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy­
to-use attachment and minimize the possibili ­
ty of improper chi ld restraint installation.
All chi ld restraints manufact ured after Sep­
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system.
Remember that the lower anchorage points
are only intended for installation and attach­
ment of child restraints specifically certified
for use with
LATCH l ower anchorages. Child
restraints 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 instructions on using vehicle
safety belts.
,&. WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal injury in an ac­
cident .
- Always carefully follow the child re­
straints 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 ancho­
rages.
-Always read and heed the important in­
formation about child restraints in this
chapter and WARNINGS
¢page 166,
Child Safety.
Guidance fixtures for lower anchorages
Special guidance fixtures increase the conven­
ience of the lower anchorages and are availa­
ble from your authorized Audi dealer.
Fig. 1 62 Outer rear seats: inst all ing th e guidanc e fix­
tures
Fig . 163 Close-up: fitting th e g uida nce fixture over t he
lower anchorage bracket
T he lower anchorage attachment points are
located on the rear seats between the seat­
back and the seat cush ion. Special guidance
fixtures increase the convenience of the lower anchorages and help protect the seat material
from possible damage when installing ch ild
restraints.
Installing the guidance fixtures
.,. Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visible.
.,. Hold the guidance fixture with the part
number facing downward and push it in the
direction of the arrow onto the anchorage
¢fig . 163 .
.,. Make su re that each of the two guidance fix­
tures per seat snaps into place .
Removing the guidance fixtures
.,. Remove the chi ld restraint according the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions. ..,.

.. Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visib le .
.. Pull
off the guidance f ixtures from the low­
er 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 f ixtures in place.
If th is is the case, remove the guidance fix ­
tures by pull ing them
off the anchorages .
H owever, the guidance fixtures can help you
to locate the
LATCH anchorages.
& WARNING
Imprope r use of tether anchorages or low­
er anchorages can cause serious persona l
injury in a crash .
- Always carefully fo llow the child re­
straint manufacturer's instruct ions for
proper installation 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 designed to
secure a child restraint that has bee n
equipped to use these anchorages.
- Tether anchorages and lower anchorages
are designed to withstand only those
loads imposed by correctly fitted chi ld
res traints. Under no circumstances can
they be used safely for adu lt or ch ild
safety belts o r harnesses.
- Never mount more than one ch ild re­
straint to a sing le te ther or to a lower an­
c ho rage point. A ttaching two child re­
strain ts to a single anchor age point can
cause the anchorage to fail and cause se­
rious persona l injury in a crash .
(D Note
-Remove the guidance fix ture s before
fo ld ing the rea r seatback to p reven t
damag ing t he seat c ushion .
Child S afety 181
- To attach the chi ld restraint sec urely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
position, the seat he ight set to the low ­
est position and the head restraint must
be adjusted to the vertical pos ition
9 page 57.
-If you leave the guidance fixtures 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 f ixtures were installed. The up­
holste ry would also be permanen tly
st re tched aro und the guidance fixtures.
T his app lies especia lly to leather 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. 164 Lowe r anchorages: prope r mount ing
Mounting
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright pos it ion and securely
latched in place.
.,. Attach both hook-on co nnectors wit h the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connectors lock into place
9 fig. 164.
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are proper ly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions .

182 Child Safet y
Relea sin 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
could fly forward and h it the interior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi­
cl e.
&_ WARNING
Imprope r insta llation of chi ld restrai nts
w ill increase the risk of inju ry in an acc i­
dent.
- Always fo llow the child restraint system
man ufa cturer's instr uctions for proper
installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as we ll as
the lower anchorages or sa fety 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
c:> page 166, Child Safe­
ty.
(D Note
On veh icles with p ower adjustable rear
seats* some criteria must be observed when attaching the chi
ld restraint using
the
LATCH system:
- T o attach t he ch ild restraint sec urely, the
seat must be moved to the farthest rear
posit ion, the seat he ight set to the low­
est position and the head restraint must
be adjusted to the vertical position
c:>page 57.
- If a child safety seat is attached to one of
the rear seats, this seat must not be ad­
justed us ing the power controls under
any c ircumstances . T he
Entry as sistanc e
for this seat must also be deactivated in
the MM I
c:> page 60. The child safety seat
a s well as the rear se at can be damaged
by the adj ustment process .
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 1 65 Tet her ancho rs: recess flaps behind th e rea r
seatbacks
T he tether anchors for the two* /three rear
seat ing positions are located in recesses in the
rear w indow shelf
c:> fig . 165. Vehicles with
two rear seating positions* are equipped wit h
two tether anchors .
A tether is a stra ight or V-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a ch ild restra int to
special anchorage po ints in the vehicle.
T he 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 strik ing t he 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 performance requirements . .,..