2012 AUDI S3 Owners Manual

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. 142 Rear seat : child prope rly restrained in a boos­
ter 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 prop­
erly 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 re­
strain a child on a booster seat .
.. Always position the shou lder 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 he ight adjust­
ment to help adjust the shoulder portion
properly .
.. Always make sure tha t the shoulder port ion
of the safety belt never rests against or
across the child's neck .
.. Always make sure that the child can proper­
ly wear the lap portion of the belt low across
the thighs or pelvis and
never over the
stomac h or abdomen.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Ex­ pe rts say that the ske letal structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these ch ildren is not fully
Child Safety 15 1
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitable chi ld restraint.
It is usually best to put these child ren in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standa rds.
Booster seats raise the seat ing pos ition of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass
ac ross the child's body in the right p laces. The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the child's protect ion, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12
and under must always r ide in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle 's three point lap and shoulder belts.
Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's
safety belt alo ne to restrain any child, regard ­
less of how big th e ch ild is. Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the pro pe r function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulde r belts. The child's safety ab­
so lutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen .
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force. In order
to do its job, the a irbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the a ir ­
bag.
A veh icle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the a irbag gets in the way of an
inflating airbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be st ruck v iolently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
jury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
im portant that all veh icle occupants, especial-
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible. By keeping room between ..,_

152 Child Safety
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment , the airbag can inflate com­
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions .
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly 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 emergency situation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- Always make sure to position the should­
er portion of the three-point belt over
the middle of child's shoulder.
- Never let the shoulder portion of the belt
rest against or across 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 inju­
ries in an accident or other emergency
situation
c;,page 113.
-The rear side of the booster seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat . Adjust or re ­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is
difficult to install the child seat with the
head restraint in place
¢page 65. Install
the head restraint again immediately
once the child seat is removed. Driving
without head restraints or with head re­
straints 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 seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat, for example the front seat.
-
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi­
tion in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploying airbag. This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or 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 switch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described
c;, page 133, 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.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c;, page 113, Safety
belts,
c;, page 122, Airbag system and
c;, page 143, 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 wi th 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
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that belt
webbing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
during normal driving. A child safety seat can
only be properly installed when the safety belt
IJll-

is locked so that the child and child safety
seat will stay in place.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children , especially those 12 years and young­
er, should always ride in the back seat proper­
ly 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-
Child Safety 153
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 143. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c=> page 12 3, 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 133, 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.
~
•
•

154 Child Safety
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
w ith 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.
- 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 Lacking 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
~ _&..
.,. 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 activat ed.
.,. Make sure that the red release button is fac­
ing away from the child restraint so th at i t
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). .,.

A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an im ­
properly installed child restraint can cause
ser ious 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 buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it .
A loose ch ild safety seat can fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a crash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
wh ich the child restra int is installed is in
an upr ight position and secu rely latched
in to place and cannot fold forwa rd. Oth­
erwise, the seatback w ith the ch ild s afety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an accident or other emer­
gency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
,::!) page 143. Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 123, 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 ba ck into
the retractor.
~ Press the red button on the safety be lt
buc kle. The belt tongue will pop out of the
bu ck le.
~ G ui de the safety belt all the way back in to
it s stowed posit ion .
A lways le t the safety belt retract comp lete ly
in to its stowed posit ion. The sa fety belt can
now be used as an o rdinary sa fety belt with­
out the convert ib le lock ing ret ractor for chi ld
restra ints.
-
Child Sa fet y 155
If the convertib le locking retractor should be
activated inadvertently, the safety be lt must
be unfastened and guided comp lete ly back in­
to its stowed posit ion to deactivate this fea­
ture. If the convert ible locking retractor is not
deact ivated, the safety belt w ill grad ua lly be­
come tig hte r and uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
Im prop erly installed chi ld safety seats in­
crease the r isk of serio us pe rsonal injury
a nd death in a c ollision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti­
vate the conver tible locking retrac to r for
child res traints while the vehicle is mov ­
ing . You would not be restrained and
could be seriously injured in an accide nt.
- Always read and heed al l WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child restraine d in ave ­
hicle is being used
r::!) page 143 . Special
preca utions apply when insta lling a child
safety seat on the front passe nger seat
¢ page 123, 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 prac ticable way
to attach the c hild restraint on the vehi cle
seat, Federal regulat ions req uire spec ia l lower
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
c hi ld restra ints to attach to the veh icle ancho­
rages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now genera lly ca lled
the
LATCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for Chil dren."
Fo rward-faci ng chi ld restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S.
federa l regu lations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements. .,.. •
•

156 Child Safet y
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
Ins tal ling a chi ld restraint that requ ires a top
tether without one can serious ly impair the
performance of the child restraint and its abi l­
ity to protect the chi ld in a co llis ion. Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
witho ut the top tether may be a v io lation of
state law .
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH l ower anchorages on the ir ch ild seats with
hook-on or push -on connectors attached to
adjustable straps.
In addit ion 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 insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury and death in
a c rash .
- Always follow the instructions p rov 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 without a
properly atta ched top tether strap if the
child rest rain t manufacturer's instruc­
tions req uire the top tethe r strap to be
used.
- Improper use of c hild restra int LA TCH
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collis ion . The LATCH lower anchorage
points are designed to w ithstand only
those loads imposed by correct ly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems
on one LATCH Lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any L uggage or
other item to the LATCH lower anchorag­
es.
@ Tips
- In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universa l anchorages" (or " lower
-
unive rsal ancho rage bars") a re used to
describe the system.
- In o ther coun tries, the term " ISOFI X" is
used to describe the Lower anc ho rages .
Location
Fig. 143 Sch emat ic overview: LATCH anc horage po int
l ocat io ns
a, ~ ti. m a,
The 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 locating.
F ig. 1 44 Rear seatbacks: locato r buttons fo r lowe r an ­
c h ora g es
Fi g. 14 5 Rear seats: low er an cho rage bracket loca tions .,.

Attachment locator markers for lower
anchorages
Circular locator buttons on the rear seatback indicate the lower anchorage locations on the
rear seating positions ¢
fig. 144.
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are
l ocated between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion ¢
fig. 145.
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 child restraint installation.
A ll child restraints manufactured 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 certif ied
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 ch ild restra int
manufacturer's instruct ions on using vehicle
safety belts .
.&, WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious persona l injury in an ac­
cident .
- Always carefully fo llow 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 l uggage 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 143,
Child Safety .
Child Safety 15 7
Installing a child restra int with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
Fig. 146 Rear bench seat: insta llin g the mount fo r
LATCH child seats
Fig. 147 Lower anchorages: proper mount ing
Mounting
.,. Place the child seat mount@on the ancho­
rages @ between the back rests and the
seat surface ¢
fig. 146 .
.,. Remove the cover* to access the lower an­
chorage attachment points.
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright position and secure ly
latched in place.
.,. Attach both hook-on connectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connectors lock into place ¢
fig. 147.
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.,. Pull straps tight fo llowing the child re-
straint manufacturer's instructions . .,..

158 Child S afet y
Relea sin g
.,. Loosen the tension on the straps following
the chi ld restraint manufacturer 's instruc­
tions .
.,. Depr ess th e spr ing catch es to re lease the
a nchorage hooks from the lowe r anchorag ­
es.
Rem emb er: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint fi rmly 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 143, Child Safe­
ty.
Tether anchors and tether straps
F ig. 148 Tet her an ch ors : attachment hook loca tions
b ehi nd the rea r se atba cks
T he tether anchors for the rear seating posi­
tions are located on the backside of the rear
seatbacks
c:> fig. 148.
A tether is a stra ight or V-shaped st rap that
attaches the top par t of a ch ild restra int to
spe cial ancho rage po in ts in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child rest raint in a
cr ash , in orde r to help reduce the risk of head
injury that cou ld be caused by str ik ing the ve­
hicle interior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S.
federa l reg ulations to comply wi th new child
head movemen t perfo rmance req uirements.
T hese new performa nce req uirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety seats .
&_ WARNING
-Improper installat ion of child restra ints
will increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash .
- Always follow the instructions 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 collis ion. The anchors are de­
s igned to withstand only thos e loads im­
posed by co rrec tly fitted child rest rain ts.
- Never mo unt two child restra int sys tems
-
on one LATC H lower anchor point. .,_