2013 AUDI A4 SEDAN Owners Manual

-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 kneel on any
seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing sideways or out of posi­
t ion in any way during an acc ident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sult in se rious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat o n the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
must come on and stay on, whenever the
ignition is switched on.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tional circumstances the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG O FF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­ ed on.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PA SS EN ­
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 136, Safety
belts,
c::> page 144, Airbag system and
c::> page 165, 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's seat can be locked with the con­ vertible locking retractor to properly secure
child safety seats.
The safety belts emergency lock ing retractors
for the rear seats safety belts and for the
Child Sa fet y 175
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
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
dur ing normal dr iv ing . A child safety seat can
on ly be properly insta lled when the safety belt
is locked so that the chi ld and child safety
seat w il l stay in place .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, 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 we ight .
A WARNING
=
Improperly installed chi ld safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a co llision.
- Always make s ure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked 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 ch ild is not sitt ing 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 cente r rear safety
be lt is attached is securely latched when­
ever the rear cen ter safety belt is being
used to secure a ch ild restra int.
- 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 insta ll rearward-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be serious ly in­
jured and can be killed when the passen- ger airbag inflates. .,_ •
•

176 Child Safety
-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 rearward-facing child safe­
ty 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 165. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 145, 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 ¢
page 155, 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.
- 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 rearward-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible lock ing
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¢.&,_.
.. 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 .
Child Safety 177
.. 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).
A 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
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
¢ page 165. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 145, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
-
•
•

178 Child Saf ety
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 be lt
buck le. The belt tongue wi ll pop out of the
buck le .
.. Guide the safety belt all the way back into
its stowed position .
A lways le t the safety belt retract complete ly
into its stowed position . The safety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with ­
out the convertib le locking r etractor for chi ld
restra int s.
I f the convertible locking retractor shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt m ust
be unfastened and guided completely back in­
to its stowed pos ition to deactivate th is fea­
ture. If the convertible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be­
come tighter and u ncomfortable to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly insta lled child safety seats in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision .
- Never unfaste n the safety belt to deacti­
vate the convert ible lock ing retractor for
c hild restrain ts while the veh icle is mov­
ing. You would not be restrained and
cou ld be seriously injured in an accident .
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave ­
hicle is being used
¢ page 165. Special
precautions apply when installing a chi ld
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 145, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .

LATCH Lower
anchorages and tether
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more pract icable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federal regu lations require special lower
anchorages in vehicles and dev ices 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
LA TCH system for "Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children ."
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new ch ild
head movement performance requirements .
T hese new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
I nstalling a chi ld restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the
performance of the chi ld restraint and its ab il­
ity to protect the child in a co llision . Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a v iolation of
state law.
Ch ild restraint manufacturers offer LATCH
lower anchorages on their ch ild seats with
hook -on or push-on connectors attached to
adj ustable straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restra int firmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instructions p rov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re-
Child S afety 1 79
straint you intend to install in your vehi­
cle.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions require the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of child restraint LATC H
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision . The LATC H lowe r anchorage
points ar e designed to withstand on ly
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mo unt two ch ild restra int systems
on one LATC H lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or a ttach any luggage or
o ther item to the LATCH lower anchorag­
es.
a) Tips
In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower u niversal anchorages" (or "lower
universa l anchorage ba rs") are used to de­
scribe the sys tem.
- In other countries, the t erm " ISOFIX" is
used to describe the lower a nch o rages.
Location
Fi g. 153 Sc hema tic overv iew: LA TCH ancho rage point
l ocations
T he illust rat ion shows the seati ng loca tions in
yo ur vehicle which are equipped with the low­
er anchorages system.

180 Child Safet y
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating .
Fig. 154 Lower a nch orages, covers marke d
Fig. 155 Rear sea ts: towe r an ch orage b racke t locat io n s
Lowe r ancho rages
The lower anchorage atta chment points are
located on the rear end of the rear seatback.
Remove the covers¢
fig. 154 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment points are
visible ¢
fig. 155 .
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle 's safety
belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy­
to-use attachment and m inim ize the possibili­
ty of improper child restraint installation .
All chi ld 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 certified
for use w ith
LATCH lower anchorages. Child
restra ints that are not equipped with the low­
e r ancho rage attachments can still be instal- led in compliance with the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions on using vehicle
safety belts
.
A WARNING
-Improper installat ion of child restra ints
will increase the risk of injury in a crash .
-A lways carefu lly 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 WARN INGS
¢ page 165,
Child Safety.
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. 156 Lower a ncho rages : proper mount ing
Mounting
.. Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright posit ion and securely
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
connecto rs lock i nto pla ce ¢
fig. 156.
.. Pull on the con nector attachments to make
sure they are properly a ttached to the LA T CH
lower ancho rage . ..,.

.. Pull straps tight following the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following
the ch ild restraint manufacturer's instr uc­
tions .
.. Depress the spring catches to re lease 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 ser ious 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 cle.
A WARNING
Imprope r installation of ch ild restrai nts
w ill increase the risk of injury in an acc i­
de nt.
- Always fo llow the child rest raint system
m anufactu rer's ins tru ctions for proper
ins tallation of the child res traint system
and proper use of tether 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 165, Child Safe­
ty.
-
Child S afety 181
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 157 Tet her anchors: recess flaps behind th e rear
seatbacks
T he te ther anchors for the rear seating posi­
tions are located in recesses in the rear win ­
dow shelf¢
fig. 15 7.
A tether is a stra ight or V-s haped st rap that
attaches the top par t of a ch ild restrai nt to
spe cial a nchorage po ints in the vehicle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child rest raint in a
c rash, i n orde r to help reduce the risk of head
i njury that cou ld be caused by str ik ing the ve­
hicle inte rior .
Fo rward facing child rest raints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S.
federa l reg ulations to comply wi th ch ild head
movement pe rformance requ irements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats .
A WARNING
Improper installat ion of child restra ints
will increase the r isk of injury and death in
a crash.
-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
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by co rrectly fitt ed child restraints.
- Neve r mo unt two child rest ra int systems
on one LATC H lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
-
to one tether strap o r tethe r ancho rage . ~

182 Child Safet y
-Never attac h a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment .
- Never use c hild restraint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restra ints .
- Never secure or attach any l uggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at­
tac h a child restraint to the front passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
t ight, that it causes the weight -sensing
mat to measu re more weight than is ac­
tua lly on the seat.
- The heav ier weight reg istered can make
the Advanced Airbag System wo rk as
though an adult we re on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced A irbag when it m ust
be s uppressed causing ser ious or even
fatal inj ury to the child.
- If you mus t install a rearward f acing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position a nd
have the a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig . 1 58 Tethe r strap: prope r rou ting and mounting
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restra int acco rding to the child re­
straint manufacturer's instruct ions . .,.
Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint co
fig. 158 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary).
.,. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.,. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of t he tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tethe r strap hook so that the
spri ng catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tight en t he te ther s tra p firmly fo llow ing
the child restraint manufac turer's instruc­
tions .
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tens ion fo llowing the child re­
s traint manufa cture r's instr uctions.
.,. Depress the spring c atc h o n the hook and
release it from the ancho rage.
(D Note
If yo u leave the child restr aint w ith the
tethe r strap firm ly ins talled for several
days, this could leave a ma rk on the up­
ho lstery on the seat cushion and backrest
i n the area where the tether strap was in­
stalled. The upholstery would also be per­
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies espec ia lly to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child res traint
systems come w ith a tether. Please read and
heed the c hild restra int system man ufactur­
er 's instr uctions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether .
A WARNING
-
-
A child in a rearward-fac ing ch ild safety
seat installed on the front passeng er seat
will be s erious ly inju re d and ca n be killed if
the fr ont air bag infla tes -even with an Ad­
va nced A irbag Sys tem .
- Th e inflating airbag will h it th e chi ld
safety sea t or infant c arrie r wi th gre at
for ce and will sma sh the child s afety seat
~