In o rder for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important t hat all vehicle occupants, especia l
l y any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
pro perly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as poss ible. By keep ing room between
the child's body and the front of the passen
ger c om partment, the airbag can inflate com
p letely and provide supp lemental p rotection
in certa in frontal col lis ions.
A 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 emergency s ituation. To help re
duce the risk of ser ious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child's co llar bone as poss i
ble and must lie and snug on the upper
body.
It must never lie across the throat
o r neck. The lap belt must l ie across the
pelvis and never across the s tomach o r
abdomen. Make sure the belt lies flat
and snug. Pull on the be lt to tighten if
necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju
ries in an acc ident or other emergency
situation
¢page 100.
-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 ca rgo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways 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 booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep-
-
Child Sa fet y 139
tional circ umstances the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li ght m ust 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 descr ibed
¢ page 119, Moni
toring the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the chi ld restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it prope rly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht does not stay on
wheneve r the ignit ion is swi tched on.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS
wheneve r us ing a child res trained in ave
hicle is being used
¢page 100, Safety
belts,
¢ page 108, Airbag system and
¢ page 130, Important things to know .
Booster seats on the rear seat
Children who are about 7 years and older, who
weigh mo re than SS lbs . (25 kg) and are not
ta ller than 4'11" (1.5 m) are best protected
when properly rest rained on the rear seat.
D ue to limited rear seat head clearance c hil
dren 4'3" (1.3 m) and taller must not use
booster seats o n the rear seat of your Aud i TT
Coupe. The rear seat of your Audi TT Coupe
has been specially designed to permit ch ildren
who are betwee n 4'3" ( 1.3 m) and 4'11" ( 1.5
m) tall (about 7 to 12 years old) to use the
available th ree -point lap and s hou lde r safety
belts.
A WARNING
~ -
- T he rear sea t area is too sma ll to safely
transport passengers tal le r than 4 '11"
(1.5 m).
- Persons taller than 4'11" (1. 5 m) as well
as children in booster seats who are too
close to the rear window and roof can
suffer severe head and neck inju ries
when t he rear lid is closed or in a crash.
- The minimum clearance between the
passengers' heads and the rear w indow
•
•
140 Child Saf ety
must never -under any circumstances -
be less than 1 inch (2.5 cm.) when the
passengers sits fully upright .
- Always make sure that the rear seat pas
sengers cannot be struck when the rear
lid is closed.
Booster seats on the front seat
Children aged about 7 years and older and
weigh ing more than 55 lbs (25 kg) who are
between 4'3" (1.3 m) and 4 '11 " (1.5 m) tall
may in exceptiona l circumstances ride on the
front passenger 's seat. Children less than 4'
9" (1.4 m) tall must sit on a certified booster
seat and properly wear the vehicle's three point lap and shou lder safety belt.
A lways securely latch the passenger seat at
the very rear of its fore and aft adjustment range . The backrest must be adjusted to an
upright position .
.&_ WARNING
If you must install a booster seat child re
straint on the front passenger seat :
- Make sure the booster seat has been de
signed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and s ide a irbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in
struct ions provided with the booster
seat .
- Always move the passenger seat to the
very rear of its fore and aft adjustment
range, as far away from the airbag as
poss ible .
- Always make sure that the passenger
seat is securely latched in place before
install ing the booster seat . The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
-If the passenge r seat cannot be securely
latched in the very rear of its fore and aft
adjustment range, then the passenger
front a irbag must be turned off with the
ON / OFF switch.
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
safe ty sea ts.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear s eats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con
ver tible 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 be lt webbing from loosening up
during norma l dr iving . A chi ld safety seat can
only be prope rly installed when the safety be lt
is locked so that the chi ld and child safety
seat wi ll 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, shou ld always ride in the back seat proper
l y restrained for their age and size.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly installed chi ld 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 dur ing normal driving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision
- 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, door or
roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward -facing child safety seats or in
fant carriers installed on the front pas
senger's seat may interfere with the de
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
-It is safer to install a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used~
page 130. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
~ page 110, 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
~page 119, 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
PASS EN-
Child Safety 141
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 deploys 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.
_&. 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 .
_&. 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 .
•
•
142 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, 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 lock ing 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
c:> ,& .
... Push the child safety seat down with your
full weigh t 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 tigh t and fas tened so tha t 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
c:> page 130. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:> page 110, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor.
" Press the red button on the safety be lt
buck le. The belt tongue will pop out of the
buck le .
" Guide the safety belt all the way back into
its stowed pos ition .
A lways let the safety belt retract complete ly
into its stowed pos ition . The sa fety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with
out the convertib le locking retractor for child
rest raints .
If the convertible locking retractor shou ld be
activated inadvertently , the safety belt must
be unfastened and guided completely back in
to its stowed position to deactivate this fea
t ure. If the conver tible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be
come tighter and uncomfortable to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly insta lled child safety seats in
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti
vate the convert ible lock ing ret ractor for
child restraints while the vehicle is mov
ing. You would not be rest rained 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 130. Special
precautions apply when installing a chi ld
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 110, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
Child Safet y 143
LATCH Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To prov ide a simpler and more practicable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federal regulat ions requ ire spec ial lower
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
child restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho
rages.
T he combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally ca lled
the
LATCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for Chil dren." In Canada, the terms
"top tether" with "lower universal anchorag
es" (or "lower universal anchorage bars") are
used to describe the system.
Forward-facing chi ld restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements .
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tether wi thout one can seriously impair the
performance of the child restraint and its abil
ity to protect the child in a coll is ion. Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a violat ion of
state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH
lower anchorages on their child seats w ith
hook-on or push-on connectors attached to
adjustable straps.
In add ition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usua lly require
the use of tether straps to help keep the chi ld
restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
-
•
•
restraints that are not equipped with the low
er anchorage attachments can still be instal
led in compliance with the child restra int
manufacturer's instructions on using vehicle
safety belts.
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal injury in an ac
cident.
-Always carefully follow the ch ild re
straints manufacturer's inst ruct ions for
proper installation of the child restraint
and proper use of the lowe r 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
c;, page 130,
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.
F ig. 120 Rear seats : install ing the guidance fixtures
Child Safety 145
Fig. 121 Close -up: fitt ing the guidance fixture over the
l ower anchorage bracket
The lower anchorage attachment points are
located on the rear seats between the seat
back and the seat cushion. Special guidance
fixtures increase the convenience of the lower
anchorages and help protect the seat material
from possible damage when installing child 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
c;,fig. 121.
.,. Make sure that each of the two guidance fix
tures per seat snaps into place.
Removing the guidance fixtures
... Remove the ch ild restraint according the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions .
.,. Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visible .
.,. Pull off the guidance fixtures from the low
er anchorages .
... Always remove the guidance fixt ures and
keep them in a safe p lace when not in use.
You may find it easier to install chi ld re
straints equipped with hooks attached to
straps without the g uidance fixtures in place.
If this is the case, remove the guidance fix
tures by pulling them off the anchorages. However, the guidance fixtures can help you
to locate the
LATCH anchorages . ..,.
146 Child Safet y
& WARNING
Improper use of tether anchorages or low
er anchorages can cause serious personal
injury in a crash.
- Always carefully follow the ch ild re
straint manufacturer 's instructions for
proper installation and use of child re
st raint systems .
- Never use the
LATCH or tethe r anchorag
es to attach safety belts or other kinds of
occupant restraints.
- Child restraint tether attachments and
lower attachments are only des igned to
se cu re a child res traint that has been
equipped to use these anchorages.
- T ether anchorages and lower anchorages
are designed to withstand only those loads imposed by correct ly fitted ch ild
restraints . Under no circumstances can
they be used safe ly for adu lt or chi ld
safety belts or harnesses.
- Never mount more than one chi ld re
straint to a sing le tether or to a lower an
chorage point. Attaching two chi ld re
straints to a single anchorage point can cause the anchorage to fail and cause se
rious personal injury in a crash.
(D Note
- Remove the guidance f ixtures before
fold ing the rear seatback to prevent
damaging the seat cushion.
- 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 backrest in the area that the
guidance fixtures were insta lled. The up
ho lstery would also be permanently
stretched around the guid ance fixtu res.
This applies especially 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.
Fig . 122 Lower ancho rages: proper mount ing
Mo unting
.,. Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in the upright position 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
connectors lock into place
~ fig. 122.
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATC H
lower ancho rage .
.,. Pull straps tight fo llow ing the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions .
Releasing
.,. Loosen the tension on the straps following
t he child restra int manufac turer's inst ruc
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 place.
A WARNING
'-
Improper use of the LATCH system can in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in an accident.
-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
cle.
A WARNING
Imprope r insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry in an acci
dent .
- Always follow the child restraint system
man ufacturer's instructions for proper
installation of the child restraint 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
formation and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re
straint systems
¢ page 130, Child Safe
ty.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fi g. 123 Tether ancho rs : attachment hook locatio ns
behind t he rear seatbacks
The tether anchors for the rear seating posi
tions are located on the backside of the rear
seatbacks
¢ fig . 123 .
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a child restraint to
special anchorage points in the veh icle.
-
Child S afety 14 7
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for
ward movement of the child restraint in a
crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that cou ld be caused by striking the ve
hicle interior .
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S .
federal regu lations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements.
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats .
A WARNING
Imp roper installat ion of ch ild restra ints
will increase the risk 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 ancho rs
(including tether anchors) can lead to in
jury in a collision . The anchors are de
signed to withstand only those loads im
posed by correctly fitted child restraints .
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment .
- Never use child restraint tether ancho
rages to secure safety belts or other
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 a tether or other strap is used to at
tach a chi ld restraint to the front passen
ger seat, make s ure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sens ing
mat to measure more we ight than is ac
tually on the seat .
- The heavier weight registered can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
though an adult were on the seat and de-
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must ..,