
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 175
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. 14 7 Schema 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.

1 7 6 Child S afet y
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating.
Fig . 14 8 Lower anchorages, covers marked
Fi g. 1 49 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracket locations
lower ancho rages
The lower anchorage attachment points are
l ocated on the rear end of the rear seatback.
Remove the covers
c::> fig . 148 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment points are visible
c::> fig. 149.
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 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 on ly intended for installation and attach
ment of child restraints specifically certified
for use with
LATCH lower anchorages . Child
restraints that are not equipped with the low
er anchorage attachments can still be instal- led in compliance with the child restraint
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 child re
straints manufacturer's instructions for
proper installation of the child restraint
an d prope r 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
c::>page 161,
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. 150 Lower anc horages: proper mount ing
Mounting
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
benc h is in the upright posit ion and securely
latched in place .
"' Attach both hook-on connectors with the
spr ing catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connec to rs lock into place
c::> fig. 150. IJII,

.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer 's instructions.
Re lea 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 place.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATC H 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 hea r a click the seat is not secure and
c ou ld fly forward and h it the inte rior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi
cle .
A WARNING
Improper installation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of in jury in an acci
dent.
- Always fo llow the child rest raint system
manufacturer's instr uctions for proper
installation o f 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
format io n and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re
st raint systems~
page 161, Child Safe
ty.
-
Child S afety 177
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 151 Tet her anchors: recess flaps behind the rear
seatbacks
T he te ther anchors for the rear seating posi
tions are located in recesses in the rear win
dow shel f¢
fig. 151 .
A tether is a stra ight or V-shaped st rap that
attaches the top par t of a ch ild restrai nt to
special 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
injury that cou ld be caused by strik ing the ve
hicle inte rior.
Fo rward facing child restraints 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 requi rements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats .
A WARNING
Improper installation 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 .
-

1 78 Child Safety
-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 child restraint to the front passen
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measure more weight 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
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
-If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan
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 and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 1S2 Tethe r strap: prope r routing and mounting
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions. .,.
Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint co
fig. 152 (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 the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
.,. Loosen the tension following the child re
straint manufacturer's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in
stalled. The upholstery would also be per
manently stretched around the tether
strap. This applies especially to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward-facing child restraint
systems come with a tether. Please read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur
er's instructions carefully to determine how to
properly install the tether .
A WARNING ~ -
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 Ad
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat ..,.

to prevent excessive discha rge of the battery
and thus maintain starting capability .
Dynam ic energy man agement
W hile the vehicle is being driven , dynamic en
e rgy management distributes the energy gen
erated according to the needs of the individu
a l components . It regu lates consumption, so
that more electrical energy is not being used
than is being generated and ensures an opti mal state of charge for the battery.
(D Tips
- But even energy management cannot
negate the limits of physics. Consider
that the power and life of a battery are
limited.
- If starting ab ility is threatened, the indi
cator light (•) appears
¢ page 17.
What you should know
The highest priority is given to maintaining
starting capabili ty.
The battery is severely taxed in short-distance
driving, in city traffic and d uring the co ld time
of year. Abundant electrical energy is re
qu ired, but only a little is generated. It is also
cr itical if the engine is not run ning and electri
cal components are turned on . In th is in
stance energy is being consumed but none is
be ing generated.
It is in precisely these situations that you w ill
notice energy management actively regulat
i ng the distribution of energy.
Vehicle stands for an extended period
If you do not drive your vehicle over a period
of several days or weeks, electrical compo
nents are gradually cut back o r switched off .
This reduces energy consumption and main
tains starting capab ility over a longer per iod .
Some of the conven ience fun ctions may not
ope rate, such as the in ter ior lig hts o r th e
power seat adj ustment. The conven ience
functions will be available again when you
switch on the ignitio n and start the engine .
Intellig ent technolog y 187
With the eng ine turned off
If you listen to the radio, for examp le, w ith
the engine turned off or use other MMI func
tions, the battery is being discharged .
If starting capab il ity is jeopardized d ue to en
ergy consump tion, the following warning ap
pears in the MM I display:
Pl ea se start the en gin e s oon or the sy ste m
will be turn ed off .
The warning indicates that the system w ill be
turned off automatically after 3 minutes . If
you w ish to continue using the funct io ns, yo u
have to sta rt the eng ine .
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be
come d ischa rged . This happe ns mostly when
li ttle energy is being gene rated and a g reat
deal consumed and t he battery's state of
charge is not opt imal.
To b ring the energy ba lance back into equili
brium , consume rs which requ ire espec ially
la rge amounts of ene rgy are temporar ily cu t
ba ck or sw itched o ff. Hea ting systems in p ar
ticu lar require a great deal of energy . If yo u
notice, for examp le, that the heated seats * or
the heated rear window are not heating, they
have been temporarily cut back or switched
off . These systems w ill be available again as
soon as the ene rgy balance has been restored .
You wi ll also notice that engine id le speed has
been increased slightly . T hi s is normal and not
a cause for concern. By increasing engine id le
speed the additional energy required is gene r
ated and the battery is charged .
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-Never mount used tires on yo ur vehicle if
yo u are not sure of their "previous histo
ry." Old used tires may have been dam
aged even though the damage cannot be
seen that can lead to sudden tire failure
and loss of vehicle control.
- If you notice unusual vibration or if the
vehicle pulls to one side when d riving, al
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the wheels and tires for dam
age .
(D Note
-Please note that summer and winter
tires are designed for the cond itions that
are typ ic al in those seasons. Aud i recom
mends using w inter t ires du ring the win-
Glossary of tire and loading terminology
Accessory weight
means the comb ined weight (in excess of
those standard items which may be replaced)
of automatic tra nsmission, power steering,
power brakes, power windows, power seats,
radio, and heater, to the extent that these
items are availab le as factory-installed equip
ment (whether installed or not) .
Aspect ratio
means the ratio of the height to the width of
the tire in percent . Numbers of 55 or lower in
d icate a low sidewall for improved steering re
sponse and better overall handling on dry
pavement .
Bead
means the pa rt of the ti re that is made of
steel wires, wrapped or reinforced by ply cords
and that is shaped to fit the rim.
Bead s eparation
means a b reakdown of the bond between
components in the bead.
Cord
means the strands forming the plies in the
tire.
Tire s an d wheel s 223
ter months . Low temperatu res signifi
cantly decrease the elastic ity of summer
t ires, which affects traction and braking
ability. If summer tires are used in very
co ld temperatures, cracks can form on
the tread bars, res ulting in permanent
ti re damage that can cause loud drivi ng
noise and unbalanced tires. Aud i is not
responsib le for this type of damage.
- Burn ished, polished or chromed rims
must not be used in winter weather. Th e
surfa ce of the rims does not have suffi
c ien t cor rosion pro te cti on for this and
c o ul d be pe rmanen tly damaged by road
salt or similar substances. This damage
is not covered by warranty.
Cold tir e inflation pressure
me ans the t ire press ure re commended by the
vehicle manufacturer fo r a tire o f a des igna ted
size that has not bee n driven for more than a
couple of miles (k ilomete rs) at low speeds in
the three hour pe riod before the tire p ress ure
is measured or adjusted.
Curb weight
means the weight o f a motor vehicle with
standard equipment including the maximum
capacity of fuel, o il, and coolant, air cond i
tion ing and additional weight of optiona l
equipment.
E xtra load tire
means a tire design to operate at higher loads
and at higher inflation pressures than the cor
responding standard tire. Extra load tires may
be identified as "XL", "xl", "EXTRA LOAD", or
"RF" on the sidewall.
Gross Axle Weight Rating ("GAWR")
means the load-carrying capacity of a single
axle system, measured at the tire-ground in-
ter~ces .
~
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270 Index
Automatic climate control Ai r vents ... ... . ...... ... .. .. .... .. 69
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
Setup . .. ............... .. .. .... .. 70
Autom atic S hift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 4
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Automatic Sh ift Lock (ASL) . . . . . . . . . . . 84
D riving .. ... ............ .. .. .. .. .. 84
E mergency mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8
E mergency release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
K ick -dow n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
M anual s hift program ... .. .. .... .. . . 86
Remova l lock (ignition key) ... .. .... . . 71
Selector lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Autom atic wi pers .......... .... .... .. 49
Auto Safety Hotline ............ .. ... 127
Average speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2S
Avoid damaging the vehicle .. .... .... . 188
B
Battery ... .. ...... ............ 17,217
B attery locat io n in side the luggage com-
pa rtment ................. .. .... . 217
C ha rging . ............... .. .. .... . 219
I mpor tan t war nings when wo rking on
the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Jump starting .. .. ..... ... .. .. .... . 255
Low . .. .. .. ............. .. .. .. ... 186
Replacing the battery ..... .. .. .. .. . 220
State of charge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
W inter operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Wo rking on the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Before driving .. ........... .. .. .... . 119
B io-e thanol ( Fue l) .......... .. .. .. .. . 202
Blended gasoline ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. . 201
Blower (automatic climate control) . . . . . . 69
B ooste r seats ............. .. .. .. .. . 169
Brake fl uid
C hanging the brake fl uid ..... .. .... . 216
Check ing the brake fluid level ..... .. . 216
Reservoir .. .......... ...... ... .. . 216
What is the cor rect brake fl uid leve l? .. 2 16
What should I do if the bra ke flui d warn-
i ng light comes on? ....... .. .. .. .. . 216
Brake system .... ... .... ... .. .. .. .. . 216
Anti-lock braking system ....... .. .... 19
B rake ass ist system ..... .. .. .. .. .. . 180 B
rake fluid .... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 216
B rake fluid specifications for refill and re-
placement . ... .. ... .. ..... ... .. .. 216
Brake light defective ........... .... . 21
B rake power ass ist unit ......... .... 183
Brakes ....... ... .. .............. . 183
Ceram ic brakes ... ... .. .. ... ..... .. 183
El ectromechanical pa rking brak e ..... . 76
Wa rning/ind icator lights ...... .. .. .. . 15
Worn b rake pads symbo l ........ .. .. . 20
B rak ing
E mergency brak ing funct ion ... .. .. .. . 78
braking guard ..... ... .. ..... .... . .. . 90
Messages . .. .. .. .. ........... .... . 98
Settings .. .... .. ............. .... . 97
Break-in per iod .... .. ... ..... ... .. .. 188
T ires ... .. .... .. .. ... ..... ... .. .. 188
Bul bs .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...... ... .. .. 253
C
Californ ia Proposition 65 Warn ing .... . 207
Battery specific .. ..... ........... . 218
Capacities .. .... .. ............. .... 262
Carbon p arts
Cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198, 199
Care ........ ... .. .. ... ........... . 196
Cargo area
refer to Luggage compartment. . . 63, 125
Ca talyt ic co nve rter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Center armrest .. .. ................ .. 56
Central locking .... ... .. ..... .... . .. . 32
Central lock ing switch .......... .. .. . 36
Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Remote contro l key .............. .. . 35
Ceramic brake rotors New brake pads . ... .... .... ... .. .. 183
Ce rtifi cation .. .. .. ... .......... .. .. 267
Chang ing a f lat t ire . ............. .... 244
Chang ing a wheel . ... .... .... ... .. .. 244
Chang ing engine oil ..... .. ... ..... .. 212
Checking Engine coolant level . ........... .. .. 213
Checking t ire press ure . ... .... ... .. .. 228

Child restraints
Dang er of using chi ld rest raints in th e
front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Where can I get addit ional information
about child restra ints and their use? . . 179
Ch ild restra int system anchors ... .. .. . 175
Ch ild safety .. ................ ... ... 161
Convertible locking retracto r . . . . . . . . . 17 1
I mportant safety instr uctions fo r using
ch ild safety seats ......... .. .. .. .. . 164
I mportant things to know when dr iv ing
with chi ld ren .... ..... ... .. .. .. ... 161
Instal ling a chi ld restraint using the
LATCH system ............ .... .. .. . 176
Lower anchorages ........ .. .. .. .. . 176
Mounti ng and releasing the anchorage
hook .. .. ... ............. ...... .. 176
Tether anchors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Tet her st raps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Ch ild safety seats .......... .... .. .. . 167
Booster seats . ... .. ... ... .. .. .. ... 169
Convertible c hild seats .. ..... .... .. 168
Conver tible locking retracto r .. .. ... .. 171
D anger of using c hild restra ints in the
fro nt sea t .. ............. .... .. .. . 138
H ow do I properly ins tall a child s afety
seat in my vehicle? ..... ... .. .. .. .. . 164
Infant seats . .. .. ..... ... .. .. .. ... 167
Install ing .... .. .. .... ... .. .. .... . 17 1
LATCH system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Safety instructions ........ .. .. .. .. . 164
Unused safety belts on the rear seat .. 166
Cigarette lig hter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Clea ning .. .. .. ........... .. .. .. ... 196
Climate controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Climate con trol sys tem
Automatic recirculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Supp lementary heater .. ... .. .. .. .. .. 70
synchron izing . ........... .. .. .. .... 70
C lo ck . .. .. .. .... ............. .. .. .. 12
Closing Panoramic tilt ing s unroof ...... . ... .. 4 1
P owe r windows . .......... ... ... ... 40
Sun blind .. ............. .... .. .... 41
Closing/open ing
at the lock cylinder ............ ... ... 37
by remote cont ro l ........... .. .... . 35
Inde x 271
with t he centra l locking sw itch ... .. .. . 36
with the conve nience key ..... ... .. .. . 36
Cold tire infla tion p ress ure ............ 226
Coming home . .. .. ................. .
44
Compact spa re tire ... . ... .... ... .. .. 24 3
also refer to Spare tire .. ..... ... .. .. 243
Compartments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Compass in the m irror ............... . 51
Compliance . .. .. .. ................. 267
Consumer Informat ion . . . . . . . . . . 127, 264
Co ntacting NHTSA ... . ... .... ... .. .. 127
Cont rols
Cleaning .. .. .. .. .... ........... .. 198
Convenience key Ind icator lig hts .. .. . .. .. .. ... ... .. . 75
Starting engi ne (S TART E NGINE STOP
bu tton) . .. .. .. .. .. . .............. . 74
Stoppi ng the eng ine (STAR T ENG INE
STOP b utton) . ... .. .. .. ...... ... .. . 75
Switching on ignition . .. ..... ... .. .. . 74
u nlocking/loc king . .. ... .... ... .. .. . 36
Convenie nce opening/clos ing
Convertib le child safety seats
Conve rtib le locking retractor 40
168
Activating ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. 173
Deactivating ... .... . ... ...... ... .. 173
Using to secure a child sa fety seat 1.71, 173
Cool ant system .. .. ............... .. 213
Cooling mode (automat ic climate control) 68
Cooling System Expansion tank . .. .. ............... 213
Corner ing l igh t .. ...... ........... .. . 43
Cruise contro l
Changi ng speed .................. .. 80
Presett ing your speed ............. .. 81
Switch ing off .. .. .... ........... .. . 81
Swi tching on . .. .. .. ............... . 80
Cruising range . .. .. ... ... ...... ..... . 2S
( upholder . ... .... .. . .. .. ..... ... .. . 59
D
Dat a recorde r . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
Date d isp lay ...... .. ..... ........... 12
Daytime running lights. . . . . . . . . . . . 43 , 44
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