Page 217 of 340

and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or in
fant carriers installed on the front pas
senger's seat may interfere with the de
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child restrained in ave
hicle is being used¢
page 204 . Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 185, 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 194, 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.
Child Safety 215
- 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. .,.
•
•
Page 218 of 340

216 Child Safety
-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 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.
• 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).
_&. 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 204. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 185, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
Page 219 of 340

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 safe ty belt buck
le. The belt tongue w ill pop out of the buck
le.
" Guide the safety be lt all the way back into
its stowed position .
A lways let the safety belt retrac t complete ly
into its stowed position . The sa fety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with
out the convertib le locking retractor for child
restra ints.
If the convertible locking retractor shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt must
be unfastened and guided comp letely back in
to its stowed position to deactivate th is fea
ture. If the convertib le 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 inju ry
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti
vate the convertible locki ng ret ractor for
child restraints while the veh icle 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 204. Special
precautions apply when installing a chi ld
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 185, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
Child Sa fet y 21 7
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 restra int 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."
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 without one can seriously impair the performance of the chi ld restra int and its abil
ity to protect the child in a collision. Insta lling
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a violation of
state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH
lower anchorages on their child seats with
hook-on or push-on connectors attached to
adjustable straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restraint firmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the r isk of inj ury and death in
a crash.
-
•
•
Page 220 of 340

218 Child Safety
-Always follow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re
straint you intend to install in your veh i
cle.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc
t ions requ ire the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of child restra int LATCH
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision. The LATCH lower anchorage
points are designed to withstand only
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any lu gg age or
other item to the LATCH lo wer anchorag
es .
(j) Tips
-In Canada , the terms "top tether" with
"lowe r universal anchorages " (or " lower
un iversa l anchorage bars") are used to
describe the system.
- In other countries, the term "ISOFIX" is
u sed to describe the lower anchorages.
Location
Fig. 220 Schematic overview: LATCH an ch orage point
locations
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.
Fig. 221 Second row of seats : lower ancho rage bracket
loc ations
Fig. 222 Thir d row of seats: locator butto ns for lower
anchorages
Attachment locator markers for lower
anchorages
T he lower anchorage locations in the second
row of seats are indicated by the attachment
locator markers of the lower anchorage brack
ets¢
fig. 221. Remove the covers to access
the lower anchorage brackets. Circular locator
buttons on the third row of seats* indicate the
lower anchorage locations on the third row of
seats
¢fig. 222.
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment po ints are
located between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion
9 fig. 221 or¢ fig. 222.
Lower anchorages secure the chi ld restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety
belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy
to-use attachment and minimize the possib ili-
ty of improper child restra int installation.
II>
Page 221 of 340

All child restraints manufactured after Sep
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system.
Remembe r that the lower anchorage points
are only intended for installation and attach
ment of child restraints specifically certified
for use w ith
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 child restra int
manufacturer's inst ruct ions on us ing vehicle
safety belts .
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serio us personal injury i n an ac
cident.
- Alway s ca refully fo llow the child re
straints manufac turer's instru ct ions for
proper installation of the child restra int
and proper use of the lowe r anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle .
- Never secure or attach any l uggage or
other items to t he
LATCH lower ancho
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in
format ion about child restra ints in this
chapter and WARNINGS
¢ page 204,
Child Safety.
Guidance fixtures for lower anchorages
App lies to vehicles: with third row seating
Special guidance fixtures increase the conven
ience of the lower anchorages and ore availa
ble from your authorized Audi dealer.
Fig. 223 Th ird row of seats: installi ng the gu idance fix
tures
Child S afety 219
'
0
Fig. 224 Close-up: fitt ing the guidance fixture over the
l ower anchorage bracket
The lower anchorage attachment points are
located on the third row of seats between the
seatback and the seat cushion. Special guid
ance fixtures increase the convenience of the
lower anchorages and help protect the seat
mater ial from possible damage when instal
ling ch ild restraints .
Installing the guidance fi xtur es
... Push down on the seat cu shion so that the
lower anchorages are visible.
.,. Hold the guidance fixture with the part
number facing downward and push it in the
direction of the arrow onto the anchorage
¢fig. 224.
.,. Make sure that each of the two guidance fix
t ures per seat snaps into place.
Removing the gu idance fixtures
... Remove the child restraint according the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions .
.,. Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower an cho rages are visible.
.,. Pull off t he gui dance fixtures from the lower
anchorages.
... Always remove the guidance fixtures and
keep them in a safe place when not in use .
You may find it easier to install child re
straints equipped with hooks attached to
straps without the guidance 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. .,..
Page 222 of 340

220 Child Safe ty
& 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 an chorages
are designed to withstand only those loads imposed by correct ly fitted ch ild
res traints . 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
st raint to a sing le tether or to a lower an
chorage point. Attac hing two chi ld re
straints to a sing le anchorage poi nt can
cause the anchorage to fail and cause se
rious personal injury in a crash.
(D Note
- Remove the guidance f ixtures before
fo ld ing the rear seatback to prevent
damaging the seat cushion.
- If you leave the guidance fixtures instal
l ed for several days, they could leave a
mark on the upho lstery on the seat cush
i o n 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 fixt ures.
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.
F ig . 225 Lower a ncho rages: proper mount ing
Mo unting
.,. Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat
benc h 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. 225 .
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to ma ke
sure they are properly attac hed to the LATC H
lower ancho rage .
.,. Pull straps tight fo llow ing the child res traint
manufacturer's instruct ions.
Releasing
.,. Loose n the tension on the straps fo llowing
t he child restra int manufac turer's inst ruc
tions .
.. Depress the spring catches to release the
anchorage hooks from t he lower anchorag
es.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
c h ild restraint firmly in place .
A WARNING
'-
Improper use of the LATCH system can in-
crease the risk of serious personal in jury
and death in an accident.
Page 223 of 340

-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 acc i
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
format ion and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re
straint systems
¢ page 204, Child Safe
ty.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fi g. 226 Tether ancho rs for se co nd row of sea ts: at
tac hment hook locatio ns
-
Child S afety 221
Fig. 227 Tet her anc hors for thi rd row of seats : attach ·
men t hook loca tions
The tether anchors for the three rear seating
positions in the second row of seats are locat
ed underneath the seats in the back
¢ fig. 226. For veh icles with third row seat
ing*, the tether anchors for the two seating
pos itions in the third row of seats are stored
underneath a p lastic cover cap in the floor
¢ fig. 227 .
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a ch ild restraint to
special anchorage po ints in the vehicle .
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 strik ing the ve
hicle interior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S .
federa l regu lations to comply with new child
head movement performance requ irements .
T hese new perfo rmance req uirements ma ke a
t ether necessary on most new child safety
seats .
A WARNING
Improper installation of child 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. .,.
Page 224 of 340

222 Child Safe ty
- Improper use o f child restraint anchors
(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 ch ild restraints.
- Never mount two chi ld 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 restra ints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho
rages o r 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
t ight, that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measu re more weight than is ac
t u ally on the seat .
- The heav ier weight reg iste red can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
t hough an ad ult were on the seat and de
ploy the Advance d Airbag when it must
be s uppressed 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 circ umstan
ces and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 228 T et her st rap: prope r rou ting and mou ntin g
Fi g. 229 Tet her st rap fo r seco nd row seats: prope r
rou ting a nd moun ting
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether st rap on the
child res traint a ccording to the child re
straint manufacture r's instruc tions .
.,. Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restra int and into the rear cargo area
(raise the head restra int if necessary).
.,. For the second row o f seats: Pull the floor
ing back, in order to reach the anchor brack
et
r=:> fig. 229.
.,. Fo r the third row of seats:* Remove the
plastic cover cap w ith a screw driver, in orde r
to reac h the anchor bracket ¢
page 221,
fig. 227.
.,. Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor
bracket .
.,. 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 .
.,. For the s econd row of seat s: Push the floor-
ing forwa rd into place again . .,._