Child safety
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re
tractor is locked when installing a child safe
ty seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rearward-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on the front passen
ger seat . A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in
flates.
- 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 safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safe ty seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment 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 when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used~
page 150 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 129, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
160
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward -facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas
senger 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 138, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER 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 protection.
- 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 manufacturer 's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in
jury in a crash .
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas
senger front and side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint up , against or very near the instrument pan
el.
-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
-
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adjustment range, as far away from the air
bag as possible before installing the for
ward-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 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 and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir
cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
weight-mat in the seat and register a heavi er weight in the Advanced Airbag System .
The heavier weight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy 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, immediately in
stall the rearward-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
Child safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instruc tions when installing a child restrain t in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a sea t, preferably on
the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
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 posit ion.
.. Guide the saf ety belt back into the retractor un
til 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 con
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt .
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re
tractor is now activated .
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
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 improp
erly 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 safe
ty seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
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. ..,.
161
Child safety
-Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 150 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 129, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant 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 re
tractor .
~ Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
Th@ belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
~ Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into its stowed position . The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deactivate this feature .
If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
_& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
-
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
162
would not be restrained and could be seri ously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 150. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c> page 129, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
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LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
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, Fed
e ral regulations requi re specia l lower anchorages
i n veh icles and devices on new child restrain ts to
attach to the vehicle anchorages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called the
L A TCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children ."
F orward-facing child restrain ts manufactured af
ter September 1, 1999, are requi red by U.S. fed
eral regu lations to comply with new child head
movement per formance requirements . These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new chi ld seats.
I nstall ing a chi ld restraint that requ ires a top
tether witho ut one can serio usly impair the per
formance of the chi ld restraint and its ability to
protect the child in a coll is ion. Insta lling a child
restra int that requires a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufact urers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or
push-on connectors attached to adjustable
s t raps .
In add ition to the LATCH lower anchorages , these
child restraint systems usua lly require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restraint
f irmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper installation of chi ld restraints will
increase the risk of in ju ry and death in a crash.
- Always follow the instructions prov ided by
the manufacturer of the child restra int you
intend to install i n your veh icle.
- Never install a child restraint without a properly attached top tether strap if the
Chil d sa fe ty
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
- Improper use of child rest raint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a co lli
sion . The LATCH lower anchorage points are
des igned to w ithstand only those loads im
posed by correctly fitted child restraints .
- Never mount two child restra int systems on
one LATCH lower anchorage po int .
- Never secure or attac h any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages.
(D Tips
In Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower
universa l anchorages" (or " lower universal an
chorage bars") are used to describe the sys
tem.
- In other countries, the term "ISOFIX" is used to describe the lower anchorages.
Location
Fig. 14 6 Schem at ic overv iew: LATCH a nch orage poin t loca
tio ns
T he ill ustrat ion shows the seat ing locations in
you r vehicle which are equipped with the lowe r
an chorages system.
163
Child safety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig . 14 7 Lowe r anchorages, covers marked
Fig. 14 8 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracket locat ions
Low er anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment poi nts a re lo
cated on the rear end of the rear seatback .
Remove the cove rs
9 fig. 147 to access the lower
anchorage attachmen t poi nts.
The lower anchorage attachment points a re v is i
ble
9 fig . 148 .
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety belts.
Anchorages prov ide a secure and easy -to -use at
tachment and m inim ize the possibility of improp
er ch ild restraint installation.
All child restra ints manufactu red after Septem
ber 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage attach
men ts for the
LATCH system .
Remember that the lower anchorage points are
only intended for installation and attachment of
child restraints spec ifically cert ified for use with
LATCH lower anchorages . Child restraints that are
not equipped with the lower a nchorage attach-
164
ments can still be installed in compliance with
the child restraint manufacturer's instructions on
u sing vehicle safety belts .
_& WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious perso na l injury in an accident.
-Always carefully fo ll ow the child rest raints
manufacturer's instruct ions for proper in
stallation of the child restraint and proper
use of the lower ancho rages or safety be lts
in your v ehicle .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the
LATCH lowe r anchorages.
- Always read and heed the important infor
mat io n about ch ild restra ints in this chapter
and WARNINGS
~page 150, Child safety .
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always fol
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc
t ions.
Fi g. 14 9 Lower ancho rages: proper mount ing
Mounting
.,. Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
in the upright position and secure ly latched in
place.
.,. Att ach both hook-on connectors with the spring
catch re lease on the ch ild safety seat onto the
LA TCH lower a nch orage so that the connectors
lock into place ~
fig. 149 .
.,. Pull on the con nector a ttachments to ma ke
sure they are p roperly attached to the LA TC H
lower ancho rage.
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.. Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer 's instruct ions.
Releasing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following the
ch ild restra int manufacturer's instruct ions .
.. Depress the spring catches to re lease the an
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remembe r: Use tether st raps to help keep the
child res traint firmly in p lace .
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATC H system can in
crease the risk of serious perso nal injury and
death in an acc ident .
- These anchors were developed only for chi ld
safety seats using the "LATCH" system .
- Never a ttac h other child safety seats, belts
o r other ob jects to these anchors .
- Always make sure that you hea r a click when
latch ing the seat in p lace . If you do not hear
a click the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and h it the interior of the veh icle,
or be ejected from the ve hicle.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restrai nts will
increase the risk of injury in an accident.
- Always follow the child restraint system manufacturer 's instructions for proper in
sta llation of the child restraint system and
proper use of tether straps as well as the
lower anchorages or safety belts in your ve
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor
mation and WARNI NGS about c hild safety
and t he insta llati on of chi ld restraint sys
tems~
page 150, Child safety.
Chil d sa fe ty
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 150 Tet her an ch o rs : r ecess flaps beh in d th e rear sea t
back s
The tether anchors for the rear seating positions
are located in recesses in the rear window shelf
~ fig . 150 .
A tether is a stra igh t or V-shaped strap that at
t a ches the top p art of a chil d restra int to speci al
anchorage points in the vehicle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for
ward movement of the child restrain t in a cra sh,
in o rder to help reduce the risk of head i njury that
cou ld be caused by strik ing the veh icle inter ior .
Forward facing child restraints manufactured af
te r September 1, 1999, a re req uired by U.S. fed
eral regula tions to comp ly w ith child head move
ment performance requirements . These new per
formance requirements make a tether necessary on most new child safety seats.
A WARNING
- -
Improper installation of child restra ints w ill
i nc rease the r isk of injury and death in a crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
i n te nd to insta ll in you r A udi.
- Improper use of child rest raint anchors ( in
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a co llision . T he anchors are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by cor
rectly fitted child rest raints.
- Never mount two child restra int systems on
one LATCH low er a nchor point .
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
165
Child safety
-Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight, that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat .
- The heavier weight registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an
adult were on the seat and deploy the Ad
vanced 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 be cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately 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. 151 Tether strap: proper routing and mountin g
Installing the tether strap
.,. Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restraint according to the child restraint manu
facturer's instructions .
166
.,. Guide the upper tether strap under the rear
head restraint r=:>fig.
151 (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 restraint
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 upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently 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 sys
tems come with a tether. Please read and heed
the child restraint system manufacturer's instruc
tions carefully to determine how to properly in
stall 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 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, or
door.
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-A tight tether or other strap on a rearwa rd
facing child rest raint attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and reg ister a
heavier weight in the Advanced Airbag Sys
tem . The heavier we ight registered can
make the sys tem wor k as t hough an adult
we re on the sea t and dep loy the Advanced
Air bag when it mus t be supp ressed c ausing
serious o r even fa tal i nju ry to the child.
- If you mus t in sta ll a rearwar d fa cing child
sa fety seat on the front passenge r seat be
cause of exceptional c ircumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rearward-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your author ized Audi
d ealer.
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional infor
mat io n about child restra int selection, i nstalla
tion and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is
the one that fits your ch ild and fits in your vehi
cle, and that you will use co rrectly and c onsis
tently .
T ry before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra
tion
T e l.: 1 -888-327 -4236 (TTY : 1-800-424-9153)
www .nhtsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Te l.: (202) 662 -0600
www.safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U.S .A
Te l.: (800) 745-SA FE (E nglish)
Te l.: (800) 747 -SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat .org
Child sa fety
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el. : 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll 1 -613-998-86 16 if
yo u are in the Ottawa a rea
http://www .tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/menu .htm
Audi Customer Relations
T el.: (800) 822-2834
167