2015 AUDI S3 warning

1 7 6 Child S afet y
Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
F ig. 139 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats.@-outer rear
safety belt,
® -center rear safety belr
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
espec ially w ith LATCH unive rsal lower ancho­
rages, the unused safety belts
mu st be se­
cured so that the ch ild in the child restra in t
cannot reach them¢,&..
- Gui de the safety belt webbings @and
®*
behind the head restraint of the seat whe re
the chi ld restrai nt is installed ¢
fig. 139.
When doing so, do not engage the converti­
ble locking retractor! You should not hear a
"clicking" sound when winding up the safety
belt .
- Let the belt re tractor wind up the safety be lt
webbing.
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with
the LATCH lower anchorages or w ith the
standard safety belt or a child in a booster
seat on the rear seat could play with un­
used rear seat safety belts and become en­
tangled. This could cause the child serious personal i nju ry an d even deat h.
- Always secu re un used rear seat safety
belts out of r each of ch ildren in ch ild
seats such as by properly routi ng them
around the head restraint of the seat
where the child restraint is installed.
- Never ac tivate the convertib le lo cking re­
t ractor when rou ting the s afety belts
around the head restraints .
- Never le t anyone sit at the center re ar
sea ting posit io n if the center rear safety be
lt has been ro uted around a rear head
restraint.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs . or 9 kg need special rearward-fac­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
F ig . 14 0 Schem atic overview: rearward -facing infant
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
.,. When usi ng the vehicle safety belt to install
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertib le locking retr actor on the
safety belt to p revent the child safe ty seat
from mov ing¢
page 181 or ins tall the seat
using the LATCH attachmen ts.
.,.. Push the chi ld safety seat down with you r
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 176.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in spec ial infant carriers
and ch ild safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and
small ch ild ren shou ld r ide o nly in special re­
stra ints in wh ich the child faces the back of
the ve hicl e. These infa nt sea ts suppor t the ba­
by's back, nec k and head in a crash
¢ fig. 140 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fron t seat a pote ntia lly dange ro us place for a
chil d to ride. The front se at is not the s afest
place for a child in a forward-facing child seat . ..,.

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It is a very dangerous place for an infant or a
la rger child in a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­ stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air­
bag System. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the inflat­
ing airbag hits the child safety seat or in­
fant carrier with great force and smashes
the child safety seat and child against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof
c::> page 146, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the forward-facing direction. Such re­
straints are designed for the special
needs of infants and very small children
and cannot protect them properly if the
seat is forward-facing .
-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
Audi dealer.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the device is connected to
the 12-volt socket or the cigarette light­
er socket .
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
Child Safety 177
seat, never install any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as
a laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the
electrical capacitance measured by the
capacitive passenger detection system
and can also fly around in an accident
and cause serious personal injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c::> page 135, Safety
belts,
c::> page 144, Airbag system and
c::> page 170, Important things to know.
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9
and 18 kg) in a crash.
Fig. 141 Schematic overview: installat ion of the at­
tachments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 142 Schematic overview: installation of the seat
using the vehicle 's safety be lt system
I),,

178 Child Saf ety
• When using the vehicle safety be lt to insta ll
a chi ld safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ¢
page 181 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments .
• Push the child safety seat dow n with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly t ight
so that the sea t ca nnot move forward or
s ideways more than one inch ( 2.5 cm)
¢page 181.
• If the child safety seat is eq uipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 187.
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 176.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in ­
fant restraint if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
Todd lers and c hildren who are o lder than one
yea r up to abo ut 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs . (18 kg) must
a lways be properly restrained in a ch ild safety
seat certified for the ir s ize and weight
¢
fig . 141 and ¢ fig. 142.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to r ide . The fro nt seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forwa rd-facing child safe­
ty seat.
It is a very dange rous p lace for an in­
fant or a la rger chi ld in a rearwa rd-fa cing seat.
A WARNING
Not u sing a ch ild safety se at, using the
wrong ch ild safety sea t or improper ly in­
stal ling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
co llision or other emergency s ituation.
- Children on t he front seat of any car,
even w ith Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
o usly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inf lates. A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenge r seat w ill be seriously injured
and can be kil led if the front ai rbag in-
-
f lates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating air bag will h it the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child aga inst the backrest , center
arm rest, door or roof .
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll t he rear-fac ing c hild
s a fety se at in a re ar seating positi on and
have the air bag system ins pected by your
Aud i deale r.
- T he rear side o f the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possi ble
to the backrest on the vehicle seat .
- For a djustable head restra ints: adjust or
remove the rea r seat hea d restra int if it
is difficult to install the c hild seat w ith
the head restraint in place¢
page 59. In­
stall the head restraint again immed iate­
ly once the child seat is removed. Dr iv ing
without head restraints o r with head re­
s traints that are not properly adjus ted
increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
in jur y drama tically.
- Always read and heed all WAR NIN GS
wheneve r using a child restraine d in ave­
h icle is being u sed
¢ page 135, Safe ty
bel ts,
¢ page 1 44, Airbag system and
¢ page 170, Important things to know .
A WARNING
-
If exceptional circums tances require the
use of a fo rward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger 's seat, the child's safe­
ty and well -being require that the follow­
i ng spec ial precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward- facing seat has
been designed and cert ified by its man u­
facturer fo r use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.

180 Child Saf ety
you can use the safety belt he ight ad just­
ment to help adjust the shoulder portion
properly .
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 176.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety
seats designed for their age and weight. Ex­
perts say that the skeletal structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these ch ildren is not fully
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a su itab le child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in ap­ propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The routing of the belt over t he ch ild's body is very
important for the ch ild's protection, whet he r
or not a booster sea t is used . Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
C hil dren who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/ 1.45 meters) ta ll can generally use the
vehicle's th ree po int lap and shoulder be lts.
Never use the lap belt portion o f the veh icle's
safety belt a lone to restrain any child, regard­
less of how b ig the child is . Always remember
that ch ildren do not have the pronounced pe l­
vic structure required for the proper function of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three po int
lap and shoulder belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as possib le around the pelvis. Never le t the lap
be lt portion of the safety belt pass over the
chi ld's stomach or abdomen.
I n a crash, airbags must inflate within a b link
of an eye and with cons iderab le force. In orde r
to do i ts job , the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­ bag.
A vehicle occupant who is o ut of position and
too close to the airbag ge ts i n the way o f an inflating airbag. When an occ
upant is too
close, he or she will be st ruck violently and
will rece ive serious or possib ly even fatal in­
j ury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that a ll vehicle occupants, especial­
l y any children, who m ust be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
the ch ild's body and the front of the passen­
ger compa rtment, the a irbag can inflate com­
pletely and p rov ide supplementa l prote ction
i n cer tain frontal collisions.
A WARNING
N ot using a booste r seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous persona l injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situat ion. To he lp re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shou lder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possi­
b le and must lie flat and snug on the up­
pe r body.
It must neve r lie across the
throat or ne ck. The lap belt mus t lie
across the pe lvis and neve r ac ross the
stomach o r abdomen . Make sure that the
be lt lies flat and snug. P ull on the belt to
tighten if necessary .
- Fai lure to p roperly ro ute safety belts
over a child's body will ca use seve re in ju­
ries in an accident or other emergency
situation ¢
page 135.
-The rear side o f the child safety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For ad justab le head restraints: adjust or
remove the rear seat head restra int if it
is difficult to install the child seat w ith
the head restraint in place¢
page 59. In­
stall the head restraint again immed iate-
ly o nce the child seat is removed. Dr iv ing
Ii),

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M 1.1'1 ,....,
without head restraints or with head re­
straints that are not pr operly ad justed
increases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck
injury dramat ically .
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an a ir ­
bag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle .
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways o r out of posi­
t ion i n any way during an acc ident can be
st ruck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
s u lt in se rious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tio nal circumstan ces the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the igni tion is switch­
ed on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and s tay on, per form
the checks described ¢
page 156, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child rest raint off the front pas ­
senger seat and install it proper ly 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.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is bei ng used ¢
page 135 , Safety
belts, ¢ page 144, Airbag system
and
¢ page 170, Important things to know .
Child Safet y 181
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger con be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety sea ts.
T he safety belts emergency locking retractors
fo r the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to loc k the safe ty belt and prevent
t h e safety be lt webb ing from looseni ng up
dur ing no rm al driv in g. A ch ild safety seat can
o nl y be prope rly installed w hen t he s afety bel t
is locked so that the chi ld and child sa fety
seat w ill stay in place.
A lways remember: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped wi th an A dvanced Airbag sys tem, all
c hi ldren, es pecially those 12 years and young ­
er, sho uld always r ide in the back seat proper ­
l y restra ined for t he ir age and size.
A WARNING
Im properly installed chi ld safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
a n d death in a co llision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked w hen insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
trac to r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing norma l dr iving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safe ty seat firmly
i n place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it.
A l oose child safe ty se at can fly aroun d
du ring a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always ma ke sure tha t the rear seat
b ackrest to which the ce nter re ar safe ty
be lt * is attache d is se curely latched
wheneve r the rea r cente r safety belt is
be ing used to secure a child rest raint .
•
•
•

182 Child Safety
-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, 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 170. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 146, 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 156, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion .
-An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
-Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the
child restraint is properly installed, make
certain that the child restraint is correct­ ly recognized by the capacitive passenger
detection system in the front passenger
seat and that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light signals the correct front pas­
senger frontal airbag status.
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.

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A WARNING ,~
Rearward-facing ch ild restraints:
-A chi ld in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, door or roo f.
- Always be especially caref ul if you must
install a rearwa rd fa cing child safety seat
on the front passenge r sea t in exception­
al circumstances .
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays 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 rea r-facing chi ld safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat ma nufactur­
er's instructions when install ing a chi ld re­
straint in your vehicle . To activate t he conver ­
tible locking retracto r:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear sea t.
.,. Slow ly pull the be lt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the ch ild re­
st ra int be lt path ¢&, .
.,. Push the child safety seat dow n with your
f ull weight to ge t the safety belt really t ight.
.,. Insert the be lt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
Child Safet y 183
.,. Guide the sa fe ty be lt back into the retractor
until the be lt lies flat and sn ug on the child
safety seat .
.,. You shou ld hear a "clicking" noise as the
be lt winds back into the iner tia ree l. Test the
convert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on
the belt. You sho uld no lo nger be able to
pull the be lt out of the retracto r. T he con­
ver tible locking re trac to r i s now ac tiva ted .
.,. Mak e s ure t hat t he red release b utton is fac ­
ing away from the child rest rain t so t hat i t
can be unbuckled q uic kly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt
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 o r an im­
p roperly installed chi ld restraint can cause
serious pe rsonal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safe ty belt re-
tracto r is loc ked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tracto r can not hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing no rma l driving o r in a
cras h.
- Always buckle the child sa fe ty seat firmly
in place even i f a ch ild is not sitt ing in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly aroun d
during a sudden stop or in a crash .
- Always ma ke s ure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright pos ition and securely latched
into place and can not fold forward . Oth­
erw ise, the seatback with the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the ev ent of an accident o r othe r emer­
gency situatio n.
- Always read a nd heed al l WAR NINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used ¢
page 170. Special
pre cau tions apply whe n inst alling a child
safety sea t on the fron t passenger seat
¢ page 146, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-
•
•
•

184 Child Saf ety
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor .
.,. Press the red button on the safe ty belt buck­
le. The be lt tongue w ill pop out of the buck­
le .
.. Guide the safety be lt all the way back into
its stowed position .
A lways le t the safety bel t retract comp lete ly
into its stowed posit ion . The sa fety belt can
now be used as an ordinary safety belt with ­
out the convert ib le locking ret ractor for chi ld
restra ints.
If the convertible locking retracto r shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt m ust
be unfastened and guided comp letely back in­
to its stowed pos ition to deactivate th is fea­
ture. If the convertib le locki ng retractor is not
deactivated, the safety be lt will gradually be­
come tighter a nd u ncomfo rtable to wea r.
A WARNING
Imprope rly insta lled child saf ety seats in­
crease t he risk of ser ious personal inju ry
a n d death in a collision .
- Never unfaste n the safety belt to deacti­
vate the convert ible lo cking re tr actor fo r
ch ild rest rain ts while the veh icle is mov­
ing. You would not be res trained and
cou ld be seriously injured in an accident.
- Always re ad and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave ­
hicle is being used
¢page 170. Special
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenge r seat
¢ page 146, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
LATCH Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
T o p rov ide a simple r and more practicable way
to a ttach the child restra int on t he vehi cle
sea t, Federal regulat ions re quire spe cial lowe r
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
c h ild restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho­
rages.
T he comb inat io n of th e tether anc horages and
the lowe r anchorages is now genera lly c alled
t h e
LATCH system fo r "Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for Child ren."
F o rward-f ac ing ch ild res trai nts ma nufacture d
after September 1, 1999, are req uired by U .S .
f ede ra l regu lations to comply with new child
head movement performance req uirements.
These new performance req uirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tethe r without one can seriously impair the
performance of the c hild restra int and its abil­
ity to protect the child in a coll is ion. Insta lling
a chi ld restrai nt that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a violat ion of
state law.
Child rest raint 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,
t h ese chi ld restraint systems usually require
t h e use of tethe r straps to he lp keep the ch ild
rest raint fi rmly in place.
A WARNING
-Imp roper installat ion of ch ild restra ints
will i ncrease the r is k of injury a nd dea th i n
a cr ash.
-