2015 AUDI S3 airbag off

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.

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-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position .
- 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
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 heate r 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.
- 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 forward-facing child seat
at a seating position on the rear seat and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer . Child Safety 1 79
- Ta ke 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.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. tall. 9 in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters)
tall .
Fig. 143 Rear seat: ch ild prope rly restraine d in a bo os­
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4 ft . 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop­
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re­
strain a child on a booster seat .
.. The shoulde r belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It mus t never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
.. If you must transport an older child in a
booster seat on the front passenger seat, .._

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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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.
-
•
•
•

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-Always read and heed the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re­
straint systems
c:> page 170, Child Safe­
ty.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig . 14 8 Te th er ancho rs: re cess flap s be hind the re ar
sea tback s
The tether anchors for the rear seating posi­
tions are located in recesses in the rear win­
dow she lf
c:> fig. 148
A tether is a straight or V -sha ped strap that
attaches the top part of a child res traint to
specia l anchorage poi nts in the veh icle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the c hild restra int in a
crash, in o rder to help reduce the r isk of head
i n jury that could be caused by striki ng the ve­
hi cle inter io r.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999 , are required by U .S .
federal regulations to comp ly with new c hild
h ead movement perform ance requirements.
These new per formance requ irements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats.
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
- Always fo llow the instructions prov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
Child S afety 18 7
-Improper use of child restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a collision. The anchors are de· sig ned to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restrain ts .
- Never mount two child restra int systems
on one LATC H lowe r anchor point .
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether st rap or tethe r anchorage .
- Never attach a tether strap to a t ie-down
ho ok in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant rest raints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
o ther items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tet her anchors.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the fro nt passenger
seat because of e xceptional c ircumstan­
ces and t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht does not come o n and stay on, im­
medi ately ins tall th e rear-fac ing ch ild
safety sea t in a rear se atin g position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Au di dea le r.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig . 14 9 Tet her st ra p: prop er rou ting a nd m ou ntin g
Installing the tether strap
... Release or deploy the tet her st rap on the
child res traint accord ing to the child re ­
s tr aint manufacture r's ins tructions .
... Gu ide the upper tether strap
under th e rear
head restraint
c:> fig. 149 (ra ise the head re-
stra int if ne cessary) . "'

188 Child Saf ety
• 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 followi ng the
ch ild restra int manufacturer's inst ruct ions .
Releasing the tethe r strap
• Loosen the tens ion following the child re­
stra int manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the spring catc h on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
t ether strap firmly insta lled for several
days, this cou ld leave a mar k on the up­
h olste ry on t he seat cush ion a nd ba ckrest
in the are a whe re the te ther s tra p w as in­
s t alled. The uphols tery wo uld also be per­
manently stretched around the tethe r
strap . This applies especially to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Cur rently, few rear-facing child rest raint sys­
tems come w ith a tethe r. Pl ease read and
h eed the child res traint system manufactur­
e r's ins tructions ca ref ully to dete rm ine how to
p roperly insta ll the tethe r.
& WARNING
-
A child in a rea rward -facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -
even wit h an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag wi ll hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier wit h great
force and w ill smash the c hild safety seat
and child against the backrest, ce nte r
armr est, or door.
- If you must install a rearward faci ng
child safety seat on the front passenger seat because of exceptiona
l cir cumstan ­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
lig ht does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rear-fac ing c hild
safety seat i n a rear seat ing position and
have th e air bag system i nsp ecte d by your
Aud i de aler.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of add itiona l
informat ion abo ut child rest ra int selection, in­
sta llation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
is the one that fits your ch ild and fits in your
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
co nsist ently .
Try before yo u buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safet y Admin­
istration
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TIY: 1-800-424-9153)
www.nhtsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campa ign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www.safek ids.org
Safet y BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
www.ca rseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el.: 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll
1-613 -998 -8616 if you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
men u.h tm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834