2016 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET warning

Child safety
_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly install ing a
child restra int increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carr iers on the front passenger
seat -
even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A chi ld will be seriously injured and can be
k illed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, door or roof
c> page 144, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carr iers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints 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 fac ing ch ild
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, immed iate ly install
the rear-fa cing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag systetn 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 passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any ch ild restraint system 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 passenge r seat cushion .
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, elect ronic games dev ice,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the e lectr ica l
172
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas­
senger detect ion system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used.:.>
page 135, Safety belts,
r:=;,page 143, Airbag system
and
.:.> page 165, Important information.
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. 147 Schema tic ove,v iew: installat ion of t he attach­
me nts applicable to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 148 Schematic oveiview : installat ion of th e seat using
the vehicle's sa fety belt system
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢page 176 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that .,..

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the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm)
c::!;> page 176.
~ If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
<=> page 181.
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
<=> page 171.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
T oddlers and children who are o lder than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be properly restrained in a ch ild safety seat cert ified
for the ir s ize and weight <=>
fig. 147 and
¢ fig. 148 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a fo rward-facing child safety seat. It is a
ve ry dangero us p lace for an infant or a larger
chi ld in a rearward-facing seat.
_.6 WARNING
-Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collis ion or oth­
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inf lates.
A ch ild 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.
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center arm rest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be-
Ch ild safety
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASS ENGER AIR BA G 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 a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re­
move the rear seat head rest raint if it is dif­
ficult to insta ll the ch ild seat with the head
restraint in place¢
page 55. Install the
head res traint again immed iate ly once the
child seat is removed. Driving witho ut head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly ad justed increases the r isk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used ¢
page 135, Safety belts,
<=> page 143, Airbag system
and
<=> page 165, Important information.
A WARNING
-
If exceptional c ircumstances requ ire the use
of a forward-facing ch ild restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child 's safety and
well-being req uire that the following special
precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fac ing seat has been
des igned and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side ai rbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instr uc­
tions provided with the child safety seat o r
infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as possible, before install ing the for­
ward-facing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the child restraint
~
173

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It is usually best to put these children in appro­priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats ra ise the seat ing pos it ion of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety be lt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places . The rout ing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/ 1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how b ig the
child is. A lways remembe r that children do not
have the pronounced pelv ic struc ture requ ired for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­
hicle's three point lap and shoulder be lts. The
chi ld's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
port ion of the safety be lt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force. In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the a irbag .
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck v iolently and will receive ser ious or
possibly even fatal injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is important that all vehicle occupants, especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
rest rained and as far away from the airbag as
possib le. By keep ing room be tween the child's
body and the front of the passenger compa rt­
ment, the airbag can inflate comp letely and pro­
vide supplemental protection in certain fronta l
coll isions.
Ch ild safety
_& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or us ing the vehicle safety belt im­
p roperly increases the r isk of serious personal
i njury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se­ rious personal injury and/or death:
- The sho ulde r belt m ust lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's co llar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body . It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure that the belt lies f lat and snug.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Fa ilure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body w ill cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
c:::>page 135.
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re­ move the rea r seat head rest raint if it is dif­
f icult to insta ll the ch ild seat with the head
rest raint in place
c:::> page 55. Install the
head restraint again immed iate ly once the
child seat is removed. Driving witho ut head
restraints or with head restraints that a re
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serio us or fatal neck injury dramatica lly.
- Never let a chi ld put the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the back, because it could
cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Chi ldren on the front seat of a ny car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even k illed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a chi ld stand or kneel on any seat,
for examp le the front seat.
- Never let a chi ld ride in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning fo r­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a dep loying airbag. Th is w ill result in serious
-
personal injury or death . ~
175

Child safet y
-If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
P ASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rea r seat positions if the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used~
page 135, Safety belts,
~ page 143, Airbag system and
~page 165, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
---
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertib le lock­
i n g ret rac to r fo r child rest raints . The safety belt
m ust be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
chi ld safety seat w ill stay in place .
A lways remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size .
176
A WARNING ,.
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the r isk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
-
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tractor is locked when installing a ch ild
safety seat . An unlocked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal d riving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not si tting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round dur ing
a sudden s top or in a collision.
- I f the backrest is not se curely latched, the
child and the ch ild restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and w ill
strike parts of the veh icle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear -facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be k illed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere w ith the deployment of
the airbag and ca use serio us inju ry 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
eve r us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
c::!;> page 165. Special p recautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor-
tant things to know .
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A WARNING 1=
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or rearward -facing ch ild 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
P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on , perform the
checks descr ibed
~ page 155, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN GER AI R
BAG OF F
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of ch ild restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
- An improper ly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child .
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the child restra int is properly installed, make certa in
tha t the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the capacit ive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the cor rect front passenger fronta l airbag
status .
A WARNING
Forward-fac ing child rest raints :
- Always ma ke sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and ce rtified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a fron t seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
-
Ch ild safety
-Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest posit ion in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and aft
ad justment range, as far away from the a ir­
bag as possible , before installing the for­
ward-facing ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild rest raint and
not next to o r in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
A WARNING
= Rearward-facing chi ld restraints:
- A child in a rearward-fac ing c hild safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serio usly injured and can be ki lled if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the c hild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially carefu l if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in except ional cir­
cumstances.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignit ion is switched on .
- If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rea r-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
sys tem inspected by you r Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the c hild safety seat manufacturer 's
instruct ions when installing a child restraint in
177

Child safety
your vehicle. To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, 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 position .
.,. Guide the safety 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
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor 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 up­
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at-
178
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 165. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 144, 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.
The 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.
A 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
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 165. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
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the front passenger seat Q page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicable way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat,
F ederal regulations require special lower ancho­
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re­
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages.
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
" L ower Anchorages and Tethers for Childr en". In
Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower uni­
versal anchorages" (or "lower universal anchor­
age bars") are used to describe the system.
In other countries the term "ISO FIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages.
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral 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 per­
formance of the child restraint and its ability to
protect the child in a collision. Installing 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 .
Child sa fety
A WARNING
-Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
intend to insta ll in your vehicle.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used.
- Improper use of chi ld restraint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a colli­
sion . The LATCH lower anchorage po ints are
des igned to w ithstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages.
Location
Fig. 150 Schematic overview: LATCH anchorage point loca­
tions (example)
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the lower
anchorages system.
1 79

Child safety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig. 151 Lower an ch orages, cove rs marked
Fig. 152 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracke t locations
Lowe r anchor ag es
The circular mark ings on the rea r seat he lp you to
ident ify the location of lower anchorages for the
two outboard seating positions
r=> fig. 151. The
LATCH lower universal anchorage attachment
points are between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion.
Remove the covers
r=> fig. 151 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points.
The lower anchorage attachment poi nts are visi­
b le
r=> fig. 152.
Lower ancho rages secure the ch ild rest raint in
the sea t witho ut using the vehicle 's safety belts.
Anchorages provide a secure and easy-to-use at­
tachment and minimize the possibility of improp­
er child restraint installation .
All ch ild rest raints manufactured after Septem ­
ber 1, 2002, must have lowe r anchorage at tach­
ments for the
LATCH sys tem .
180
Please remember that the lower anchorage
points are on ly intended for installation and at­
tachment of child restraints specif ically certified
for use with
LATCH lower anchorages . Child re ­
straints that are not equipped with the lower an­
chorage attachments can still be installed in
compliance with t he ch ild restraint manufactur­
er's instructions on using vehicle safety belts .
.&_ WARNING
Imp roper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal inju ry in an accident.
- Always carefully follow the ch ild restraints
manufact urer's instructions for proper in­
stallat ion of the chi ld restraint and proper
use of the lower anchorages or sa fety belts
in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage o r othe r
items to the
LATCH lower anchorages .
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation about child restraints in this chapter
and WARN INGS
~page 165, Child safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Applies to : vehicles with Top Tether
Whenever you install a child restraint always fol­
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
Fig. 153 Lowe r anchorages: p rope r mount ing
Mounting
.., Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upright pos ition and secure ly latched
in place .
.., Attach both hook-on connectors w ith the spr ing
catch release on the child safety seat o nto the .,.