2016 AUDI A4 warning

Child safet y
A WARNING
-
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury and
death in a collision .
- 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 dur ing normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear cente r safety belt is being used to se­
cu re a ch ild restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together w ith the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The chi ld
can be se riously injured or killed .
- Never ins tall rearward-fac ing 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 chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rearward-facing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Forward-facing ch ild safety seats or infant
carr iers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the a irbag and cause serious injury to the
child .
- It is safer to install a forward -facing ch ild
safety seat on the rear seat .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used~
page 158 . Special precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the fron t passenger seat~
page 139, Child
16 8
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
A WARNING
A lways take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
stra int on the front passenger's seat in excep ­
tional s ituations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-fac ing
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 desc ribed
~ page 148, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ger seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSENGER 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 protect ion .
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serious ly injure or even kill the child.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Never p lace additiona l items on the seat
that can increase the tota l weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash.
A WARNING
Forward-facing child restra ints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been des igned 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. ~

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... -Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PA SSEN GER AI R BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearwa rd-facing child restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The 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 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 c ir­
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
we ight-mat in the seat and register a heavi­
er we ight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier we ight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it m ust be suppressed c ausing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure tha t 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.
Ch ild safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufactu rer 's
ins truct ions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefer ably
on the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the w ay out .
.. Route it around or through the child restra int
be lt path
¢ & .
.. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with you r full
weigh t to ge t the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tong ue into the b uck le 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 ''cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con ­
vert ib le lock ing retractor by pull ing on the belt .
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the re tractor. The convertib le loc kin g re­
t ractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the c hild 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 ch ild rest raint o r an improp­
e rly inst alled child restra int can cause se rio us
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tr actor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An un locked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in p lace
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round during
a sudden stop or in a crash. .,.
169

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 158 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 139, 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 bock 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.
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
170
would not be restrained and could be seri­ously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 158. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat<=:>
page 139, 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 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 LA TCH system for
" L ower Anchorages and Tethers for Children". 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 "ISOFIX" 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 .
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the r isk of injury and death in a
crash.
Child safety
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you
intend to install 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 child restraint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a colli­
sion . The LATCH lower anchorage points are
des igned to withstand 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. 165 Schematic overview: LATCH anchorage poi nt loca­
tions
The illust ration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equ ipped with the lower
anchorages system.
171

Child safety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig . 1 66 Lower anchorages, covers marked
Fig . 167 Rear seats: lower anc horage bracket locations
Lower ancho rages
The lower anchorage attachment points are lo­
cated on the rear end of the rear seatback.
Remove the covers
r::;, fig . 166 to access t he lowe r
anchorage attachment po ints.
The lower anchorage attachment points are visi­
ble
<=> fig . 167 .
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety belts.
Anchorages provide a secure and easy-to-use at­
tachment and minim ize the possibility of improp­
er ch ild restraint insta llation .
All child restraints manufactured after Septem­
ber 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage attach­
ments for the
LATCH system .
Remember that the lower anchorage points are
only intended for installation and attachment of
child restraints specifically certified for use w ith
LATCH lower anchorages . Child restraints that
are not equipped with the lower anchorage at-
172
tachments can still be installed in compliance
with the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions on us ing vehicle safety be lts.
_& WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal injury in an accident.
-Always carefully follow the ch ild restraints
manufacturer's instructions for proper in­
stallation of the child restraint and proper
use of the lower anchorages or safety belts
in your vehicle .
-Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the
LATCH lower anchorages .
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mat io n about ch ild restraints in this chapter
and WARNI NGS
r::;, page 158, 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
tions.
Fig . 168 Lower anchorages : prope 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 with the spring
catch release on the child safety seat onto the
LATC H lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into p lace
r::;, fig . 168 .
.,. Pull on the con nector atta chments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LA TCH
lower ancho rage.

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.. Pull straps tight fo llowing the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following the
child restraint manufactu rer's instruct io ns .
.. Depress the spring catches to release the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restrain t firm ly in place.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in an acc ident .
- These anchors were deve loped only for child
safety seats using the "LATCH" system.
- Never attac h other child safety seats, belts
o r othe r objects to these anchors.
- Always ma ke sure that you hear a click when
latching the seat in place . If you do not hear
a click the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and hit the interior of the vehicle,
or be ejected from the vehicle.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the r isk of injury in an acc ident.
-Always follow the child restra int system
manufacturer's instruct io ns for proper in­
stallation of the child restraint system and prope r use of tether straps as well as the
lower anchorages or safety be lts in your ve­
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation and WARNINGS about child safety
and the insta llation of chi ld restraint sys­
t ems~ page
158, Child safety.
Child sa fety
Tether anchors and tether straps
F ig. 169 Sedan Tether anchors: recess flaps behind the
rear seatbacks
Fig . 1 70 allroad Tether anchors: attac hment hoo k loca­
tions behind the rear seatbacks
Sedan: The tether anchors for the rear seating
pos itions are located in recesses in the rear win­
dow shelf
Q fig. 169.
allroad: The tether anchors for the rear seating
pos itions are located on the backs ide of the rear
seatbacks
o fig . 170.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at ­
taches the top part of a ch ild restraint to special
anchorage points in the vehicle.
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the chi ld restraint in a crash,
in order to help reduce the risk of head injury
that could be caused by striking the vehicle inte­
rior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are requ ired by U.S . fed­
eral regulations to comply with child head move­
ment performance requirements . These new per­
formance requ irements make a tether necessary
on most new child safety seats. ..,.
173

Child safety
_& 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 install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restra int anchors (in­
clud ing tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a collision. The anchors are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by cor­ rectly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchor po int.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use ch ild restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­
pant restra ints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether ancho rs.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child res traint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight, that it
ca uses the we ight-sens ing mat to measure
more weight than is ac tually on the seat.
- T he heav ier we igh t registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an adult were on the seat and dep loy the Ad ­
vanced Airbag when it must be suppressed
ca using serious or even fatal injury to the
child.
- If you must install a rearward facing chi ld
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SSEN GE R AIR BA G OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing posit ion and have the airbag system
inspec ted by your a uthorized Aud i dea ler.
174
.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 171 Sedan Tether strap: prope r routing and mount ing
Fig. 172 allroad Tether strap: proper routing and mount­
ing
Installing the tether st rap
... Release or deploy the tether strap on the chi ld
restraint according to the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions.
.., Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear
head restraint<=>
fig. 171 or<=> fig. 172 (raise
the head restraint if necessary).
.., Sedan: Tilt the recess flap up to expose the an­
chor bracket.
.., Sedan: Attach the tethe r st rap anchorage hook
into the open ing of the tethe r anchorage.
... allroad: Slide the tether strap hook over the an­
chor bracket.
... Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages.
.., Tighten the tether strap firm ly following the
child restra int manufacturer's instructions.
Relea sing the tether strap
... Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufact urer's instructions .
... Depress the spr ing catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.

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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
systems come with a tether. P lease read and
heed the child rest raint system manufacturer's
instruc tions care fully to de termine how to prop­
erly install the tether.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenge r seat w ill be
ser ious ly injured and can be killed if the front
airbag infla tes · even w ith an Advanced A irbag
System.
- T he inflating a irbag wi ll 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 armrest, or
door .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing child restra int attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem . The heav ier weight registered can
make the system wo rk as though an adult
we re o n the seat a nd deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be supp ressed caus ing
serious o r even fatal in jury to the c hild.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
sa fety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
Ch ild safety
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources o f additional in ­
formation about child restraint se lection, instal­
lation and use :
N HT SA advises tha t the best ch ild safety seat is
the one that fits your child and fits in your vehi ­
cle, and that you wi ll us e correct ly and consis ­
tent ly.
T ry before you buy!
U.S National H igh way Traffic Safety Administra ­
tion
T el. : 1-888 -327-4236 ( TTY: 1-800 -424-9153)
www.nhtsa .gov
Nati onal SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel. : (202) 66 2-0600
www .safekids.org
Saf ety BeltSaf e U.S .A
T el. : (800) 745-SAFE (English)
T el. : (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
www .carseat.org
Tran sport C anada Information Centr e
Tel. : 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll 1-613-998-86 16 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/ roadsafety/men u. htm
Audi Cu stom er Re lations
T el. : (800) 822-2834
175