2016 AUDI Q3 child seat

Child safet y
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place
dur ing no rma l driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
pla ce even if a child is not s itting in i t. A
loose child safety seat can f ly around d uring
a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always make sure that the rear seat bac k­
rest to which the center rea r safety be lt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se­
cure a chi ld restraint.
- If the backrest is no t securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carr iers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in ­
flates .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant car rier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, doo r
o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carr iers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing ch ild safety seats or infant
carr iers installed on the front passenger's
seat may inte rfere with the deployment of
the airbag 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 WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
r=> page 132. Specia l preca utions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
r=> page 113, Child
142
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
A WARNING
Always 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 described
r=> page 122, 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. ~

-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and a ft
adjustment range , as fa r away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child r estra int. T he backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit io n.
- Make sure tha t th e
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the tim e
w henever 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, immedia tely in ­
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer .
Child safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufacturer 's
instruct ions when installing a child restraint in
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 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 rest raint 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 rious
person al 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 c rash. .,.
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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
c:::>page 132. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 113, 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 lock ing 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
144
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 132. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c:::> page 113, 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, Federal 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
"Lower 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 .
Forward-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 ab ility 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 ...

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push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps .
I n addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to h elp keep the child restraint
firm ly in place.
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 restra int you
intend to install in your veh icle.
- Never install a child restra int w ithout a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruct ions
requ ire the top tether strap to be used .
- Improper use of child restra int LATCH lower
anchorage po ints can lead to injury in a colli ­
sion. The LATCH lower anchorage points are designed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correc tly fit ted child res traints .
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchorage poin t.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages .
Location
F ig. 134 Sche matic overv iew: LA TCH an ch orag e point loc a­
t io ns
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your veh icle which a re equipped with the lower
ancho rages system.
Ch ild sa fety
Description
T he lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig . 1 35 Rear seats: lowe r anc horages , covers m arked
F ig . 1 36 Rear s eats: l ower an chorag e brac ket loc ations
Lower anchorages
T he lower anc horage a ttac hment po ints a re lo­
cated between the rear seatback and rear seat
cush ion .
Remove the covers ~
fig. 135 to ac cess the lower
anchorage at tachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment po ints are v is i­
ble ~
fig. 136 .
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 min imize the possibi lity of improp­
er child res tra int installat ion.
All child restra ints manufactured after Septem ­
ber 1 , 2002 , must have lower anchorage attach­
ments for the
LATCH system .
Remember that the lower anchorage points are
o nly intended for installation and attachment of
ch ild restraints specifically certified for use with
LATCH lower ancho rages. Child restrain ts that .,.
145

Child safety
are not equipped with the lower anchorage at­
tachments can still be insta lled in compliance
with the child restra int manufacturer 's instruc­
tions on using vehicle safety belts.
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal injury in an acc ident .
- Always carefully follow the child restra ints
manufacturer's instruct ions for proper in­
stallation of the child restra int 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 ­
mation about child restraints in this chapter
and
WARNINGS ~ page 132, 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.
F ig. 137 Lower anchorages: proper mou nting
Mounting
~ Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upr ight position and securely latched
in place.
~ Attach both hook -on connectors with the spring
catch re lease on the ch ild safety seat onto the
LATCH lower ancho rage so that the connectors
lock into place
~ fig. 137.
~ Pull on the connec to r attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LA TCH
lower anchorage.
146
~ Pull straps tight following the chi ld restraint
manufacturer 's instructions .
Releasing
~ Loosen the tension on the straps fo llow ing the
child restra int manufac turer's ins truc tions.
~ Depress the spr ing catches to re lease the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tethe r straps to help keep the
c hi ld restraint firmly in p lace.
A WARNING -
I mproper use o f the LA TC H system can in ­
crease the risk of serious persona l injury and
death in an accident .
- These anchors were developed on ly for child
safety seats using the "LATCH" system .
- Never attach othe r chi ld safety seats, be lts
or other objects to these anchors .
- Always make sure th at yo u hear a click when
latching the seat in place. If yo u do not hear
a click the seat is not sec ure and cou ld f ly
forward and hit the inter ior of the vehicle,
or be ejected from the vehicle.
A WARNING
Imp roper installation of child restra ints will
i n crease the risk of injury in a n accident.
-Always follow the chi ld restraint system
manufacturer's instructions for proper in­
stallation of the child restraint system and
proper use of te ther stra ps as well as the
lower anchorages or safety belts in your ve­
hicle .
- Always read and heed th e important infor­
mat ion an d W ARNIN GS about ch ild safety
a nd the installation of c hild res traint sys­
tems
~ page 13 2, Child safety.

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Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 138 Tether ancho rs: attachment hook locatio ns be­
h ind the rear seatbacks
The tether anchors for the rear seating positions
are located on the backside of the rear seatbacks
¢fig. 138.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­
taches the top part of a child restraint to special anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child 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 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 safety seats.
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 install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors (in­
cluding 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 child restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchor point .
Child safety
- 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 child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other kinds of occu­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggag e or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to attach a
child restraint to the front passenger seat,
make sure that it is not so tight, that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
- The heavier weight registered can make the
Advanced Airbag System work as though an
adult were on the seat and deploy the Ad­
vanced Airbag when it must be suppressed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the
child.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
147

Child safety
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 139 Te ther strap : proper rout ing and moun ting
Fig. 140 Tether strap : p roper ro utin g and moun ting
Inst all ing th e te th er strap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restra int according to the child restra int manu­
factu rer 's instruct ions.
• Gu ide the upper tether strap
und er the rear
head restraint and into the rear cargo area
¢ fig. 140 (raise the head restraint i f necessa­
ry) .
• Slide the tether strap hook ove r the anchor
bracket.
• Pullon the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages .
• Tighten the tether strap firmly follow ing the
child restraint manufacturer's instruct ions .
Relea sing the te the r st rap
• Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the spring catch on the hook and re ­
lease it from the anchorage .
@ Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days , this
148
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 a lso be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. This applies especially to leather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear -fac ing child rest raint systems
come with a tether . Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
A WARNING
-A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be k ilted if the front
a ir bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant ca rr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center a rmrest, or
door.
- A t ight tether or o ther strap on a rearward­
fac ing chi ld restraint 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 heavier weight reg istered can
make the system work as though an adu lt
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
ser ious or even fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rea rwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately inst all
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.

Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a n umber of so urces of ad d it ional in ­
formation about child restraint se lection, insta l­
l ation and use :
N HTSA advises th at th e best child s afety se at is
the one that fits you r ch ild and fits in yo ur vehi ­
cle, and that you will use co rrectly and consis ­
tently.
T ry before you buy !
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra­
tion
Tel.: 1-888-3 27-42 36 ( TTY: 1- 800-42 4-9 15 3)
h tt p :/ /www. nhts a.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
ht tp :/ /www.s afe kids.o rg
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE ( Eng Lish)
T el.: (800) 747-SA NO (Spa nish)
http ://www.carseat. org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-037 1 or call 1-613-998-8616 if
you are in the Ottawa area
h ttp ://www.tc.gc. ca/ eng/roa dsafe ty/menu .h tm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 82 2-2834
Child safety
149