Page 169 of 282

child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision 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 inflates. A child 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.
- T he inflating a irbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild 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
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos it ioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints : adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restra int in place ¢
page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not proper ly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used ¢
page 12 7, Safety belts,
¢ page 135, Airbag system and
¢ page 159, Important information.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restra int on the
Ch ild safety
front passenger's seat, the ch ild's safety and
well-being requ ire 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 airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc
tions provided with the child safety seat or infant carrie r.
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
fa r away from the airbag as possib le befo re
installing the ch ild rest raint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to the rea rmost pos ition in its fore and aft ad
justment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up
right position.
- Never p lace or use any electr ica l device
(such as a lap top, CD player, e lectron ic
g ames device, power inve rter or sea t heater
for child sea ts) 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 child restra int 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 passenger seat cush ion.
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p laye r, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for ch ild
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measu red by the capacitive pas
senger detect ion system and can also fly
aro und in an accident an d cause se rious per
sonal injury.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and st ays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is swit ched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immedia tely in
stall the forward-fac ing ch ild seat at a
167
Page 170 of 282

Child safety
seating position on the rear seat and have
the airbag system inspected by your author
ized Audi dealer.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
P A SSEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster sea ts 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 . (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall .
Fig . 1 68 Rea r seat : chi ld proper ly restrain ed in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
chi ldren until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in . (57 in
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these chi ldren up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronge r parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
• Do no t use the conve rtible locking retractor
whe n using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a chi ld on a booster seat.
• The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen
ter of the child's collar 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 pelv is and never
across the stomach or abdomen . Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight
en if necessa ry .
• If you must transpo rt an older chi ld in a boos
ter seat on the front passenger seat , you can
168
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly.
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::, page 164.
Children up to at least 8 years o ld (over 40 lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, part icularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
su itable child restraint .
It is usually best to put these children in appro
priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety sta ndards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
ch ild 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 be lt over the ch ild's body is very important
fo r the ch ild's protect ion, whet her or not a boos
te r seat is used. C hildren age 12 a nd under m ust
always ride in the re ar seat.
Children who a re at least 4 ft. 9 in . (5 7 inches/
1.45 meters) tal l can generally use t he vehicle's
th ree poin t lap a nd shoulder belts . Never use the
l ap belt portion of the veh icle's safety bel t alone
to restrain any chi ld, regard less o f how big the
ch ild is. Always remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap be lt portion of the ve
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
c hi ld's safety absolutely requ ires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possib le around the pe lvis . Never le t
the lap belt po rtion of the safety be lt pass ove r
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate w ithi n a blink of
an eye and with considerab le force. In order to do
i ts job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that i t
will be there to protect the occup ant as the occ u
pan t moves forw ard in to the airbag.
A vehicle occupan t who is out of pos it ion and too
cl ose to the a irbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck vio lent ly and w ill rece ive serio us or
possib ly even fatal injury.
II>
Page 171 of 282

In o rder for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especia lly
any children, who must be in the front seat be
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly restrained and as far away from the airbag as
possible . By keeping room between the child's
body and the front of the passenger compart
ment, the airbag can inflate comp letely and pro
vide supp lemental protect ion in certain frontal
coll is ions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly insta lling a boos
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer
gency situat ion. To help reduce the risk of se
r ious personal injury and/or death:
- The shoulder 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 must neve r lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelv is
and never across the stomac h or abdomen.
Make sure tha t the belt lies fla t and sn ug.
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to p roperly route safety belts over a
child 's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢ page 127.
-The rear side of the child sa fety seat should
be pos itioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat .
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restra int in place ¢
page 56. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restra ints or w ith head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious o r fa ta l neck injury d ramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Ai rbags, can be se riously in
jured or even killed when a n ai rbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any seat,
for example the front seat.
-
Ch ild safety
-Never let a chi ld ride in the cargo area of
your veh icle.
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning for
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in any way du ring an accident can be struck by
a dep loying airbag. Th is w ill result in serious
personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptiona l
circumstances the
PASSENGE R AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on and stay on, when
eve r the ignit ion is switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perfo rm the
checks desc ribed ¢
page 146, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen
ge r seat an d install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when
ever using a chi ld restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used
¢ page 12 7, Safety belts,
¢ page 135, Airbag system and
¢ page 159, 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 emergen cy loc king retractors for
the rear seats safety be lts and fo r th e front pas
senger's sea t sa fe ty be lt have a conve rtible lock
ing retractor for child restraints . The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webbing cannot un
ree l. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing norma l driving. A ch ild
safety seat can on ly be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the ch ild and
child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
169
Page 172 of 282

Child safety
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re
strained for their age and size.
.&_ 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 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 collision.
- If the rear set backrest is not securely latch
ed, 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 carriers on the front passenger
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 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 infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment 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 when
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used~
page 159. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 136, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
170
.&_ WARNING , .
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child 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
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 146, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER 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 protection.
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer'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 correctly recog nized by the capacitive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the correct front passenger frontal airbag
status.
.&_ WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed 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. .... ....._ ______________ _J~
Page 173 of 282

-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 AIR 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.
- Make sure that the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G
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 rear-facing ch ild safety seat in a
rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer .
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle. To act ivate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferab ly
on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt all the way out .
Child safety
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
be lt path ¢
A.
.. Push the ch ild 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 shou ld hear a "cl icking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertib le 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 t ight and fastened so that the seat
canno t move fo rwa rd or s ideways mo re than
one inch (2.S cm).
A WARNING .......... -
Using the wrong ch ild 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 be lt retrac
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
during normal driving or in a crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
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 fo ld forward. Othe rw ise,
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 159. Special precautions
apply when instal ling a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
¢page 136, Child II>
171
Page 174 of 282

Child safety
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The conver tible locking re trac tor for child re
s train ts 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.
The belt tongue w ill pop out of the buckle .
.,. Gu ide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed pos ition .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into its stowed position . The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety be lt without the con
ve rt ible locking retractor for child restraints .
If the convert ible lock ing retractor should be ac
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deact ivate this feature. If the
convertible lock ing re tractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt w ill gradually become tighte r and
uncomfortable to wea r.
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 159. Special precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 136, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor
tant things to know.
172
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more practicab le way to
attach the ch ild rest raint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require special lower ancho
rages in vehicles and devices on new ch ild 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
versa l 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
te r September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed
eral regu lations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements . These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a chi ld rest raint 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 LA TCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps .
In addition to the LA TCH 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 restra ints w ill
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
Page 175 of 282

-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
designed 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. 169 Schematic overview : LATCH ancho rage point loca
tions
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the lower anchorages system.
Child safety
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig. 170 Lower anchorages, covers marked
Fig. 171 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracket loca tions
Lower anchorages
The circular markings on the rear seat help you to
identify the location of lower anchorages for the
two outboard seating positions ¢
fig. 170. The
LATCH lower universal anchorage attachment
points are between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion.
Remove the covers¢
fig. 170 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points.
The lower anchorage attachment points are visi
ble
¢ fig. 171.
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 minimize the possibility of improp er child restraint installation.
All child restraints manufactured after Septem
ber 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage attach-
ments for the
LATCH system. ..,.
173
Page 176 of 282

Child safety
Please remember that the lower anchorage
points are only intended for installation and at
tachment of child restraints specifically 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 the child restraint manufactur
er's instructions on using vehicle safety belts .
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal injury in an accident.
- Always carefully follow the child 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
mation about child restraints in this chapter
and WARNINGS
¢ page 159, 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. 172 Lowe r an ch orages : proper mou nting
Mounting
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upright position and securely latched
in place .
.. Attach both hook-on connectors with the spring
catch release on the child safety seat onto the
174
LATCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place
¢ fig. 172.
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage.
.. Pull straps tight following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catches to release the an
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
-
Improper use of the LATCH system can in
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in an accident .
- These anchors were developed only for child safety seats using the "LATCH" system.
- Never attach other child safety seats, belts
or other objects to these anchors .
- Always make 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 risk of injury in an accident.
- Always follow the child restraint system
manufacturer's instructions for proper in
stallation of the child restraint system and
proper use of tether straps as well as the lower anchorages or safety belts in your ve
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor
mation and WARNINGS about child safety
and the installation of child restraint sys
tems
¢ page 159, Child safety.
-