
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  

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>  

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  

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~  

-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  

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.  

-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  

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. 
-