2017 AUDI Q3 ECU

Child safety
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
Fig. 125 Schematic overv iew: installat ion of the attach ­
ments app licable to a LATCH seat
Fig. 126 Schemat ic overview: installat ion of the seat using
the vehicle 's safety belt system
.. When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
¢ page 147 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety be lt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm) ¢
page 147.
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢page 152.
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢page 142.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs . (9 kg).
144
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs . (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi­
fied for their size and weight¢
fig. 125 and
i=>fig. 126.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat .
It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, us ing the wrong
ch ild safety seat or imprope rly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth ­
er emergency situation.
- Ch ildren 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-fac ing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
serious ly injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will h it the chi ld safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest, center a rm rest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circ umstances a nd 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 .
- The rear side of the ch ild safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the veh icle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
ficult to install the ch ild seat with the head "'

Child safety
use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
<=>page 142.
Children up to at least 8 years old (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, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in appro­ priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child 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 belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection , whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Children age 12 and under must
always ride in the rear seat .
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
lap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
child is. Always remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt portion of the ve­
hicle 's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
child 's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and with considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the airbag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck violently and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury.
146
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants , especially
any children, who must be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
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 completely and pro­
vide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions.
.&_ WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing 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 situation. To help reduce the risk of se­ rious 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 never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen.
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
r=:> page 109.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif­
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in placer=;,
page 46. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed . Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Never let a child put the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the back, because it could
cause severe injuries in a crash.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in-
-
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates. .,

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- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious
personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional
circumstances the
P A SS ENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light must come on and stay on, when­
ever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER A IR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks descr ibed
c:> page 12 7, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the ch ild restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it p roperly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSENGER A IR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
r=;, page 109, Safety belts,
c:> page 117, Airbag system
and
c:> page 13 7, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas ­
senger can be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety belt have a convertib le lock­
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat w ill stay in place .
Child safety
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size.
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 un locked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in place
du ring normal driving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a co llision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se­
cure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and w ill
strike parts of the veh icle inter ior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat . A child w ill be seriously injured and
can be killed when the passenger a irbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant ca rr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, cente r armrest, door
or roof .
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
or infant car riers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats o r infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serio us injury to the
child .
- It is sa fer to install a forward -facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
147

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- Make sure that the PA SSENGER AIR B AG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the PAS SEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rear-fac ing 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 ch ild restraint in
your veh icle. To act ivate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferab ly
on the rear seat.
.,. Slowly pull the be lt
all th e way out .
.. Route it around or through the c hild restraint
belt path ¢
.&_.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt rea lly t ight.
.,. Inse rt the bel t tongue into the buckle fo r that
seating position .
.,. Guide the safety be lt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con­
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt .
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the ret ractor. The conve rtible locking re­
tractor is now ac tivated .
.,. Make s ure that the red release button is fac ing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quick ly.
.. Pull on the be lt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restra int or an improp­
erly installed ch ild rest raint can cause ser ious
personal in jury o r death in a crash.
Ch ild safety
-Always make sure that the safety be lt 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 a round dur ing
a sudden s top or in a c rash.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
right position and securely latched into
p lace 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 137 . Special precautions
apply when install ing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat ¢
page 118, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know .
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way back into the re­
tractor .
.. Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buck le.
.,. Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
s towed posit io n .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into
its stowed posit ion. The safety be lt can now be
u sed as an ord inary safety belt wit hout the con ­
vertib le locking ret ractor fo r ch ild rest raints .
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac­
t ivated inadverte ntly, the safety belt must be un­
fastened and guided comp lete ly back into its
stowed pos ition to deactivate th is feature. If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradua lly become tighter and
uncomfortab le to wear. ..,.
149

Child safety
_& 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
9page 137. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 118, 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
T o provide a simpler and more pra cticable 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 ­
stra ints to attach to the veh icle anchorages .
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is now generally called the LATC H system for
" l ower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms "top tether" w ith "lower uni­
versal ancho rages" (or "lower universal anchor ­
age bars") are used to describe the system.
I n other countr ies the term "ISO FIX " is used to
describe the lower anchorages.
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U .S . fed ­
eral regulations to comply with new child head movement performance requirements. These
new perfo rmance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
I nstalling a child restraint that requ ires a top
tether without one ca n serio usly impair the per-
150
formance of the c hild restraint and its ab ility to
protect the child in a co llision. Installing a child
restra int 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 ch ild seats with hook-on or
push-on connectors attached to adjustab le
straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restra int systems usually require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restra int
firmly in place .
_& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints wi ll
i ncrease the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the ch ild restraint you
intend to install in your vehicle .
- Never install a child restraint without a
proper ly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacture r's instructions
require the top tether s trap to be used.
- Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a co lli­
sion . T he LA TC H l ower anchorage points are
designed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restraints .
- Never mo unt t wo child rest raint systems on
one LA TC H lowe r an chorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or othe r
item to the LA TC H lowe r an chorages.
Location
Fig. 128 Sc hematic overv iew: LATCH ancho rage poin t loca ·
t ion s

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The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the lower
anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating.
Fig. 129 Rea r seats: lowe r ancho rages, covers marked
Fig. 130 Rear seats: lower anc ho rage bracket locations
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are lo­
cated between the rear seatback and rear seat
cushion .
Remove the covers¢
fig. 129 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points .
The lower anchorage attachment points are visi ­
b le
¢ fig. 130.
Lower anchorages secure the c hild 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 chi ld restraint installation.
All child restraints manufactured after Septem­ ber 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage attach­
ments for the
LATCH system.
Child safety
Remember that the lower anchorage points are
only intended for installation and attachment of
c h ild restraints specifically certified for use with
LATCH lower anchorages. Child restraints that
are not equipped with the lower anchorage at­
tachments can still be installed in compliance
with the ch ild restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions on using vehicle safety belts.
_&. WARNING
Impro per use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal injury in an accident.
- Always carefully follow the child restraints
manufacture r's instruc tions for proper in­
stallation of the child restrain t and proper
use of the lower a hchorages 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 info r­
mation about child restraints in this chapter
and WARNINGS
r=>page 137, 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 . 131 Lower anchorages : proper mounting
Mounting
"'M ake sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upright pos ition and securely la tched
in place .
"' Attach both hook-on connectors with the spr ing
catch release on the child safety seat onto the
IJJ,,
151

Child safety
LATCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place
¢ fig. 131 .
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps t ight following the child restra int
manufacturer's instructions.
R eleasing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following the
ch ild restraint manufacturer's instruct ions .
.. 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 acc ident.
- These anchors were developed only for child
safety seats us ing 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
latch ing the seat in place. If you do not hear
a click the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and h it the inte rior of the vehicle,
o r be ejected from the vehicle.
A WARNING
Improper ins tallation of ch ild rest raints will
increase the r isk of injury in an acc ident.
- Always follow the child restra int system
manufactu rer's instruct io ns for proper in ­
st al lation of the child res tra int system and
proper 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 installation of child restraint sys­
tems
¢page 137, Child safety.
152
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 132 Tether anchors: attachment hook locations be­
hi nd the rear seatbac ks
The tether anchors for the rear seat ing positions
are located on the backside of the rear seatbacks
¢ fig. 132.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­
taches the top par t of a ch ild restrain t to special
anchorage points in the vehicle .
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child restrain t in a crash,
i n order to help reduce the risk of head injury
that cou ld be caused by striking the vehicle inte­
rior.
Forward facing child restra ints manufac tured af­
te r September 1, 1999, are requi red by U.S . fed­
era l reg ulations to comply with new child head
movement performance req uirements . These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restra ints w ill
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow t he i nstructions provided by
the manufacturer of the ch ild restraint you
intend to i nstall in your Audi.
- Improper use of chi ld restraint anchors ( in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a co llision . The anchors are designed to
w it h stand on ly those loads imposed by cor­
re ctly fi tted ch ild restraints.
- Never mo unt two ch ild rest raint systems on
one LA TC H l owe r anchor point.
Ill-

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-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 luggage or other
items to the LA TCH 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-sens ing 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 dep loy the Ad­
vanced Airbag when it must be supp ressed
ca using se rious o r even fatal injur y to the
c hild.
- If you must install a re arward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of except io na l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rear-fac ing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 133 Tether str ap : pro pe r ro uting an d mountin g
Ch ild sa fety
Fig. 134 Tet her st rap : p ro p er r out ing an d mount ing
Installing the tether st rap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the ch ild
restraint according to the ch ild restraint manu­
facture r's instructions .
• Guide the upper tether strap
under the re a r
head restraint and in to the rear ca rgo area
~ fig. 134 (raise the head restraint if necessa ­
ry) . For child restraints w ith V-teth er straps, al ­
ways make sur e that th e head restraint guide
r ods do not interfere w ith any part of the top
tether strap.
• Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor
bracket .
• Pull on the tethe r strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages.
• Tighten the tether s trap firm ly following the
child restra int manufacture r's instruc tions.
Releasing the tether strap
• Loose n the tension fo llow ing the child restra int
manufac turer's instr uctions .
• Dep ress the spr ing catch on the hook and re ­
le ase it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If yo u leave the child restrai nt w ith the tethe r
strap firmly i nstalled for several days, th is
could leave a mark on the uphols tery on the
seat cushion and backrest i n the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
would a lso be permanently stretched around
the tether strap. This app lies espec ia lly to
l eather seats.
153