2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN warning

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provide supplementa l protection in certain fron­
tal collisions .
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 r isk of se­
r ious personal inj ury and/o r death:
- The shoulder belt must l ie as close to the
center of the child 's collar bone as poss ible
and must lie flat and snug on the uppe r
body . It must neve r lie across the t hroat or
neck . The lap be lt must lie across the pe lv is
and never across the stomac h or abdomen.
Make sure that the belt lies flat and sn ug .
Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to proper ly route safety belts over a
child's body will ca use severe injuries in an
acc ident or other emergency situation
¢ page 260.
- 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: ad just o r re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat w ith the head
restra int i n place
¢ page 61 . Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
c hild seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restra ints or w ith he ad restraints t hat are
not p roper ly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fata l neck injury d ramatically.
- Never le t a child put the sho uld er be lt un der
the arm or be hind t he back, because it co ul d
cause severe injuries in a c rash .
- C hildren o n the front sea t of any car, even
with Adva nced Ai rbags, can be serio usly in ­
jure d or even killed when a n ai rbag inflates.
- Never le t a child stan d or knee l on any seat,
for example the front seat.
- Never le t a child ride in the c argo a re a of
yo ur vehicle.
- Alw ays remem ber th at a c hild leaning for ­
wa rd, s itting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
Ch ild saf ety
a dep loying airbag. Th is w ill resu lt in serious
pe rsonal in jury or death.
- If you m ust insta ll a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptiona l
circumstances the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on a nd stay on, when­
ever the ignit ion is switched on.
- If t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described
Q page 281, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System .
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat pos itions if t he
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
ligh t does not stay on wheneve r
t he ig nit io n is sw itch ed on.
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS whe n­
eve r using a ch ild restrained in a vehicle is
be ing use d
Q page 260, Safe ty belts,
Q page 269, Airbag system and
Q page 294, Important information .
Securing child safety
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 loc king retr actors for
the rear seats safety be lts and for the front pas ­
senger's seat safety be lt have a convertible lock ­
ing retractor for child restraints . The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webb ing cannot un ­
reel. The retractor can be act ivated 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 only be prope rly installed when
the safety be lt is locked so t hat the ch ild and
c hi ld safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your veh icle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ldren, especia lly those 12 yea rs and younger,
sho uld a lways r ide in t he bac k seat p roperly re-
st rained for thei r age and s ize.
..,..
305

Child sa fety
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 normal driving or in a cras h.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a coll is ion .
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt* is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear cente r safety belt is being used to se­
cu re a ch ild rest raint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward toge ther w ith the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The chi ld
can be seriously in jured or killed .
- Never ins tall rear-f acing chi ld safety seats
or infant carr iers on the front passenger
seat . A child will be serio usly injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or 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 interfere with the deployment of
the a irbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is safe r to install a forward-facing ch ild
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being
used~ page 294 . Special preca utions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the fron t passenger
seat~ page 2 70, Child
306
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
A WARNING
A lways take special p recautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
stra int on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional s ituations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-fac ing
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks desc ribed
~ page 281, Monit oring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child res tra int off the front passen­
ge r seat an d inst all it prope rly at one of the
rear sea t positions i f the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Improper installat ion of child res traints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from provi ding any protect ion .
- An improperly installed child restra int 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 carrie r.
- After checking to make sure that the ch ild
restraint is proper ly installed, make ce rtain
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 co rrect front passenger frontal a irbag
s tat us.
A WARNING
Forward- facing child restr aints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has bee n des igned and certified by its man­
uf ac turer for use on a front sea t wit h a pas­
senger front and side air bag.
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-Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the ins trumen t pan­
el.
- Always move t he front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up an d down ad­
justment range and move it back t o the
r e armost position in t he seat's fore a nd aft
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
wa rd-facing child restra int.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is beh ind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the chi ld restrain t
so tha t the safety bel t will be properly pos i­
tioned.
- Make sure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A ch ild in a re arwa rd-facing child sa fety 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 airbag 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 armrest , door
o r roof .
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
sta ll a rearward facing child safety seat on
the fron t passenger seat in exceptional c ir­
c u ms tances .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays 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
st al l t he rear-fac ing ch ild safety sea t in a
re ar seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Au di deale r.
Ch ild saf ety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the c hild safety seat manufactu rer 's
i ns truc tio ns when instal ling a child restra int i n
your vehicle . To activate the convertib le locking
retractor:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear sea t.
.,. Slowly pull the belt all the way out .
.,. Route it arou nd or through the child restra int
be lt
path ~,&. .
.,. Push the c hild safety sea t down with yo ur full
weigh t to ge t the safe ty belt really tight.
.,. Insert t he be lt tong ue into the b uckl e for tha t
seating position .
.,. Guide the safety be lt back into t he ret ractor un ­
til the be lt lies flat and sn ug on the c hild safety
seat .
.,. You s hou ld 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 s hou ld no lo nger be able to pull the belt
ou t of the re tra cto r. T he convertib le lo ckin g re ­
t ra cto r is now activated.
.,. Ma ke sure that t he red release bu tton is facing
away from the c hild restraint so that it can be
unb uc kled quickly .
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly t ight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more t han
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wro ng ch ild rest raint o r an impro p­
e rly instal led child restr aint can cause se rious
person al injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure th at the s afety be lt re­
tr act or is locked when installing a child
safety sea t. An un locked safe ty be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in p lace
du ring norma l drivin g 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 dur ing
a sudden stop or in a crash.
~
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Child sa fety
- Always make sure the seat backrest to which
t h e chi ld restraint is installed is in an up­
rig ht p osition and s ecurely latched into
plac e and can not f old forward . O therwise,
t he se atback with t he ch ild safe ty 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 veh icle is
being used
¢ page 294. Specia l preca utions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger
seat ¢ page 2 70, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking r etractor for child
re ­
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the bel t is wound all the way back in to the re­
tractor .
~ Press the red button on the safety belt b uckle.
Th@ belt tongue w ill pop out of the buckl e.
~ Gu ide the safety belt a ll the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract complete ly into
its stowed position . The safety bel t can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con­
vert ible lock ing retractor for child restra ints .
If the convert ible lock ing retractor should be ac ­
tiva ted inadve rtently, the safe ty belt must be un­
fastened and gu ided completely back into its
stowed position to deact ivate this feature .
If the
convertib le lock ing retractor is not deact ivated,
the safety belt w ill gradually become tighte r and
uncomfo rtable to wea r.
A WARNING
-
Improperly installe d child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serio us pe rsonal injury and
death in a collision .
- Never unfasten the safe ty belt to deactiva te
the convert ible locking retractor for child re­
straints while the vehicle is moving . You
308
wou ld not be rest rained and could be seri­
ously in jured in an acc ident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
used¢ page 294. Special p recautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenge r seat
¢ page 2 70, 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 p rovide a simp ler and mo re practicab le way to
attach the ch ild restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require spec ia l 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
tethe r ancho rages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called t he LATCH system for
" Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children" . In
Canada, the terms
" top tet her " wi th "lower u ni­
versa l anchorages " (o r "lowe r universa l anchor­
age bars") a re used to des cribe the system .
In other co untries the term
"ISOF IX" is used to
desc ribe the lower anchorages .
Fo rward-facing chi ld restraints manufactured af­
ter September
1, 1999, are required by U.S . fed­
era l regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance req uir ements . These
new performance requ irements make a tether
necessary on most new ch ild sea ts.
Installing a ch ild restraint that requires a top
tether wi thout one can se riously impair the per­
fo rmance of the c hild rest raint and its ab ility to
pro tect the ch ild in a co ll ision. I nstalling a ch ild
r es trai nt th at r equi res a top te ther wi tho ut the
top tether may be a vio lation o f st ate law.
Child restra int manufactu rers offe r LATCH lowe r
ancho rages on t heir child seats w ith hook-on or
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push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps .
I n addi tion to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
chi ld restrain t systems usually require the use of
tether straps to he lp keep the child restraint
firm ly in plac e.
A WARNING
Improper installation of c hild 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 ma nufacturer's instruct ions
requ ire the top tether strap to be used .
- Improper use of child restra int LATC H lower
anchorage po ints can lead to injury in a colli ­
sion . The LATCH lower anchorage points a re
designed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correc tly fi tted child res traints .
- N ever mount two chi ld restraint systems on
one LATCH lower a nchorage poin t.
- Never secure or attach a ny luggage or other
item to the LA TCH lower anc horages .
Location
Fig . 2 52 Schema tic overv iew: LATCH a nchor age po int loca ­
ti ons (ex ampl e)
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your veh icle which are equipped with the lower
anchorages system.
Ch ild s afe ty
Description
T he lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig . 253 Lower an cho ra g es , covers marked
Fig . 25 4 Rear s eats: lowe r an chorag e bra cket lo ca 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. 253. The
LATCH lower universal anchorage attachment
points are between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion.
Remove the covers ¢
fig. 253 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points.
T he lower anc horage attac hment po in ts a re v is i­
ble ¢
fig. 254.
Lower anchorages secure the child restra int in
the seat withou t using the veh icle's safety bel ts.
Anchorages provide a secure and easy-to-use at­
tachment and minimize the possibi lity of improp ­
er child restraint installation .
All child res tra ints manufac tured after Septem ­
ber 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage attach-
ments for t he
LATCH system. ..,_
309

Child sa fety
Please remember that the lower anchorage
points are only intended for installation and at­
tachment of child restraints specifically cert ified
for use w ith LATCH lower anchorages. Ch ild re­
stra ints that are not equipped with the lower an­
chorage attachments can st ill be installed i n
compl iance with the child restra int manufactur­
er 's instructions on using vehicle safety belts .
.&_ WARNING
Improper use of LA TC H l ower anchorages ca n
cause se rious pe rsonal injury in an acc ident.
- Always ca ref ull y follow the child restra ints
ma nufactu rer's inst ru ct io ns for p roper in ­
st all ation of the child res tra int and p roper
use of the lower anchorages or safety be lts
in your vehicle .
- Never secure or a ttac h any luggage or o ther
items to the LATCH lower anchorages.
- Always re ad a nd heed t he important infor ­
mation about child restraints in this c hapter
and WA RNINGS
¢page 294, Child safety .
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Applies to: vehicles w ith Top Tether
Whenever you install a child restraint always fol­
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
F ig . 2 55 Lower anchorages: proper mounting
Mounting
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upr ight position and sec urely latched
i n p lace .
.,. Attach both hook-on connectors with the sp ring
catch re lease on the chi ld safety sea t onto the
310
LA TCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place¢
fig. 255.
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage.
.,. Pull straps tight following the ch ild restraint
manufacturer 's instruct ions .
Relea sing
.,. Loosen the tension on the straps fo llowing the
child restra int 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
ch ild restraint firmly in p lace.
.&_ WARNING
-
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the r isk of serious persona l injury a nd
death in a n accident .
- These anchors were developed only for child
safety seats using the "LATCH" system .
- Never attach other ch ild safety seats, be lts
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 cl ick the seat is not sec ure and co uld fly
forward and hit the inter ior of the vehicle,
or be ejec ted from the veh icle .
.&_ WARNING
Imp roper i nstalla tion of child restra ints w ill
in cre ase t he risk of inju ry in a n accident.
- Always follow the ch ild restraint system
manufact ure r's ins truc tions fo r prope r in­
s tallat ion of t he ch ild restrain t sys tem an d
proper use of te ther straps as we ll as the
lower anchorages or safety belts in you r ve­
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation and WARNINGS about chi ld safety
and the installation of c hild restraint sys­
tems¢
page 294, Child safety.
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Tether anchors and tether straps
I
Applies to: Sedan
Fig . 256 Tet he r ancho rs: recess flaps be hind th e rea r sea t­
backs
Applies to: Cabriolet/Sportback
F ig. 257 Tethe r ancho rs: recess flaps be hind the re ar seat­
ba cks
Applies to: Sedan: The tether anchors fo r the rear
seating positions a re located in recesses in the
rear window
shelf ¢ fig. 256
Applies to: Cabriolet/Sportback: The tether an­
chors for the rear seat ing positions are located
on the backside of the rear seatbacks
¢ fig. 257.
A tether is a stra ight or V-shaped strap that at·
taches the top part of a child restra int to special
anchorage points in the vehicle .
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for ­
ward movement of the child restra int in a crash,
in order to help reduce the r isk of head injury
that could be ca used by str iking the veh icle in te­
rior .
Forward facing child restrai nts manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U .S. fed·
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement perfo rmance requirements . T hese
new perfo rmance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats .
Ch ild s afe ty
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restra ints wi ll
i ncrease the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided by
the manufacturer of the ch ild restraint you
intend to insta ll in your Audi .
- Improper use of child restraint anchors (in ­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a co llision . The anchors are designed to
withstand only those loads imposed by
car ·
rectly fi tted ch ild restraints.
- Never mo unt two child restraint systems on
one LA TC H lowe r anchor point.
- 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 compa rtment.
- Never use child restra int tether anchorages
to secure safety be lts or other kinds of occu­
pant restrain ts.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or othe r
items to the LA TCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of excep tional cir cumstances 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 a irbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
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A WARNING
Improper use of the L ATCH system can in­
c re as e th e risk of s erious p ersonal injury and
d eath in an acc ident.
-
-These anchors were developed only for child
sa fety sea ts using t he "LATCH" syst em.
- Never attac h 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 d o not hear
a click th e seat is no t se cure and could fly
forward and h it the interior of the vehicle,
o r be ejected from the vehicle.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child rest raints will
increase the r is k of injury in an ac cident.
- Always follow the child restra int system
man ufactu rer's inst ruct ions for proper in­
st al lation of the child res trai nt system and
proper use of tether straps as well as the
lower anchorages o r safety be lts in your ve ­
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor ­
mation and WARNINGS about child safety
and the installation of chi ld restraint sys­
tems
c> page 294, Child safety.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Current ly, few rear-fac ing ch ild restraint systems
come w it h a tethe r. Please read and heed the
chi ld restraint system manufact urer 's ins truc ­
tions c arefully to de termine how to prope rly in ­
stall the tet her.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing chi ld safety sea t
installed on the front passenger seat w ill be
ser iously injured and can be killed i f the front
airbag inflates
-even w ith an Advanced A irbag
System.
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
Ch ild s af ety
aga inst the backrest, center a rm rest, or
door.
- If you must install a rea rwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does not
come on and stay on, immediately insta ll
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspe cte d by your Au di de aler.
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in­
fo rmat ion about c hild rest raint selection, instal­
l at ion and use :
N HTSA advises that the best ch ild safety seat is
the one that f its your child and fits in your veh i­
cle, and that you w ill use correct ly and consis­
tent ly.
Try
befo re yo u buy!
U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis­
trat ion
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: l-800-424-91S3)
http://www.nhtsa.gov
http:/ /www .safercar .gov
National SAFE KID S Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
http://www.sa fekids .org
Safety BeltSafe U .S.A .
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish) http://www.carseat .org
Transport Canada Info rmation Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll 1-613-998-8616 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc .ca/ eng/roadsafety/menu. htm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
313