2018 AUDI A4 child seat

Child safety
-Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
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 restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF~ ; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
- A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will 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 child safety seat and child
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 cir­
cumstances .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF~; light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF~; light
does not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer .
308
· 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 restrain t in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt all the way out.
.. Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path
~ ,&. .
.. Push the child 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 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 putt the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible 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 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 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 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 crash.

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-Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at­
tached to it could f ly 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
c::> page 295. Specia l precaut ions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c::> page 2 72, 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 buckle.
~ Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into
its stowed position. The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con­
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac­
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un­
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deact ivate this feature. If the
convert ible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt w ill gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
_& WARNING
-
Improperly installed chi ld 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
Child safety
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
be ing used
c::> page 295. Special precautions
apply when install ing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c::> page 2 72, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
LATCH system (lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicab le way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat,
Federal regulations require special lower ancho­
rages in vehicles and devices on new child re­
straints to attach to the vehicle anchorages .
In the United States, the combination of the
tether anchorages and the lower anchorages is
now generally called the LATCH system for
" Lower Anchorages and Tethers for Children". In
Canada, the terms
"top tether" with "lower uni­
versa l anchorages" (or "lower universal anchor­
age bars") are used to descr ibe the system .
In other countries the term "ISOFIX" is used to
describe the lower anchorages .
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September
1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance req uirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new ch ild seats.
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tethe r without one can seriously impair the per­
formance of the child restraint and its ab ility to
pro tect the child in a collision. Installing a child
restra int that requi res a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats w ith hook-on or
..,.
309

Child safety
push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps.
I n addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
chi ld restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to he lp keep the child restraint
firm ly in place.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you intend to install in your veh icle.
- Never install a child restraint without a properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruct ions
requ ire the top tether strap to be used.
- Improper use of child restra int LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a colli­
s ion . The LATCH lower anchorage points are
designed to withstand on ly those loads im­
posed by cor rect ly 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
F ig. 253 Schematic overview : LA TCH anchorage point loca­
t ions (example)
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your veh icle which are equipped with the lower
anchorages system.
310
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig. 254 Rear seats: locator buttons for lower anchorages
L o wer anchorage s
The lower anchorage a ttac hment points are lo­
cated between the rear seatback and rear seat
cushion
c:::> fig . 254 .
Lower anchorages secure the child restra int in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety belts.
Anchorages p rovide a secure and easy-to-use at ­
tachment and minimize the possibility of improp­ er child restraint installation.
All child restra ints manufact ured after Septem­
ber 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage attach­
ments for the
LATCH system.
Remember that the lowe r ancho rage points are
on ly intended fo r insta llation and attachment of
child restraints spec ifically cert ified 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 child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions on using vehicle safety belts.
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause ser ious personal injury in an accident.
- Always carefully follow the ch ild restraints
manufacturer's instructions for proper in­
stallation of the child restraint and proper
use of the lower ancho rages or safety belts
in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage o r other
items to the
LATCH lower an chorages. ..,

-Always read and heed the important infor­
mation about child restraints in this chapter
and WARNINGS
c> page 295 , Child safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you ins tall a child restraint always fol­
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc ­
tions .
Fig. 255 Lo we r anch orag es: proper mou nting
Mounting
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in the upright position and securely latched
in place .
.,. Remove th e covers to access the lower anchor­
age brackets .
.,. Attach both hook-on connectors with the spring
catch release on the child safety seat onto the
LATCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place
c> fig . 255 .
.,. Pull on the connector attachments to make
s u re they a re properly attached to the LA TCH
l ower anchorage .
.,. Pull straps tight fo llowing the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing
.,. Loosen the te nsion on the straps following the
c hild rest rai nt man ufacturer's inst ruct io ns .
.,. Depress the spring catches to release the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages .
Remember : Use tether straps to he lp keep the
a ch ild restraint firm ly in place . al ~ N ...... N ~ 0 0
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Child sa fety
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 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 click the seat is not secure and co uld f ly
forward and hit the inter ior of the vehicle,
or be ejected from the vehicle .
A WARNING
-Imp roper insta llation of child restra ints w ill
i nc rease the risk of injury in a n accident.
- Always follow the ch ild restraint system
manufacture r's instruc tions fo r proper in­
stallat ion of the chi ld restrain t system and
p roper use of tether straps as well as the
lower ancho rages or safety belts in your ve ­
h icle.
- Always read and heed the important infor ­
mation and WARNINGS about ch ild safety
and the installation of child restrai nt sys­
tems
c>page 295, Child safety .
311

Child safety
Tether anchors and tether straps
Applies to: Sedan
Fig . 256 Te th er ancho rs : re ce ss f la ps beh ind the rear se at­
bac ks
Applies to: a llroa d
Fig. 257 Te ther ancho rs : atta chm ent hoo k loc atio ns be­
hind the rea r se atb ack s
Appl ies to: Seda n: The tether ancho rs fo r the rear
seating positions a re located in recesses in the
rear w indow shelf .
Applies to: allroad: The tether anchors fo r the
rear seating posit ions are located on the backside
of the rear seatbacks .
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­
taches the top part of a ch ild restra int to specia l
anchorage points in the vehicle .
T he purpose of the tether is to reduce the for ­
ward movement of the child restraint in a crash,
i n order to help reduce the risk of head in jury
that could be caused by striking the veh icle inte ­
rio r.
Forward facing child restraints ma nufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U .S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements . T hese
new perfo rmance requirements make a tethe r
necessary on most n ew ch ild safety seats .
312
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a
crash .
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the ch ild restraint you
intend to install 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 ithstand only those loads imposed by cor­
rectly fitted ch ild restraints.
- Never mo unt two ch ild rest raint systems on
one LATC H lower anchor poin t.
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether st rap or tethe r 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 belts or other kinds of occu­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage o r other
items to the LATCH lowe r anchorages or to
the tether anchors .

Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Appliesto:Sedan
Fig. 258 Tether strap: proper routing and mo unting
Applies to: allroad
Fig. 259 Tether strap: pro per rout ing and mount ing
Installing the tether strap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restraint according to the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions .
• Guide the upper tether strap under the rear
head restraint (raise the head restraint if neces­
sa ry) . For child restraints with V-tether straps,
always make sure that the head restraint guide
rods do not interfere with any part of the top
tether strap.
• Applies to: Sedan: Tilt the recess flap up to ex ­
pose the anchor bracket.
• Applies to: Sedan : Attach the tether strap an­
chorage hook into the opening of the tether an ­
chorage.
• Applies to: allroad: Guide the upper tether
strap into the rear cargo area and slide the
tether strap hook over the anchor bracket .
•Pullon the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages .
• Tighten the tether strap firmly fo llow ing the
child restraint manufacturer's inst ruct ions.
Child safety
Releasing the tether strap
• Loosen the tension following the child restra int
manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed . The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around
the tether strap . T hi s applies espec ially to
le ather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
child restraint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
_&. WARNING ~
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat in sta lled on the front passenger seat will be
se riously inju red and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced Air­
bag System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the child safety
seat or infa nt carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, cente r armrest, or
door.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF "1; 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
i n spected by your Audi dealer.
313

Child safet y
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additiona l in ­
formation about child restraint selection, instal ­
lation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is
the one that fits your chi ld and fits in your vehi­
cle, and that you will use correctly and consis ­
tently.
Try before you buy!
U .S Nation al Highw ay Tra ffic Safet y Admini stra­
tion
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (T TY : 1-800-424-9 153)
http :/ /www.nhtsa.gov
http ://www . safercar . gov
National S AFE KID S Campa ign
Tel.: (202) 662 -0600
http :/ /www.safek ids.org
Safety B elt S afe U .S .A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE ( English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Span ish)
http ://www.carseat.org
Tran sport Canada Inform ation C entre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or call 1-613-998-8616 if
you are in the Ottawa a rea
http ://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/ro adsafety/menu .htm
Aud i Cu stom er Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
314

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edge of the reservoir and result in damage
to the vehicle .
- Do not get any brake fluid on the vehicle
paint, beca use it will corrode the paint .
Battery
General warnings about batteries
Because of the complex power supply, all work
on batteries such as disconnecting, replacing,
etc. shou ld
onl y be performed by an a uthorized
Aud i dealer o r autho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility
¢ ,&. .
The term "vehicle battery" refers to the 12 Volt
battery in your veh icle.
Detailed warning s for th e vehicl e batter y:
®
Wear eye protection .
A
Battery acid is highly corrosive. Wear pro-
tective gloves and eye protect ion.
@
Fire, spa rks, open flame and smoking are
forbidden.
~
A highly explosive mixture of gases can
form when charging batteries.
®
Keep children away from battery acid and
batteries.
A WARNING
All work on the battery or electrical system in
your vehicle can result in injuries, chemical
burns, accide nts o r burns. Be cause of this, a ll
work m ust be perfo rmed
only by an a uthor­
ized Aud i deale r or a utho rized Aud i Serv ice
Facility.
_&. WARNING
California Proposition 65 Warning:
- Battery posts , termina ls and re lated acces­
sories contain lead and lead compounds,
chemicals known to the State of California
to cause cancer and reproductive problems.
Wash hands after handling.
Ch eck ing and Filling
(D Note
Protect the vehicle battery against freezing if
the veh icle w ill be parked for long periods of
time so that it is not destroyed by "free zing"
¢ page 332.
@ For the sa ke of the environment
i Batteries contain polluting substances such
as sulfur ic acid and lead. Contact an author­
i zed Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Fac ility for more informat ion .
Vehicle battery
The term "vehicle ba ttery" refers to the 12 Vol t
ba ttery in your vehicle.
Not running th e vehicle fo r long p eriod s of
time
If you do not drive your vehicle for severa l days or
weeks, electrical equ ipment is gradually scaled
back or sw itched off . Th is reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
per iods of t ime
¢ page 151. Some convenie nce
funct ions, such as inte rio r ligh ting or power seat
adjustment, may not be ava ilable under certain
c ircumstances. These convenience functions will
be available again once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
Even when elect rical equipment is switched off,
the eq uipment can sti ll drain the vehicle battery
if the vehicle is not driven for long periods of
time. Deep draining results in a chemica l reaction
that destroys the inside of the vehicle battery .
The veh icle battery must be charged every month
to reduce the risk of this happening
¢ page 332 .
Contact an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility for more information .
Winter operation
Co ld weather places higher demands on the vehi­
cle battery. Th is results in reduced starting ab ili­
ty. Have the vehicle battery checked by an au­
thorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Service
Facil ity before the cold time of year.
33 1