2020 AUDI A3 Owner´s Manual

8V2012721BK
Child safety



as possible, before installing the forward-
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.
— Always make sure that nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad-
justment range.
— Always make sure the backrest is in an up-
right position.
— Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) 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 restraint 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 cushion.
— Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas-
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per-
sonal injury.
— 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 in-
stall the forward-facing child seat at a seat-
ing position on the rear seat and have the
airbag system inspected by your authorized
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 PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.

Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats 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.

B4H-0275



Fig. 230 Rear seat: child properly restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children 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 children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
> Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
> The shoulder belt 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 pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight-
en if necessary.
> Applies to: vehicles with safety belt height ad-
justment: If you must transport an older child
in a booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you can use the safety belt height adjustment
to help adjust the shoulder portion properly.
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
=> page 284.
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 >
287

Child safety

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. By keeping room be-
tween the child's body and the front of the pas-
senger compartment, the airbag can inflate com-
pletely and provide supplemental protection in
certain frontal collisions.

ZA\ WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos-

288


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 that 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
=> page 245.
— The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned 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
restraint in place > page 57. 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.
— 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 PASSENGER AIR BAG

8V2012721BK
Child safety


OFF light must come on and stay on, when-
ever the ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described > page 265, 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.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 245, Safety belts,
=> page 253, Airbag system and > page 278,
Important information.

Securing child safety
seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
ert
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 convertible 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 will stay in place.
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.

ZA\ 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 retrac-
tor is locked when installing a child safety
seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor can-
not 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 init. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
— Always make sure that the rear seat backrest
to which the center rear safety belt* is at-
tached is securely latched whenever the rear
center safety belt is being used to secure 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 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 inflates.
— 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 278. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat > page 254, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.

289

Child safety


ZA 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 265, 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.

ZA\ WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
— Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its manu-
facturer 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

290
— Always move the front passenger seat to the
highest position in the up and down adjust-
ment range and move it back to the rear-
most position in the seat's fore and aft ad-
justment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible, before installing the forward-
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.


ZA WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
-Achild 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 in-
stall the rear-facing child safety seat ina
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi 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

8V2012721BK
Child safety

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 > A\.
» 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 pull 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).

ZA 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 retrac-
tor is locked when installing a child safety
seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor can-
not 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 ina 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 fold forward. Otherwise,
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 278. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat > page 254, 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 deactivate this feature. If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.

ZA WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death ina 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 278. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seaton |>


291

Child safety


the front passenger seat > page 254, 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
ETc Baa Va Cem eRe CMT Lia]
To provide a simpler and more practicable way to
attach the child restraint on the vehicle seat, Fed-
eral regulations require special lower anchorages
in vehicles and devices on new child restraints 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-
versal 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-
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed-
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a child restraint 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 LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or
push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restraint
firmly in place.
292
Some child restraints may require both the LATCH
lower anchorages as well as the vehicle safety
belt for proper installation. This concurrent use is
allowed as long as it does not interfere with ei-
ther attachment system or the adjoining seating
positions’ vehicle safety belts, if so applicable.

Z\ 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 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


B8V-0406



Fig. 231 Schematic overview: LATCH anchorage point loca-
tions (example)
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the lower
anchorages system.

8V2012721BK
Child safety

pred folacoy a)
The lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating.

Fig. 233 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracket locations
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. 232. The
LATCH lower universal anchorage attachment
points are between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion.
Remove the covers > fig. 232 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points.
The lower anchorage attachment points are visi-
ble > fig. 233.
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.
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.

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 278, Child safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Applies to: vehicles with Top Tether

Whenever you install a child restraint always fol-
low the child restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.

B4L-1434


Fig. 234 Lower anchorages: proper mounting
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
293

Child safety

LATCH lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into place > fig. 234.
>» 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.


ZA 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.


ZA 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 278, Child safety.

294
Tether anchors and tether straps
5 S
zt 6
= o a
Applies to: Sedan
Fig. 235 Tether anchors: recess flaps behind the rear seat-
backs

B8V-0562

Applies to: Cabriolet/Sportback
Fig. 236 Tether anchors: recess flaps behind the rear seat-
backs
Applies to: Sedan: The tether anchors for the rear
seating positions are located in recesses in the
rear window shelf > fig. 235
Applies to: Cabriolet/Sportback: The tether an-
chors for the rear seating positions are located on
the backside of the rear seatbacks > fig. 236.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at-
taches the top part of a child restraint to special
anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for-
ward movement of the child restraint in a crash,
in order to help reduce the risk of head injury that
could be caused by striking the vehicle interior.
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 requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child safety seats.