2020 AUDI A3 belt

Child safety


— Always 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, immediate-
ly install the forward-facing child seat ina
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
— Always buckle the child seat firmly in place
even if a child is not sitting in it. A loose
child seat can fly around during a sudden
stop or ina collision.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi-
cle > page 245, Safety belts, > page 253,
Airbag system and = page 278, Important

information.
@) Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in-
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.
ONE eRe emma Cle)
Your vehicle is equipped with a front “Advanced
Airbag System” in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.

The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the “low-risk” require-
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas-
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
“suppression” requirements of the Safety Stand-
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas-
280
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad-
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back seat properly restrained for their age
and
size. 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
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca-
pacitive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres-
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys-
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis-
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child re-
straint system resting on the seat. The measured
capacitance of a child restraint system varies de-
pending on the type of system and specific make
and model.
The electrical capacitance of the various types,
makes, and models of child restraints specified
by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Ad-
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger seat
with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Advanced Air-
bag System compares the capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detection system
with the data stored in the electronic control
unit.
Ce eMetrics Raceli alia es-Te)
system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet >

Child safety




— Take the child restraint off the front passen- child restraint increases the risk of serious
ger seat and install it properly at one of the personal injury and death.
rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR — All vehicle occupants and especially children
BAG OFF light does not stay on. must be restrained properly whenever riding
— Have the airbag system inspected by your in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
authorized Audi dealer immediately. restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve-
@ Tips hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
The child seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad-
vanced Airbag function.
— Commercially available child safety seats are
oe required to comply with U.S. Federal Motor
mae ee Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213).
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re- —When buying a child restraint, select one
duces the risk of injury in an accident! that fits your child and the vehicle.
— Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush-
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
> Always use the right child safety seat for each lean to either side. Audi does not recom-
child and always use it properly page 284. mend using child safety seats that rest on
> Always carefully follow the child safety seat legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro-
manufacturer's instructions on how to route vide adequate contact with the seat.
the safety belt properly through the child safe- — Always heed all legal requirements per-
ty seat. taining to the installation and use of child
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install a safety seats and carefully follow the in-
child safety seat, you must first activate the structions provided by the manufacturer
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt of the seat you are using.
to prevent the child safety seat from moving mi evenallowchildrentundensi. niches
page 289. (1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full They must always be restrained by a proper
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that child restraint system. Otherwise, they
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
than one inch (2.5 cm). neck areas during sudden braking maneu-
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat Werstionaccicental
> page 284. — Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
— Never let babies or older children ride ina
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
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- paecegel
strained for their age and size. — Holding a child in your arms is never a sub-
stitute for a child restraint system.
A WARNING — The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci-
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a



282

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Child safety



— The child and the passenger can also injure
each other in an accident.
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 -
even with an Advanced 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 install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
Make sure there is enough space in front of
the child in the child seat. If necessary, ad-
just the angle and position of the seat in
front of the child seat.
Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install for-
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well-being require that the following special
precautions be taken:
— 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.
— Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
— Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the
forward-facing child restraint.
— Always make sure that the safety belt up-
per
anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re-
straint so that the safety belt will be prop-
erly positioned.
— Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
— Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
— Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat-
er 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
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys-
tem on this seat.
— Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth-
er 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
passenger detection system and can also
fly around in an accident and cause serious
personal injury.
— 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 collision.
— 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,
Child safety.


ZA WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re-
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
— 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.

283

Child safety


— Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
STM emt Camel heel ae Lees



B4G-0466


Fig. 226 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats. @) - outer rear
safety belt, (@) - center rear safety belt*
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag-
es, the unused safety belts must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them>A.
— Guide the safety belt webbings @ and ()* be-
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restraint is installed > fig. 226. When do-
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a “clicking”
sound when winding up the safety belt.
— Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.


ZA WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
— Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such as
by properly routing them around the head
restraint of the seat where the child re-
straint is installed.
— Never activate the convertible locking re-
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.

284
— Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat-
ing position* if the center rear safety belt
has been routed around a rear head re-
straint.


Child safety seats
Maer h cy
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-facing child
restraints that support the back, neck and head
inacrash.

B4l-1424


Fig. 227 Schematic overview: rearward-facing infant seat,
properly installed on the rear seat
> When using the vehicle safety belt 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 moving
=> page 289 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
=> page 284.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head ina
crash © fig. 227.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to >

8V2012721BK
Child safety

ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child seat. It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.


ZA WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash.
— Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat -
even with an Advanced Airbag System. A
child will be seriously injured and can be kil-
led when the inflating airbag hits the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great force
and smashes the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof > page 254, Child restraints on the
front seat - some important things to
know.
— Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
— Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints
are designed for the special needs of infants
and
very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing.
— 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 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.
— 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.
— 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.


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 acrash.

B4L-1425


Fig. 228 Schematic overview: installation of the attach-
ments applicable to a LATCH seat


B4L-1426





Fig. 229 Schematic overview: installation of the seat using
the vehicle's safety belt system
» When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
285
>

Child safety

convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
=> page 289 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm) > page 289.
> If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
=> page 294.
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
=> page 284.
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).
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 certified
for their size and weight > fig. 228 and
> fig. 229.
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. Itisa
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat.

against the backrest, center arm rest, door
or roof.
— Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
— If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be-
cause of exceptional circumstances and 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 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.
— 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.


ZA WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth-
er emergency situation.
— Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in-
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat 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

286

ZA, WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-
being require that the following special pre-
cautions be taken:
— Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
— Always follow the manufacturer's instruc-
tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
— 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

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