ECU AUDI A6 2015 Owner's Manual

140 Safet y belts
To provide maximum protection, sa fety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer 's body.
.,. Adjus t the front seat and head restr aint
properly ¢
page 52, General recommenda­
tions .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt¢ .&,.
.,. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis¢ .&,.
.,. Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckl e of
yo ur sea t until you hea r it latc h securely
¢fig. 152.
.,. Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is se-
cu rely latched in th e buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat­
i c belt retracto r on the shoulder be lt. This fea­
ture locks the be lt whe n the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when yo u drive up or
down a steep hill or throug h a sharp curve.
During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The sa fety belts are equipped with a belt pre ­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety be lt
and remove slack when the pretensione r is ac­
tivated ¢
page 143. The function of the pre­
tensioner is mon itored by a warning light
¢page 19.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is eq uipped w ith a convertib le loc king re­
tractor that
must be used when the safety
be lt is used to attach a child seat. Be sure to
read the important information about this
featu re
¢page 182 .
.,& WARNING
Imprope rly posit ioned safety belts can
cause se rious injury in an accident
¢ page 140, Safety bel t posi tion.
- Safety belts offer opt imum protection
only when the seatback is upr ight and
be lts are properly posit ioned o n the
body .
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to wh ich the center rear safety
be lt* is attached is securely latched
wheneve r the rea r center safety belt is
be ing used.
If th e bac krest is not secu re­
ly latched, the passenge r will move fo r­
ward with the ba ckr est dur ing s udden
brak ing, in a sudden maneuver and es pe­
cially in a crash.
- Never at tach the safety bel t to the buck­
le for ano ther seat. Attaching the belt to
the wron g buckle will reduce safety be lt
effectiveness and can cause serio us per­
sonal injury .
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
be lt itself w hen it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into cr itical areas
like the abdomen .
- Always lock the conve rtible locking re­
tracto r when you are secu ring a child
seat in the vehicle¢
page 184.
(D Tips
Fo r inf ormation on safety belt pretension­
ers, refer to ¢
page 143.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 15 3 Safety belt posit ion
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Use the height adjustment to change the posi­
tion of the shoulder belt of the front safety
belts .
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
-
- The shoulder belt should lie as close to
the center of the collar bone as possible
and should fit well on the body. Hold the
belt above the latch tongue and pull it
even ly ac ross the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelvis and there is
no pressure on the abdomen. The be lt
sho uld a lways f it snugly ¢
fig. 153. Pull
on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fitt ing safety be lt can cause seri­
o us injuries by shifting its position on
yo ur body from the strong bones to more
vulnerab le, soft tissue and cause serious
injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ page 139.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy.
Fi g. 154 Safety belt pos itio n during pr egnancy
To provide maxim um protection, safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the
wearer's body¢
page 140.
Safety belts 141
.. Adjust the front seat and adjustable head
restraint* correctly ¢
page 52, General rec ­
ommendations .
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis ¢
fig. 154,
¢& .
.. Insert the tongue into t he correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
r=;, page 139, fig. 152 .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buck le .
A WARNING
-
Improperly positioned safety be lts can
cause ser ious persona l injury in an acci­
dent.
- Expectant mothers m ust always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
possible across the pelvis and below the
round ing of the abdomen.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢ &.
in Fas­
tening safety belts on page
140.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped.
,,,,,
Fig . 155 Re leas ing the tong ue from the buck le
.,. Push the red release button on the buckle
r=:;, fig. 155 . The be lt tongue will spr ing out
of the buckle
r=:;, .&, .
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.,. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the be lt tongue to its stowed position.
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-Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate­
ly.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correc t use of child safety sea ts subs tantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident !
As the driver, you are responsible for the safe­
ty of everybody in the vehicle, especially chil­
dren:
~ Always use the right child safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
¢ page 177.
~ Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child
safety 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 182.
~ Push the child safety seat down with you r
full weigh t to get the safe ty 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 177.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young­
er, should always ride in the back seat proper­
ly restrained for their age and size.
_& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wrong child safety seat or improperly in­ stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death.
-
Child Safety 175
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained child could be
injured by striking the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
strained or improperly restrained child is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select
one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully contact the flat portion of the
seat cushion . The child restraint must
not tip or lean to either side. Audi does
not recommend using child safety
seats that rest on legs or tube-like
frames. They do not provide adequate
contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of
child safety seats and carefully follow
the instructions provided by the manu­
facturer of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety
belt. They must always be restrained by a
proper child restraint system. Otherwise,
they could sustain injuries to the abdo­
men and neck areas during sudden brak­
ing maneuvers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a
child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in
a vehicle while sitting on the lap of an­
other passenger .
- Holding a child in your arms is never a
substitute for a child restraint system .
- The strongest person could not hold
the child with the forces that exist in
an accident. The child will strike the in­
terior of the vehicle and can also be
struck by the passenger .
•
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Secure unused safety belts on the rear
seat
Fig . 167 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from chi ldren 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 ancho­ rages, the unused safety belts
must be se­
cured so that the child in the child restraint
cannot reach them
Q ,&. .
- Guide the safety belt webbings@and @*
behind the head restraint of the seat where
the child restraint is installed
Q fig . 167.
When doing so, do not engage the converti­ ble lock ing retractor! You should not hear a
"clicking" sound when winding up the safety
belt.
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.
A 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 un­
used rear seat safety belts and become en­
tangled. 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 restraint is installed.
- Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts
around the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear
seating position if the center rear safety
Child Safety 177
belt has been routed around a rear head
restraint.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and 20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-fac­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash .
Fig. 168 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
Qpage 182 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
Qpage 177.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg)
are best protected in special infant car riers
and child safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and
small children should ride only in special re­
straints in which the child faces the back of
the vehicle. These infant seats support the ba­ by's back, neck and head in a crash ¢
fig. 168.
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 seat . ..,_

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~ When using the vehicle safety belt to insta ll
a chi ld safety s eat, you must first activate
the convertible locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the ch ild safety seat
from moving
c:::, page 182 or install the seat
us ing the LA TCH attachments.
~ Push the child safety seat dow n with your
full weight to get the safety belt rea lly t ight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
s ideways more than one inch ( 2.5 cm)
c:::, page 182 .
~ If the child safety seat is equ ipped with a
tether strap, attach it to the tether anchors
c:::, page 188.
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:::, page 177.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in ­
fant restraint if it is more than one year o ld
and weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
Todd lers and c hildren who are older than one
year up to abo ut 4 years o ld and weigh more
than 20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be properly restra ined in a ch ild safety
seat certified for the ir s ize and weight
c:::, fig . 169 and c:::, fig . 170 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fro nt seat a poten tially dangerous place for a
chi ld to r ide . The front seat is not the safest
p lace for a ch ild in a forwa rd-fac ing ch ild safe­
ty seat .
It is a very dange ro us p lace for an in­
fant or a la rger chi ld in a rearwa rd-fa cing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety se at, using the
w rong chi ld safety seat or improper ly in­
stalling a child res traint increases the risk
of se rious personal injury and death in a
co llision or other emergency s ituation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Ai rbags, can be seri­
o usly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inf lates. A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenge r seat w ill be seriously injured
and can be kil led if the front ai rbag in-
-
Child Sa fet y 1 79
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest , center
arm rest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety
seats on the rear seat .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately ins ta ll t he rear-fac ing ch ild
s afety se at in a rear se ating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Au di dea le r.
- Th e rear side o f the child sa fety seat
should be pos itione d as close as possi ble
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For a djustab le head restra ints: adjust or
remove the rear seat hea d restra int if it
is difficult to install the child seat w ith
the head restraint in place
c:::, page 56. I n­
stall the head restraint again immed iate­
ly once the child seat is removed. Dr iv ing
without head restraints o r with head re­
straints that are not properly adjusted
increases the risk of serio us or fatal ne ck
in ju ry drama tic ally.
- Always rea d and heed all WAR NINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle i s being used
c:::, page 13 6, Safety
bel ts,
c:::, page 1 45, Airbag system and
c:::, page 171, Important things to know .
A WARNING
If exceptional circ ums tan ces require the
use of a forward -facing child restraint on
the front passenger 's seat, the child's safe­
ty and we ll-being req uire that the fo llow­
ing spec ial precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and cert ified by its man u­
facturer fo r use on a fro nt seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
•
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~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 177 .
Children up to at leas t 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in chi ld safety
seats designed for their age and weight . Ex­
perts say that the ske letal structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these chi ldren is not fu lly
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a su itable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
chi ld and reposition both the lap and shou lder
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 ch ild's protection, whether
or not a booste r seat is used . Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
C hi ldren who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three po int lap and shoulder belts .
Never use the lap belt portion of the veh icle's
safety be lt a lone to restrain any child, regard­
l ess of how b ig the child is. Always remembe r
that children do not have the pronounced pe l­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the ve hicle's three point
l ap and shoulder be lts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requ ires that a lap be lt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
be lt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a cras h, airbags must i nflate within a blink
of an eye and with cons iderable force. In orde r
to do i ts job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to p rotect the o ccupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­
bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of pos ition and
too close to the airbag gets i n the way of an
inflat ing a irbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she w ill be str uck violen tly and
Child Sa fet y 181
will receive se rious or possib ly even fatal in ­
jury .
In orde r fo r the airbag to offer pro te ction, i t is
important tha t all veh icle occupants, espec ial­
ly any children, who m ust be in the front seat
because of exceptiona l circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible . By keeping room between
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the a irbag can inflate com ­
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions .
_&. WARNING
Not using a booste r seat, using the boos­
ter se at imp roperly, incorrectly installing a
boos ter sea t or using the vehicle safety
belt imp roperly increases the risk of seri­
ous persona l injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situat ion. To he lp re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shou lder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possi­
ble and must lie f lat and snug on the up­
per body . It must never lie across the
throat or neck . The lap belt must lie
across the pelvis and neve r across the
s tom ach o r abd omen. Make sure t hat the
be lt lies flat and sn ug. Pull on the bel t to
tighten if necessary.
- Failure to p roperly ro ute safety belts
over a child's body will ca use seve re inj u­
ries in an accident or othe r emergency
situation ¢
page 136.
-The rear side o f the child sa fety seat
should be pos itioned as close as possib le
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adj ustab le head restraints: adjust or
remove the rea r seat head restraint if it
is difficult to install the child seat w ith
the head restraint in place¢
page 56. In­
stall the head restraint again immed iate­
ly once the child seat is removed. Dr iv ing
without head restraints o r with head re-
.
straints that are not properly adjusted ~
•
•

182 Child Saf ety
in creases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramat ically.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even w ith Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ous ly injured or even killed when an a ir­
bag inf lates.
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a chi ld leaning
forward, sitt ing s ideways or out of posi­
t ion in any way during an acc ident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or dea th .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep ­
t ional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the igni tion is sw itch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come o n and s tay on, perform
the chec ks des cribed
<=> page 157, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- T ake the child rest rain t off the front pas ­
senge r seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and hee d all WARNINGS
whenever using a child rest ra ined in ave­
hicle is being used<=>
page 136, Safety
belts,<=> page 145, Airbag system
and
<=> page 171, Important things to know.
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the conver tible
locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
f or the rear seats safe ty belts and for the fron
t passenger's seat safety be lt have a con ­
vertib le locking ret ractor for child restraints .
The safety belt m ust be locked so that be lt
webbing cannot unreel. The retractor can be activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from looseni ng up
duri ng normal dr iv ing. A child safety seat can
o nl y be prope rly insta lled when the safety be lt
i s lo cked so that t he ch ild and child safety
sea t w ill stay in place .
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
c hi ld ren, especially those 1 2 years and young­
er, sho uld always r ide in the back seat prope r­
l y restra ined for the ir age and size.
& WARNING ,____._
I mproperly installed chi ld safety seats in ­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal in jury
and death in a co llision.
-
- Always make s ure that the safety belt re­
tracto r is locked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An un locked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing no rma l driving o r in a
crash .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it .
A loose child safety seat can fly arou nd
du ring a sudden stop or in a collision.
-Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to wh ich the center r ear safety
be lt* is attached is sec urely latched
wheneve r the rea r ce nter sa fe ty belt i s
be ing use d to secu re a c hild re strain t.
- If th e backrest is not se curely la tched,
t he child and t he child res tra in t wi ll be
thrown forward together with the bac k­
rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The chi ld can be seriously i n­
jured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or in fant ca rr ie rs on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be serious ly in ­
jured and can be killed whe n the passen-
ger a irbag i nflates .
~

184 Child Safety
-Always be especially careful if you must
install a rearward facing child safety seat
on the front passenger seat in exception­
al circumstances.
- 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, immedi ­
ately install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when installing a child re­
straint in your vehicle. To activate the conver­
tible locking retractor:
"" Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear seat.
""Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
""Route it around or through the child re­
straint belt path¢,&. .
"" Push the child safety se at down with you r
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
until 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
convertible locking retractor by pulling on
the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retracto r. The con­
vertible locking retractor is now activated.
"" Make sure that the red release button is fac ­
ing 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 im­
properly 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 re­
tractor 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.
- Always make sure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright position and securely latched
into place and cannot fold forward. Oth­
erwise, the seatback with the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the event of an accident or other emer­
gency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢ page 171. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 147, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important 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 retractor.
"" Press the red button on the safety belt buck­
le. The belt tongue will pop out of the buck­
le.
""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
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now be used as an ordinary safety belt with ­
out the convertible locking retractor for child
restra ints.
I f the convertible locking retractor shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt must
be unfastened and guided completely back in­
to its stowed position to deactivate this fea ­
ture.
If the convertib le locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be­
come tighter and uncomfortable to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti­
vate the convert ible lock ing ret ractor for
c hild restraints while the veh icle is mov­
ing. You would not be restrained and
cou ld be ser iously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
¢page 171. Special
precautions apply when installing a chi ld
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 147, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
LATCH Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s imp le r and more pract icable way
to attach the ch ild res traint on the veh icle
seat, Federa l regu lations require specia l lower
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
chi ld restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho­
rages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called
the
LA TCH system for "Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for Children."
F orward- facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
Child Sa fet y 185
federa l reg ulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements.
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a ch ild restra int that requires a top
tethe r without one can seriously impair the
performance of the c hild restra int and its abil ­
ity to protect the child in a collis ion. Insta lling
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a violat ion 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 add ition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the ch ild
restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Imp roper installat ion of child restra ints
will increase the r isk of injury a nd death in
a cr ash.
- Always follow the instr uctions provided
by the manufa cture r of the child re­
s traint yo u intend to install in your vehi­
cle.
- Never inst all a child restraint withou t a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc ­
tions require the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of child rest raint LATCH
lowe r ancho rage points can lead to injury
in a collision. The LATCH lower anchorage
points are designed to withstand on ly
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mount two child restra int systems
on one LATCH lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other item to the LATCH lower anchorag-
-
es. Ill-
•
•

186 Child Safet y
@ Tips
-In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universa l anchorages" (or "lower
universal anchorage bars") are used to
describe the system.
- In other countries, the term "ISO FIX" is
used to describe the lower anchorages.
Location
Fig . 172 Schematic overview: LATCH ancho rage point
l ocat ions
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your veh icle which are equipped w ith the low­
e r anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating .
Fig. 173 Lower anchorages, covers marked
Fig. 174 Rea r seats: lower anchorage bracket locat ions
L o w er anch orage s
The circular markings on the rear seat help
you to ident ify the location of lower anchorag ­
es for the two outboard seating positions
~ fig . 173. The LATCH lower universal ancho r­
age a ttachment po ints are between the rear
seatback and rea r seat cushion .
Remove the covers~
fig. 173 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points.
The lower anchorage attachment points are
vis ible
c:> fig . 174.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle 's safety
belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy­
to -use attachment and minimize the possib ili­
ty of improper child rest ra int installation .
All child restraints manufactured after Sep­
tember
1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system.
Please remember that the lower anchorage
po ints are only intended for installation and
attachment of child restraints spec ifically cer­
tified fo r use with
LATCH lower anchorages.
Child rest raints that are not equ ipped with the
lower anchorage attachments can still be in­
sta lled in compliance w ith the ch ild restra int
manufactu rer's instr uctions on using veh icle
safety belts .
A WARNING
-
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious persona l injury in an ac ­
cident.
- Always carefu lly follow the child re ­
straints manufacturer's instructions for