fold seats AUDI Q3 2016 Owners Manual

Safety belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Belt tensioners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
Airbag system ............... .... . 112
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Front airbags ...................... . 116
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System . 122
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
Child safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Important information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Child seats ............... ...... ... . 13 7
Securing child seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
LATCH system (Lower anchorages and
tethers for children) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
144
Addit ional information 149
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
Intelligent Technology . . . . . . . . . . 150
Notice about data recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and vehicle control
modul es . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
150
Electronic Stabilization Control ( ESC) . . . . 151
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
Electromechanical steering . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
All wheel drive (quattro) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
Driving and the environment . . . . 159
Breaking in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Avoid damaging the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Shutting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
160
Driving offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Trailer mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Trailer mode notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Operating instructions . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Care and cleaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . . . . 169
Table of contents
Fuel and Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
173
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
Refueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 4
Checking and Filling . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
E ngine compa rtment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Cooling system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
Brake fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
Windshield washer system 190
Wheels ........ .. ................. 191
Wheels and Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Tire pressure monitoring system 208
Troubleshooting ............. .. .. 211
Emergency assistance . . . . . . . . . . . 211
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Vehicle tool kit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
Folding chocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
Removing the subwoofer............. . 212
Space-saving spare tire (compact spare
tire).. .. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .. .. .. .. ..
212
Replacing wheels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Fuses. .... .. .. .. .. ....... ........ .. 219
Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Emergency s ituations . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . . . . 223
Start ing with jumper cables ........... 223
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Towing with a tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Raising the vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 9
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
D . . 1mens1ons
.. .. . ... ................ . 230
3

.... N
c:i :::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
the front button up/down. To adjust the rear seat
cushion, press the rear button up/down.
@-Moving the seat forward/back: press the but­
ton forward/back.
© -Adjusting the backrest angle: press the but­
ton forward/back.
@ -Lengthen ing/shortening the upper thigh
support* : lift the handle .
.&_ WARNING
- Only adjust the front seat with when the ve­
hicle is stationary. Otherwise, this increases
the risk of an acc ident
- The power adjustment for the front seats al­
so works with the ignition switched off or
with the ignition key removed . For this rea­
son, children should never be left unattend­
ed in the veh icle -they could be injured!
- Exerc ise caution when adjusting the seat
height. Unsupervised or careless seat ad­
justment can p inch fingers or hands causing
injuries.
- To reduce the risk of injury during sudden
braking or in a collision, the driver and front
passenger should not have their backrests in
the reclined position while driving or riding .
The safety belts and airbag system can pro­
vide the greatest protection possible when
the backrests are in the upright position and
the safety belts are worn correctly. The
more a backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of injury due to an incorrect seating po­
sition and safety belt position .
Seats and storage
Front center armrest
Applies to vehicles: with front center armrest
Fig. 53 Armrest betwee n the dr iver 's seat and passenger's
seat
.,. Fold up the center armrest support to open the
storage compartment .
.,. To adjust the center armrest, lift up the arm­
rest notch by notch.
.,. To bring the center armrest back down, raise it
out of the top notch and then fold it back
down.
Please note that the driver's ability to move his or
her arm may be restricted when the armrest is
folded down. Because of this, the armrest should
not be folded down during city driving.
The armrest can slide forward and back.
Head restraints
Front head restraints
Fig. 54 Front seats head res traints: adjusting the height
The head restraints on the front seats can be ad­
justed to provide safe support to head and neck at the opt imum height . When optimally adjust-
ed, the top of the restraint should be level with
the top of the head. If that is not poss ible, try to
adjust the head restraint so that it is as close to ..,.
51

Sea ts and stor age
this position as possible ¢ page 98, Proper ad­
justment of head restraints .
.. Grasp the sides of the head restra in t w ith both
hands and slide it upward/downward unt il you
f eel it click into p lace
¢ fig. 54.
Refer to ¢ page 98, Proper adjustment of head
restraints
f or guide lines on how to adjust the
height of the front head restraints to suit the oc ­
cupant's body size.
_& WARNING
- Driving without head restraints or with head
restra ints that are not properly adjusted in ­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in­
jury dramatically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS¢
page 98,
Proper adjustment of head restraints.
@ Tips
Cor rect ly adjusted head restraints and safety
be lts are an extremely effective combination
of safety features .
Rear head restraints
F ig . 5 5 Rear seats: oute r head rest ra in ts
Fig . 56 Rear head restra ints: release po int
52
If there are passengers in the rear seat, move the
head restraints up on the occ upied seats at least
to the next notch
¢ A .
Adjusting the head restraints
.. To move the head restra int up, hold it a t the
sides with both hands and s lide it upward until
you feel it click into place.
.. To move the head restraint down, press the
button @¢
fig. 55 and s lide the head restraint
downward .
Remo ving the head r estraint s
.. Fold the backrest forwar d
<=.> page 59.
.. Slide the headrest all the way up.
.. Press the release point@¢
fig. 56, for exam­
ple with a screwdriver from the vehicle tool kit,
and the button @. Pull the head restra int out
of the backrest at the same time<=.>&.
Installing the h ead re straints
.. Slide the posts on the head restraint down into
the guides until you feel the posts click into
place .
.. Press the button @ and slide the head restraint
all the way down . You should not be able to
pull the head restraint out of the backrest.
So that the driver can have a better view to the rear, the head restraints shou ld be pushed down
completely when the rear seats are not occupied .
_& WARNING
- Only remove the rear seat head restra ints
when nec essary in order to insta ll a ch ild
seat. In stall the he ad restraint again imme­
diately once the child seat is removed. D riv ­
ing without head restrain ts or with head re­
straints that are not prope rly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck in­
jury dramat ically .
- Read and heed all WA RNINGS
¢page 98,
Proper adjustment of head restraints.
(D Tips
Correc tly adju ste d h ead res tra ints and safety
belts are an extreme ly effective comb ination
of safety features .
-

.... N
c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
Ashtray
Applies to vehicles: with ashtray
Fig. 57 Front center console: as htray
The ashtray can be set in either one of the front
cup holders.
~ To open the ashtray, fold the cover up.
~ To empty the ashtray, pu ll it out of the c up
holder . Please make sure after emptying that
the ashtray is placed securely back in the
moun t.
& WARNING
Never use the as htray to hold paper, because
this increases the risk of a fire .
Cigarette lighter
Applies to vehicles: with cigarette lighter
Fig. 58 Fr ont ce nter console: ciga rette lig hter
~ Open the cove r.
~ Press the ciga rette lighter in.
~ 9 ::::,
"' a,
~ Remove the c igarette lighter when it pops out .
& WARNING
The cig arette lig hter o nly wor ks w hen the ig­
nition is sw itched on. Incorrec t usage can lead
Seats and storag e
to serious injuries or burns . To reduce the r is k
of injuries, never leave children unattended in
the veh icle with the vehicle key.
Sockets
Applies to vehicles: with socket
F ig . 59 Fro nt cente r conso le: 12 Vo lt socket•
Fi g. 60 Rea r ce nte r conso le: 12 Vo lt socket•
~ O pen the so cket cover~ fig . 59 or~ fig. 6 0.
~ 0
::> (10 m
~ Insert the p lug for the elect rical devi ce i nto the
socket.
T he 12 volt soc ket can be used fo r electr ical ac ­
cessories. The power consump tion at the ou tlet
mus t not exceed 120 watts.
T he re is a n add it iona l 12V soc ket in the center
c onsole .
Before you pu rchase any accessor ies, always read
and follow the information in
Q page 234, Addi­
tional accessories and parts replacemen t.
& WARNING
The socke ts an d the e lec trical a ccessor ies con­
ne cte d to them on ly func tion when the igni ­
tion i s switched on . Incorrect usage can lead
to se rious inj uries or burns . To reduce the risk ..,.
53

Installing
• Place both sides of the cover into the mounts
on the side trim.
• Push the cover downward until both sides click
into place.
Storing*
Depending on the vehicle equipment, you can
store the cover under the cargo floor
¢page 61.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of accidents, the luggage
compartment cover should never be unse­
cured under any circumstances .
- The luggage compartment cover is not a
surface for storing objects. Objects placed
on the cover could endanger all vehicle oc­
cupants during sudden braking maneuvers
or in a crash.
CD Note
To avoid damage, let the luggage compart­
ment cover roll up slowly after removing.
Increasing the size of the luggage
compartment
The rear seat backrests can be folded forward ei­
ther separately or together .
Fig. 69 Backrest: release lever
Folding the backrest forward
• Pull the release lever @in the direction of the .... N arrow and fold the backrest forward. c:i ::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
Seats and storage
Folding the backrest back into the upright
position
• Fold the backrest back up again until it latches
and the red marking ® is no longer visible
¢ ,&..
A WARNING
--The backrest must always be securely latch-
ed so that the safety belt of the center seat­ing position can work properly to help pro­
tect the occupant.
- The backrest must be securely latched in po­
sition so that no items contained in the lug­
gage compartment can slide forward upon
sudden braking.
- Always check whether the latch is fully en­
gaged by pulling the seatback forward.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat hard­
ware.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt hardware can break in a
crash. Inspect the belts periodically. Belts
showing damage to webbing, bindings,
buckles, or retractors must be replaced.
CD Note
- If you move the front seat back when the
rear seat backrest is folded forward, you
could damage the head restraints on the
rear seat.
- Make sure the seat belt is not pinched or
damaged when the rear seat backrest if
folded back. Other objects should be re­
moved from the rear bench seat to protect
the backrest from damage.
59

.... N
c:i :::J CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
N I.Cl ......
Loading
• Press the release button in the luggage com­
partment
c:> fig. 72 and fold the pass-through
toward the front.
• Push the ski sack through the opening from the
luggage compartment . T he zipper must face
toward the rear
c:> ,& .
Securing
• Stick the strap @on th e bag in the center safe­
ty belt @c:> fig. 73.
• Tighten and secure the strap©
A WARNING
-The ski sack is intended only for the trans­
portation of skis and other light objects. To
reduce the risk of serious personal injury,
never transport heavy or pointed objects in
the ski sack.
- When braking rapidly or during an accident ,
the load could be displaced and cause injury
to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be covered
for protection. Always fasten the belt tight­
ly around the sack and its contents
c:>fig . 73.
- For safety reasons, do not transport more
than two pairs of skis in the ski sack .
- You must secure the ski sack with the strap
after loading.
- Make sure all objects that you are transport­
ing in the pass-through are secured. Other­
wise they could slide around during sudden
braking maneuvers and cause injury .
(D Tips
-Only fold the bag up if it is dry.
- When transporting skis or snowboards, tighten the securing strap between the
bindings.
- Lay skis in the bag with the points facing
forward and snowboards and ski pole points
facing the rear.
-
Seats and storage
Reversible cargo area floor
Applies to vehicles: with reversible cargo area floor
Fig. 74 Lug gag e compar tmen t: reve rs ibl e ca rgo area floor
w ith the decora tive s ide faci ng up
Reversing the cargo area floor
You can use the reversible cargo area floor with
the dirt-resistant side or the decorative side .
.,. To turn up the dirt-resistant side, pull the cargo
floor up at the handle c:>
fig. 74 and out toward
the rear . Or
.,. To turn up the decorative side , take out the car­
go floor at both handles on the left and right
side.
• Reinsert the cargo floor.
61

For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 50.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steer ing wheel on the out­
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the r isk of persona l in­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steer ing whee l at the
12 o'clock position or w ith your hands at
other pos it ions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag deploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­ sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
t il ted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats¢
page 132 . Special precaut ions ap­
ply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c:::;, page 112.
Driving safety
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an acc ident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the follow ing position:
"' Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
"' Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head. If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
¢ page 51.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
"' Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:::;, page 107.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c:::;, page 50.
A WARNING
--
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any
part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri ­
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
- E ach passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat and head restraint properly.
97

Safety belts
The shou lder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the body
c::> A in Safety belt position on
page 108.
"' Push
the loop -around fittings up c::> fig. 120 @,
or
"'squeeze together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings down@.
"'Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­ er important informat ion
c::> page 106.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and will even inc rease the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Improper seating
positions a lso increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating pos i­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all
veh icle occupants and especially for children.
Therefore:
"' Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c>_& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
110
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c::> page 106.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts ore tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped w ith safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sensors
i n front, side and rear-end collisions of great se­
verity and in a rollover. This tightens the belt and
takes up belt slack
c::> & in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 111.
Taking up
the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seatback
that has been folded forward .
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be acti­
vated once.
- Th e safety belt pretensioners do not deploy
in minor frontal, side and rear-end colli­
sions.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are acti­
vated, a fine dust is released. This is normal
and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
- Th e relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped. An authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar
with these regulations and will be pleased
to pass on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environmental
and other regulations if the vehicle or indi­
vidual parts of the system, particularly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed. We
recommend you have your authorized Aud i
dealer perform this service for you.

-and the head restraints have been properly ad -
justed.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of a n eye w ith
great for ce, things you have on you r lap or have
p laced on the seat cou ld become dangerous pro ­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in ­
flates.
When an a irbag deploys, fine dust is released .
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irr itate skin.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inj uries,
for example swell ing, bruising and minor abra­
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body . Front airbags only supplement the
three po int safety belts i n some fronta l co llisions
i n which the veh icle decelerat ion is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
F ront airbags will not deploy:
- if the ignit ion is switched off when a crash oc -
curs,
- in s ide collisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash decelerat ion measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
o ld needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic contro l unit .
Th e front passeng er airbag will a lso not
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced Airbag System indi­
cates that the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has to be turned off by the electronic con­
trol unit (the
P A SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light
comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong pos ition can increase the
r isk of se rious injury in c rashes.
Airb ag sys tem
-To reduce the risk of injury when the ai rbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright posit ion, must not
lean aga inst or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be seriously in jur ed by an airbag as it unfolds with g reat
for ce in the blink of an eye
Qpage 113.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
i nsta lled on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be k illed if the front
a irbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant ca rrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rea rwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the a irbag system
inspected by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be ­
ing p ushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never hold things in yo ur hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area o f
the front passenger seat . Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious persona l injury if the airbags
inflate.
121

Child safety
-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
c:::>page 132. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 113, 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 bock into the re­
tractor .
~ Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
Th@ 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 lock ing retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
A WARNING
-
Improperly installed child 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
144
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 132. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c:::> page 113, 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 practicable 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
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 ab ility 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 ...