Additional Information - Audi TT 2012 Owner's Manual

150 Child Safety
The tether anchors for the rear seating posi-
tions are located on the backside of the rear
seatbacks
q
fig. 130.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that
attaches 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 ve-
hicle interior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September l, 1999, are required by US
federal regulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements.
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats.
A
WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
will increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer ofthe child re-
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of child restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in-
jury in a collision. The anchors are de-
signed to withstand only those loads im-
posed by correctly fitted child restraints.
- Never mou nt two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether ancho-
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho-
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If a tether or other strap is used to at-
tach a child restraint to the front passen-
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight, that it causes the weight-sensing
mat to measure more weight than is ac-
tually on the seat.
- The heavier weight registered can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
though an adult were on the seat and de-
ploy the Advanced Airbag when it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child.
- If you must install a rearward facing
chi ld safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan-
ces and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay.on, im-
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on thë1
anchorage •
Fig. 131 Tether strap: proper routing and mounting
'--
Fig. 132 Tether strap: proper routing and mounting
Installing the tether strap
~
Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re-
straint manufacturer's instructions.
~ Guide the upper tether strap into the rear
cargo area qfig. 132.
~
~
slide the tether strap hook over the anchor
bracket.
~
Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages.
~
Tighten the tether strap firmly following
the child restraint manufacturer's instruc-
tions.
Releasing the tether strap
~
Loosen the tension following the child re-
straint manufacturer's instructions.
~
Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it fram the anchorage.
CD
Note
Ifyou leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, this could leave a mark on the up-
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in-
stalled. The upholstery would also be per-
manently stretched around the tether
strap. This applies especially to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint sys-
tems come with a tether. Please read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur-
er's instructions ca refully to determine how to
properly install the tether.
A
WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
will be seriously injured and can be killed if
the front airbag inflates - even with an Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, or door.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear-
ward-facing child restraint attached to
the front passenger seat can put too
much pressure on the weight-mat in the
Child Safety lS:
seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Ifyou must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan-
ces and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im-
mediately install the rear-facing child
Silfety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional
information about child restraint selection, in-
stallation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
is the one that fits your child and fits in your
vehicle, and that you will use correctly and
consistently.
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin-
istration
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
www.nhtsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www.safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U.5.A
Tel.: (BOO) 74S-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1 (800) 333-0371 or call
1 (613) 998-8616 ifyou are in the Ottawa
area
www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety
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