2009 AUDI S3 weight

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belt is not being used, the first stage deploys, followed by the
second stage after a much la ter time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic control unit registers a crash of medium severity,
the first stage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety belt is being used or not . In higher severity crashes as regis ­
tered by the e lectronic contro l unit, both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag will
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic control unit . The front airbag
on the passenger side will also be turned off if one of the ch ild
safety seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tel l you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger s ide has been
turned off=>
page 149, "Child restraints on the front seat - some
i m portant things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always wear
safety belts properly .
• If you are unrestrained , leaning forward , sitting sideways or out
of position in any way, your risk of injury is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag=>
page 147 . •
More important things to knovv about front
airbags
Fig . 145 Inflated front
airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated position so that airbags can unfold properly and
provide supp lemental protection in a fronta l collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide additional protection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when:
• safety be lts are worn properly,
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as possible from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force, things
you have on your lap or have placed on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehic le. This dust is made up most ly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It could irritate
skin.
It is important to remember that while the supplemental airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and minor abrasions, can
also happen when airbags inflate . Airbags do not protect the arms ._,

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ lffl!III
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
I, Q
--
&I Ii u ,, , u
I I J' J
Fig. 1 46 Sectio n from
t h e ce nte r co nso le :
PA SS ENGER AIR B AG
OFF light
The PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center console
=>fig.146 .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wil l come on and stay on to te ll
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electron ic control unit. Each time you turn on
the ign it ion, the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light will flash for a few
seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
• will stay on if there is a small child or chi ld restraint on the front
passenge r seat,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the we ight-sensing mat .
T he
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st co me on and sta y on if the
ign ition is on and
• a car bed has been insta lled on the front seat, or
• a rearward -facing chi ld restraint has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forwa rd -facing child restra int has been installed on the front
passenger seat, or
• t he we ight registered on the front passenger seat is equa l to or
less than the combined weight of a typica l 1 year -old restrained in
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
one of the rear-facing or forward -facing infant restraints listed in
Federa l Motor Veh icle Safe ty S tandard 208 with which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag will not
deploy, and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on . Never
insta ll a rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the sa fest place for a child in any kind of child restraint is at one of
the seating posi tions on the r ear seat =>
page 149, "Child restraints
on the front seat -so me important things to know" and=>
page 169,
"Chi ld Safety ".
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light com es on when one of the
conditions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regu lar ly
to make certa in that the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on . If the
PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not appear on and does not stay on all the tim e,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turning the ignition off and then turning
it on aga in;
• remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make sure that the child
restrain t is proper ly installed and t hat the safety be lt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed through the child restraint
as described in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger sea t has been activated a nd that the safety
belt has been pulled tight . The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the sensor be low the safety belt latch on the sea t can
do its job =>
page 179.
• make sure that things that may inc rease the we ight of the child
and child safety seat are not being transported on the front
passenger seat;
• make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is not blocked.
Shake the safety belt latch on the front passenger seat back and
forth;
• I f a strap or te ther is being used to tie the child sa fety seat to the
front passenger seat , make sure that it is not so tight that it causes .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actual ly on
th e seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and does
not stay on continuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the c hild res traint off t he front passe ng er seat a nd ins tall it
properly at one of the rear seat pos it ions. Have the a irbag system
ins pect ed by y our aut horize d Au di d eale r im me dia te ly.
• move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make sure that the
c h ild is pro pe rly restrai ned in a c hild restraint that is app ropriat e for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l igh t sho uld NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitt ing in a proper seating position on
the front passenge r seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on a nd s tays o n or fl ashes for about 5 seco nds whi le d riving,
under these ci rcumstances, make sure that:
• the adu lt on the fron t pass enger sea t is pro perly seate d on the
cent er of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back ­
rest an d the back res t is n ot recline d=> page 128, "Proper seati ng
position for the driver",
• t he ad ult is not ta king w eig ht o ff the sea t by hol ding o n to the
passenger assist hand le above the front passenger door or
su ppo rting their w eigh t on the arm res t,
• the safety be lt is being proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
o f sla c k in the sa fe ty b elt webbi ng,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that may cause
an incorrect read ing o r impression on t he w eight -s e nsin g mat
under the upho lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
pass enger seat,
• a safety be lt extender has not been left in the safety be lt latc h for
th e fro nt passenger sea t.
In addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight in the center of the
instrument pane l, the mes sage
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will br iefly appear in the instrument cluster display. This is to inform the driver of the curren
t front passenger
air bag status .•
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protect ion in a frontal crash .
• If the airbag indicator l ight comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System . It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to, or
will not inflate when it should .
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho­
rized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a child restraint , or in a
rearward-facing child safety seat , or in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed .
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System , make certain that all children , espec ially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and si ze .
• Always install forward or rear -facing child safety seats on the
rear seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• If you must install a rearward -facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat be cause of exceptional cir cumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light does not appear and stay on ,
immediately install the rear -facing child safety seat in a rear
~

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& W ARNING (continued )
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• A tight tether or other str ap on a rearward-fac ing child restr aint
attached to the front pas senger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and reg ister more weight
than i s actually on the seat. 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
s erious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If, in exceptional circumstances , you mu st in stall a forward ­
fac ing child restra int on the front passenger seat , always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft ad just ­
ment range , as far away from the airbag as possible . The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position . Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stay s on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
& WARNING
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating positions .
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the front passenger seat .
[ i ] Tips
If the weight -sensing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
e mp ty seat, the fro nt air b ag on the pa ssenge r sid e will be t urned
off, and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight will stay on .
a
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are insta lled at many different places on
your Au di. In stal lin g, re moving, ser vic in g or re pair in g a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an a irbag system and
pre ven t that system from wo rki ng p rope rly in a co llision .
There are some important things you have to know to make sure
that the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red an d that
d iscarded co mponents do not cause inju ry or po llute t he e nv iron ­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from
deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
• Never cover , obstruct , or change the steering wheel horn pad
or airbag cover or the instrument panel or modify them in any way .
• Never attach any obje cts su ch as cup holders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units.
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft ,
dry cloth or one moi stened with plain water . Solvents or cleaners
c ould damage the airbag cover or change the stiffness or strength
of the material so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect prop ­
erly .
• Never repair , adjust , or change any parts of the airbag system.
• All work on the steering wheel , instrument panel , front seats or
electrical system (including the installation of audio equipment ,
c ellular telephones and CB radios , etc .I must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training and special equipment
necessary .
• For any work on the airbag system , we strongly recommend
that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (continued)
-Never carry any objects or pets in the deployment space
between them and the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
• Always use the built-in coat hooks only for lightweight
clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in an accident .
• Always prevent the side airbags from being damaged by heavy
objects knocking against or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
• The airbag system can only be triggered once . If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership .
• Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the original seat covers
or to the seam in the area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized Audi dealer.
• If chi ldren are seated improperly, their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident:::::,
page 169, "Child Safety".
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in any way.
• In a side collision , side airbags will not function properly if
sensors cannot correctly measure increasing air pressure inside
the doors when air escapes through larger, unclosed openings in
the door panel.
-Never drive with interior door trim panels removed.
- Never drive when parts have been removed from the inside
door panel and the openings they leave have not been properly
closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the doors have been
removed unless the speaker holes have been properly closed .
- Always make certain that openings are covered or filled if
additional speakers or other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
& WARNING (continued)
-Always have work on the doors done by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop . •
Side curtain airbags
Description of curtain airbags
The curtain airbags can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 149 Curtain
airbag, driver's side :
side curtain airbag
location
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides of the interior
above the front and rear side windows:::::, fig. 149. They are identi­
fied by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the center
roof pillar.
The side curtain airbag system supplements the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision. The
side curtain airbag inflates only in side impacts and only when the
vehicle acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough. If
this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control
unit, the side airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the collision. It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that will cover every possible ..,

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When the system is triggered, the side curtain airbag is filled with
p ropel lan t gas and b rea ks th roug h a sea m above the fron t and rear
side windows identified by the A IR BAG labe l. In order to help
provide th is additi ona l protec tion, the side curtain ai rbag must
inflate within the b link of an eye at very high speed and with great
force . The side cu rtain ai rbag could inju re you if yo ur seating posi ­
t ion is not p roper or upright or if items are located i n the a rea w here
the supplementa l side curtain airbag inflates . This applies espe ­
cia lly to child re n :::::,
page 169.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, side curtain airbags can
"cus hion" the im pac t and in this way they can hel p to reduce the risk
of injury to the head and the upper part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys . This is q uite
n orma l and does no t mean t he re is a fi re i n th e ve hicle .•
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
A irb ags are only suppl emen ta l res tr a int s. A lways prop ­
erl y wear safety b elts and ride in a proper s ea ti ng posi ­
t io n.
T here is a lot that you and your passengers must know and do to
he lp th e sa fety belts and ai rbags do their j ob to prov ide su pple­
mental protection .
& WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions
increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used .
• Never let occupants place any parts of their bodies in the area
from which the side curtain airbags inflate .
• Always make sure that the side curtain airbags can inflate
without interference . Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
& WARNING (continued)
expansion range of a curtain airbag can dangerously interfere with
its function . A deploying head airbag develop s enough force to
catapult any piece of add-on component out of its path of inflation
and into the pa ssenger compartment. An occupant hit by such a
projectile can suffer serious injury or death=>
page 306, "Technical
Modifications" .
• Do not sw ivel the sun visors to the s ide if you have any objects
clipped onto them (for example pensl.
If the airbag should deploy ,
you could be injured by these objects .
• Use the built -in coat hooks only for lightweight clothing . Never
leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can cause personal injury in
an accident .
• Never u se hangers to hang clothing from the hooks.
• Only use fa ctory-installed sun shades or , in the case of shades
installed after the vehicle leaves the factory , only Audi roll -up
suns creens m ay be used => page 305 , "Additional a ccessories and
parts replacement ".
• Always sit in proper seating position and wear safety belts
while traveling so that the side curtain airbags can help provide protect ion .
• The airbag system can only be triggered once.
If the airbag has
been triggered, the system must be replaced by an author ized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Always have work involving the side curtain airbag system ,
removal and installation of the airbag components, or other
repairs performed by a qualified workshop . Otherwise the airbag
system may not work correctly.
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in anyway. •

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Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safes t place in a collision.
The p hysica l pr inciples of what happens when you r veh ic le is in a
crash apply also to children=> page 139, "What happens to occu ­
p a nts not wearing safety bel ts?" . Bu t un like adults and teenagers,
their musc les and bones are not fu lly developed. In many respects
children a re a t greater ris k of serious inj ury in cras hes than a dults .
B ecause chi ldren 's bodies a re no t fully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especial ly designed for their size, weight, and
body structu re. Ma ny countries and al l sta tes of the U nited States
and provinces of Canada have laws requiring the use of approved
chil d restraint sys te m s for infa nts and smal l children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30 -56 km/h) the forces
ac ting on a 13-pou nd (6 kg) infant wi ll be mo re than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would
suddenly be more than 260 pounds ( 120 kg). Under these condi ­
t ions, only an appropriate child restraint proper ly used can reduce
the risk of serious in jury. Child restraints, like adult safety belts,
must be use d properly t o be eff ective. Use d impro perly, they can
increase the risk of serious injury in an accident .
Co nsul t the c hild safety seat man ufacture r's ins truc tions to be su re
the seat is right for your child's size=> page 172, "Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats" . Please be sure to read and
heed a ll of the important information and WARNI NGS about child
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the insta llation of child restraints in
this chapter.
T here is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
veh ic le and how they work whe n inf an ts and ch ild ren in c hild
restraints are on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation amoun
t of important informat ion, we cannot repeat it all here. We
urge you to read the detai led information in this owner's manua l
about a irbags and the Advanced Airbag Sys tem in your ve hic le and
the very important information about transporting children on the
fr ont passenger sea t. Please b e sure to hee d th e WAR NINGS -th ey
are extreme ly important for your safety and the safety of your
p asse ngers, es pecia lly inf ant s and s mall ch ildren .
& WARNING
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position . Always
restrain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle o ccupants and especially children must be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the inte­
rior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver o r impact . An unrestrained or improperly restrained
c hild is also at greater risk of injury or death through conta ct with
an inflating a irbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating positions provides the highest degree of protec­
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations .
& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with Advanced Airb ags
c an be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates . A
child in a rearward -fa cing child safety seat installed on the front
pas senger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates.
• 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 , or door. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Child Safety ------=---------------------------------
& WARNING (continued )
• Always install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
• If you must install a rearw ard fa cing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat in 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 posit ion and have the airbag system inspected immedi ­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward -facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat :
• Always 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 instructions provided with
the child safety seat or carrier.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range , as far away from the
a irbag as possible before installing the child restraint . The back­
rest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Always make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on . •
Advanced front airbag system and children
Y our vehicle is equipped with an " Advanced Airbag Syste m" in
co mplia n ce wi th Unit ed States F edera l Moto r Veh icle Saf ety S tan­
dard ( FMVSS) 208 as appl icable at the time your vehicle was manu ­
f actu re d . T
he Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has been certified to
m eet the " lo w -ris k" req uiremen ts for 3 and 6 year -ol d c hildren on
the passenger side a nd smal l adults on the driver side . The low risk
de ploymen t criteria a re i ntended to reduce the risk of i nju ry t hroug h
interaction with the airbag that can occur, for example, by bei ng too
close to the s tee rin g w heel and instrume nt panel whe n the ai rbag
i n fl ates. In add it ion, t he sys tem has been cer tified to co mply wi th
the "suppre ssion" req uirement s of the Safety Standa rd, to turn off
the front a irbag f or infants up to 12 month s who ar e restrai ned on
the front passenger seat in child restraints that are listed in the
S tan dard.
E ven though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
sy stem , a ll ch ildr en, especia lly those 12 yea rs and yo unge r, should
a lways ride i n the back seat prop erly re stra ined for t heir a ge and
s ize . The ai rbag on the pas se nger side make s th e fr on t sea t a poten­
t ia lly dangero us p lace for a c hild to r ide. The front seat is no t the
safest p lace for a child in a forward -facing child safety seat. It can be
a ve ry da nger ous place for a n inf ant or a la rg er c hild i n a rea rward ­
facing seat. •
Advanced Airbags and the weight-sensing
mat in the front seat
Th e Ad vanced Ai rbag Sys te m in your vehic le de tec ts the prese nce
o f an inf ant or c hild in a chi ld rest raint on the front pass eng er s eat
us ing the weight -sensing mat in the seat cushion and the senso r
b elow t he safety be lt latch on t he front pass enger s eat that
measures the tension on the safety belt.
T he weig ht-se nsin g m at m easu res total weig ht of th e chi ld an d th e
c h ild safety s eat and a ch ild bl anket on the front passen ger seat . T he
w eig ht on th e front p assenge r seat is re la te d to th e des ig n of t he
c h ild re straint and its "footpr int", t he size and shap e of the bottom
of t he child restraint a s it sits on the seat . Th e w eight of a child
r e stra int and its "footprint" vary for diff ere nt k inds of c hild ..,.