2009 AUDI S3 airbag

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ !II
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=>
page 128,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 75,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 140,
- Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children=>
page 169.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force . The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. There ­
fore in order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as
a driver and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 128. For details on the operation of the seat
adjustment controls =>
page 76.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=>
page 169.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system .
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or
condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat
with the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, or if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi dealer or other qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-
800 -822 -2834 for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the
airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the
steering wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel
and the front passenger. The airbags will deflate immediately after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind ­
shield again without interruption .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy. Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement .
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside of the vehicle while reducing the
forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help
to reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal collisions. The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration
rate caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control
unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car
may be badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage,
9J),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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repair costs or even the lack of vehicle dama ge is not necessa rily an
in dic ati on of wh ether a n airb ag s hould infl ate or not.
S inc e th e circumsta nces w ill vary considerably b etw een one colli ­
s ion and anothe r, it is not po ssib le to define a range of vehic le
speeds t hat w ill cover eve ry po ssib le kin d a nd a ngle of im pact tha t
wi ll a lwa ys trigger the airbags . Impo rtant facto rs include, fo r
e xa mpl e, the natu re (ha rd o r sof t) o f th e object whic h th e car h its,
the ang le of impact, vehic le speed, etc. The front airbags will also
n o t in flate in s id e or rear co ll is ions, o r in ro ll-ov ers.
Always remember : Airba gs will d ep loy only once, and on ly in c ertain
k inds o f co llision s. Yo ur s afe ty bel ts are a lways the re t o offe r protec ­
ti on i n th ose si tuat io n s in whic h airba gs a re not suppose d to deploy,
or when they have a lready dep loyed; f or examp le, when yo ur veh ic le
str ikes o r is struc k by anot her ve hicle a fte r th e fir st coll isio n.
T his is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a supplementary
res train t an d is not a su bstit u te fo r a sa fe ty belt. T he ai rbag system
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts . T herefore,
a lw ays pro per ly wea r your safe ty be lts ~
page 137.
& WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
decrease the effectiveness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
instrument panel .
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm ) from the steering
wheel , investigate whether adaptive equipment may be available
to help you reach the pedals and increase your seating distance
from the steering wheel.
• 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 .
& WARNING (continued)
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates , always
wear safety belts properly=:>
page 141, "Safety belts".
• Always make certain that children age 12 or younger always
ride in the rear seat. If children are not properly restrained , they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag inflates.
• Never let children ride unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seats properly .
• Never ride with the backrest reclined.
• Always sit as far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel=:>
page 128.
• Always sit upright with your back against the backrest of your
seat .
• Never place your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat.
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent serious injuries to the legs and hips if the airbag inflates.
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury when an airbag
i nflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced .
• Use only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
installed by a trained technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly repla ce any ai rbag in your
vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash .
• Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to be installed in
your vehicle. •

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Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and head the
WARNINGS for important details about children and
Advanced Airbags :=>
page 169.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat
a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride . The front seat is not
the safest place for a child in a forward -facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward ­
facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
comply with the requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a child up to about one year of age
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified has been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 171.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied,
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat=>
page 158, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi­
tions stored in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year -old child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed=>
page 171), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=>
page 128, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag . "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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as defin ed i n th e el ectron ic contro l u n it=> page 159, "PASSE NGER
AI R BA G OFF lig ht".
A lways rem em ber, a c hild safet y se at or infant carr ier installe d on
the front seat may be struck and k nocked o ut of po sition by t he
rap id ly in fla ting passe nger's air bag in a fron tal colli sion . The airb ag
cou ld great ly re duce the effectivene ss of the ch ild restrain t and
e ve n seri ous ly injure the chi ld dur ing in flatio n.
For th is reason, and beca use the bac k seat is the safest plac e for
chi ldren -wh en prop erl y rest rained acc ording to th eir age and size
- we strong ly recommend that ch ildren a lways sit in the bac k se at
=> p age 169, "Ch ild Safe ty ".
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat will be ser iously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
carrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the ba ckrest , center arm rest , door or roof .
• Always install rear -facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
passenger's seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag
and cause serious personal injury to the child .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury , make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will be displayed whenever a child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched
on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on , perform
the checks described
=> page 158 , "Monitoring the Advanced
Airbag System" .
• Take the child restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer immediately.
• Always carefully follow instructions from child restraint manu ­
facturers when installing child restraints .
& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward or
rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat :

& WARNING !continued)
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec­
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection .
• An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the
airbag as it deploys and seriously injure or even kill the child -
even with an Advanced Airbag System.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash. •
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained front seat occupants.
Safety first
Fig . 143 Location of
driver airbag: in
steering wheel
'l
-- -
Airbag system
Fig . 144 Location of
front passenger's
airbag: in the instru­
ment panel
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced Airbag System" in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan­
dard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manu­
factured. The safety belts for the front seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the belt system. The pretensioners are
also activated by the electronic control unit for the airbag system .
The front safety belts also have load limiters to help reduce the
forces applied to the body in a crash.
The airbag for the driver is in the steering wheel hub~ fig.
143 and
the airbag for the front passenger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 144. The general location of the airbags is marked "AIRBAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags in your vehicle. We
urg e you to read the detailed information about airbags, safety belts
and child safety in this and the other chapters that make up the
owner's literature. Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, especially infants and small children.
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection .
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection.
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

-Airbag system ----------------
& W
ARN ING (continued )
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belt s.
• Therefore , always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restra ined .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , espe cially infants and small
c hildren, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat , nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment unde r these spe cial conditions is
impossible in all conce ivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with
the "low risk" option under the U .S . Federal Standa rd if a child that
is heavier than the typical one -year old child is on the front
pas senger seat and the other cond itions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position .
• For their own safety , all children , espec ially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size . •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
c ompl ia n ce wi th Un it ed Sta tes Federa l Motor Vehicle Safet y Sta n­
dard 208 as appl icab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured. T
he front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety belts to
p rovide addit ional protecti on for the d river's a nd fro nt passenger's
heads and upper bodies in fronta l crashes . The ai rbags inflate only
in fron tal impac ts w hen the vehic le dece le ra tion is high en ough .
Th e fro nt Advanced A irbag System for t he fro nt seat occupa nts is
not a substitute for your safety belts . Rather, it is pa rt of the overall
occu pan t restra int system in your v ehicle. A lways remembe r that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
uprigh t, weari ng you r sa fe ty bel t an d wea ring it proper ly . T hi s is w hy
you and your passengers must always be proper ly restrained, not
jus t beca use t he law requi res y ou t o be .
T he Advanced A irbag Syste m in your ve hicle has been cert ified to
meet the " lo w risk" requ irements fo r 3 an d 6 year -o ld chi ldren on the
passen ger side and ve ry small a dults on t he dr iver s ide. The low r isk
deployment criteria are intended to he lp reduce the risk of injury
th ro ugh in te ract io n with the front a irbag t hat ca n occur, fo r
example, by being too close to the steering wheel and instrument
p anel whe n the a irbag inflates.
I n addition, the syst em has been cert ified to comply with the
"su ppression" req uirem en ts of the Safe ty Standa rd, to turn off th e
fron t airbag for in fants 1 2 months o ld a nd youn ger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
li s ted in th e Stan dard=>
page 171 .
"Suppress ion" requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
t urne d off if:
• a child up to about one year of a ge is restra in ed on the front
passenger seat in one of the rear -facing or forward -facing infant
re stra ints l is ted in Fed era l Motor V ehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
whic h the Advanced Airbag System in your vehic le was ce rtified. For
a lis ting o f the child res traint s th at we re us ed to cer tify y our
vehic le 's compliance with the US Safety Standard =>
page 171,
• weight less t han a thr esho ld leve l sto red in th e contro l un it is
detected on the front passenger seat.
When a pers on is dete ct ed on th e fro nt pas senge r seat, weighi ng
more than the total weight of a ch ild that is about 1 year old ._

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
restraints (listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety S tandard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehic le was certified),
the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy .
The
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the e lect ronic
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front a irbag to be tu rned off . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
ligh t do es no t come on, the fron t airbag on th e passenger side
has not been turned of f by the contro l unit and can dep loy i f the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memo ry .
I f the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical
1 year-old, but less than the weight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on) .
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typ ical 1 year-old child is on
the front passenger sea t (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child sa fety seats l isted :::::,
page 177) ,
• a child who has outgrown child res tra ints is on the front
passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel wi ll come on and stay
on .
The front a irbag on the passenge r side may
not deploy (the
PAS SENG ER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passenger who is not sitting upright with their back against a
non-reclined backrest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat.
I f the fron t pass enger airbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
t he air bag t o mee t the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce
the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag . "Low risk "
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
dep
loyment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decel ­
erations as defi ned in the electronic con trol unit :::::,
page 158 .
Al wa ys remember :
Even though your vehicle is equipped with
Advanced Ai rbags, the safest place for chi ldren is properly
restra ine d on the back seat . Please be sure to read t he important
information in the sections that follow and be sure to heed a ll of the
WARNI NGS .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an ai rbag inf lates , alway s wear
safety belts properly.
• If you a re unre strained , lean ing forward , sitt ing sideways or out
of position in any way , your risk of in jury is mu ch higher .
• You will also recei ve se riou s injur ies and cou ld even be killed if
you are up again st the airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
e ven with an Advan ced A irbag :::::,
page 14 7.
& WARNING
A child i n a re arward-fa cing child safety seat installed on the front
pa ssenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
fro nt airb ag infl ate s -ev en with an Ad vanced Airbag Sy stem .
• Although the Advan ced Airbag Sy stem in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front a irb ag when a rearward-fa cing child
restraint ha s been in stalled on the front pa ssenger seat , nobody
ca n ab solutely guarantee that deployment is impo ssib le in all
c onceivable situations that may happen during the u seful life of
yo ur vehicle .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c a rr ier with great for ce and will smash the child safety seat and
c hild again st the backre st, center arm rest , door, or roof .
• Always inst all rearward-fa cing child re strai nts in the back seat .
• If you mu st in stall a rearw ard facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat be cause of e xceptional cir cumstances and
IIJ,,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _ s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
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.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel .
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the forward-facing child
restraint . The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on. •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec ­
tronic control unit when the ignition is on. The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail
below. Because the front passenger seat contains important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it from being damaged.
Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following: • Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acceleration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash.
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the informa tion received from the crash
sensors. The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
steering wheel hub .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the instrument
panel for the front passenger.
• A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat.
The information registered is sent continuously to the electronic
control unit to regulate deployment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side.
• An airbag monitoring system and indicator light in the instru ­
ment cluster => page 158.
• Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
center of the instrument panel=> page 159, fig. 146 and tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to measure the tension on the safety belt . The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the weight -sensing mat help the
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front
passenger seat should be turned off or not=> page 149, "Child
restraints on the front seat -some important things to know". .,_