2010 AUDI S3 airbag

Airbag system -----------------=---=---
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags suppl em ent the three ­
poi nt s afet y be lts o nly in s ome fro ntal c oll isi ons i n whi ch the v ehicl e
deceleration is hi gh enough to d eploy the airbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• i n sid e collisi ons,
• in r ear- e nd collisions ,
• in ro llovers,
• when the cras h de celer ation me asured b y th e a ir bag sy stem i s
l ess than the minimum threshold nee ded for airbag dep loyment as
r egi stere d by t he ele ctronic control un it.
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy :
• when the front pa ssen ger s eat i s not o cc up ied,
• wh en the weig ht on th e front pass enger seat as se nsed by t he
Advan ced A irb ag System indi cate s that the fr ont air b ag on the
p as se n ge r sid e h as to be turned off b y the e lectronic cont rol unit
(the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ig ht co me s on and sta y s on ).
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes .
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate , the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located .
• Occupants who are unbelted , out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye~ page
147.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& 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 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 backrest , center armrest , 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 .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in crease the risk of injury
in a crash by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuvers and become dangerous
projectiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup
holders, telephone brackets , large, heavy or bulky objects) on the
doors , over or near the area marked "AIRBAG " on the steering
wheel , instrument panel , seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself . These objects could cause injury in a crash , espe-
cially when the airbags inflate . ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
• Never recline the front passenger' s seat to transport obje cts.
Item s can als o move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during br aki ng or in a sudden maneuver . Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury , particularly when
the seat is re clined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a histo ry of asthma or other breathing
c onditions.
• To reduce the ri sk of breathing p roblems , tho se with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the veh icle or opening windows or door s.
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy , wash your
hands and face w ith mild soap and water before eat ing.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
s crat ches .
• If the residue should get into your eyes , flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light t:Ji
Two sepa ra te indi cator s mon itor t he function of the
Ad vanc ed A irba g Sy stem: th e ai rbag moni to rin g in dicator
ligh t and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
sensor c ircuits and system w irin g) is mon itored continuously to
make su re that it is functioning proper ly whenever the ignition is on. E
ach time you turn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring indicator
li ght
I wi ll c om e on fo r a few sec onds (sel f diag nos tics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on,
• does not go out a few seconds a fter you have switched on the
ignition, or
• comes on w hile driving.
I f an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
fir st star t fl ashin g to catc h the drive r's at tention an d then stay o n
continuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the system
ins pec te d imm edi ately.
I f a malfunction occurs t hat turns the front airbag on the passenger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a front al crash.
• If the a irbag indicator light 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. •

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PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
I, Q
--
&I Ii u ,, , u
I I J' J
Fig. 1 42 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.142 .
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 147, "Child restraints
on the front seat -so me important things to know" and=>
page 167,
"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 177.
• 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

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
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 126, "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

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARN ING (continued )
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter­
fe rence :
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatback s that have not been spe cifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate .
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam
in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi ­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• The airbag system can be activated only once. After an airbag
ha s inflated , it must be replaced by an authorized Audi de aler or
qualified technician who has the technical information , training
and special equipment necessary .
• The airbag system can be deployed only once. After an airbag
has been deployed , it must be repla ced with new repla cement
parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version . Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .•
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the vehic le's suspension system can change the way that
th e Adva nced A ir b ag Sy stem per fo rms in a cras h. For exa m ple,
using tire -rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehic le, c hanging the st iff ne ss of th e susp ens ion , incl udi ng the
spr ings, suspension struts, s hock absorbers etc . ca n chan ge the
forces that are mea su red by the air bag sensors and sent to the elec ­
tronic control unit. Some suspension chan ges can, for examp le, increase the force levels
measured by the sensors and make the
airbag sys te m d eploy in c ras hes i n wh ich i t wou ld not d epl oy i f the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of changes may reduce
t he fo rce level s measu red by the se nso rs and p reve nt the ai rbag
from dep loying when it should.
T he sensors in the safety belt buckle for the driver and front
p assenge r seat te ll the e lectro nic c ont ro l m odu le if th e safety belt is
l atched or not. If the safety belt is being used, the front airbag wi ll
d eploy at a sl igh tly higher rate o f ve hic le dece lera tio n th an if the
safety be lt is not be ing used. Therefore, in a particular coll ision, it is
p os sible that an airbag wi ll no t de ploy a t a seating position where
the safety be lt is being used but wi ll inflate at the position where the
safe ty be lt is not be ing used . It i s important tha t n othing in terfe re
with the safety b elt buckles so that t he se nsors can send the cor rec t
i nfo rma tion abo ut safe ty belt use to the elec tro nic con trol u nit .
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle' s suspension including use of unapproved
tire -rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performan ce
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehi cle .
• Never use tire -rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the electronic control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly .
• Always make sure that noth ing can interfere w ith the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed.

<£> For the sake of th e environm ent
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified
as Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules and safety
belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regu­
lations must be observed . Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requirements and we recommend that you have your dea ler perform this service for you. •
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 143 Si de air bag
l oc ation in th e dri ver's
seat
The s ide airbags are located in the s ides of the front seat backrests
=> fig. 143 and the rear backrest * facing the doors. They are identi ­
fied by the word "AIRBAG".
T he sid e air bag sy stem b asica lly co nsis ts of :
• the electronic control module and external side impact sensors
• the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
Safety first
Airb ag sy ste m
• two rear side airbags (as an ordered option)
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to make certain that
it is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni ­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side airbag system supplements the safety be lts and can help
to reduce the risk of injury to the driver's, front and rear*
passenger's upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side collision . The airbag dep loys on ly in side impacts and only
when the vehic le 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 angle of impact, since the circumstances will vary consid­
erab ly between one collision and another. Important factors
inc lude, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft) of the impacting
object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.=>
page 163, "Impor ­
tant safety instructions on the side airbag system".
Aside from their normal safety function, safety belts work to help keep the driver or front passenger in posi tion in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it
is part of the overall occupant restraint system in your vehicle.
Always remember that the side airbag system can only help to
pro tect you if yo u are wearing your safety belt and wearing it prop ­
erly. This is another reason why you should always wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do so=>
page 135,
"General notes".
It is important to remember that while the supplemental side airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example, swelling, bruising, and minor abrasions can
also be associa ted with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side •
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

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airbags will deploy only once and on ly in certain kinds of accidents
- you r sa fety belts are always there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage , repair costs or even the lack of vehic le damage are
not necessarily an indication of over -sensitive or failed airbag acti ­
vation. In some col lisions , both front and side airbags may inflat e.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain ki nds of col lis ions -your sa fety belts are always there to
o ff er prot ection in those acc idents in which airbags are no t
s u pposed to deploy or when they have already dep loyed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
• when the ign it ion is turned off
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the senso r
is too low
• in fron t-end col lisio ns
• in rear- end co llisions
• in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side curtain airbags
and s ide ai rbag s may be trigge red together.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position=>
page 163.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used , have the system inspected immediately by your author ized
Audi dealer . The airbag may not work properly when the vehicle
a cceleration in a side collis ion is high enough to activate the
airbag .•
How supp lemental side airbags work
Si de airb ags dep loy inst antl y a nd can help red uce the risk
o f up per to rso i njur ies f or occu pan ts who ar e prope rly
restrai ned.
Fig . 144 Inflated side
airbag s on left side of
vehicle , rear side
a irbag optiona l equip ­
ment
When the system is triggered, the airbag is fi lled with propellant gas
a n d br eaks thr oug h a seam in th e se at sur face area marke d
"AIRBAG". It expands between the side t rim panel and the
p assenger . In or der to he lp provide this ad ditional p rotection, t he
side airbag must inflate w ithin a fraction of a second at very high
speed and wi th great forc e. The supp lemental side air bag could
in jure you if your seating position is not pro per or upright or if items
are locate d in the a rea where the suppleme ntal s ide airbag e xpands.
T his app lies especia lly to children=>
page 167 , "Child Safety" .
Sup ple m ent al side ai rbags infla te be tween the occupant and the
door pa nel on the side of t he vehicle that is struck in cer tai n side
collision => fig . 144.
Altho ugh they are not a so ft p illow , th ey can "cushion" the impact
and in this way they can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
p ar t of the bod y.
A fine dust may develop when the ai rbag deploys. This is normal
and does not mean there is a fi re in the vehicle. •