2010 AUDI S3 belt

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_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ !II
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 _________________________________________________ _
& 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. •

__________________________________________________ A_ i _r_b _a...; g::-- s_ y =--- s_t _e _m __ lllll
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
A irbags are only supplement al res tra in ts. Always prop­
e rly w ear safe ty be lts and ride in a prop er sea ting posi ­
t ion .
The re is a l ot th at you and y our pass enger s m ust kno w and act
accord in gly to he lp the safet y belts and airbags do t hei r j ob to
p rovid e suppl em ent al prote ction.
& WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or fatal injury. Improp ­
erly wearing safety belts and improper seating positions increase
the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used .
• In order to reduce the risk of injury when the supplemental side
airbag inflates: - Always sit in an upright position and never lean against the area where the supplemental side airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their head against the
side trim panel in the area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are worn correctly ,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat put their hand or
any other parts of their body out of the window .
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter­
ference .
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seat backs that have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags deploy .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
-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 .
• Objects between you and the airbag can increase the risk of
injury in an accident by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cup holders , telephone brackets, or even large , bulky objects)
on the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the
seat backrests .
- Such objects and accessories can become dangerous projec­
tiles and cause injury when the supplemental side airbag deploys.
- 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 .I 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 children are seated improperly , their risk of injury increases
in the case of an accident~
page 167, "Child Safety ".
• Never attempt to modify any components of the airbag system
in any way. .,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ A_ ir_b _a_ g;:::;_ s--:.. y_s _t _e _m _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (con tinued )
• In a side collision , side airbag s will not function properly if
s ensors cannot correctly measure increasing ai r pre ssure inside
the doors when air escapes through larger , unclo sed open ings in
the door panel.
-Never drive with interior door trim panels removed.
- Never drive when parts have been removed from the in side
door panel and the openings they leave have not been properly
closed .
- Never drive when loud speakers in the doors have been
removed unless the spea ker hole s have been properly clo sed .
- Alway s make certain that openings are covered or filled if
add itional speakers o r other equipment is installed in the
inside door panels .
- 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 res trained occupan ts.
Fig . 145 Curt ain
airba g, driver 's s ide:
s ide cu rt a in airb ag
lo cation
T he side curtain airbags are located on both sides of the interior
above the fr ont and rear side windows=> fig. 145 . They are identi ­
fied by the word "AI RBAG" on the windsh ield frame and the center
r oof pi llar.
T he side curtain airbag system supple men ts the safety belts and
can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupants ' heads and upper
torso o n the s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side coll ision . The
side curtain airbag inf lates only in side impacts and on ly when the
vehic le accele ra tion regis tered by the control unit is hig h enoug h. I f
this rate is below the reference va lue programmed into the control
unit, the side air bags w ill no t be tr igge red, even thoug h the car may
be badly damaged as a result of the co llision. It is not possible to
de fine an ai rbag triggering range that will cover eve ry possible
angle of impac t, since the circumstances wil l
vary considerably
be tween one collision and an other. Importa nt factors include, fo r
e xample, the nature (hard or soft) of the i mpacting object, the ang le
of impact , vehicle speed, etc.=>
page 165.
Aside fr om their no rmal safety func tio n, sa fety belts work to hel p
keep the driver or front passenger in position in the event of a colli­
sion s o that the si de c urtain ai rbags ca n prov ide prote ction.
T he airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rathe r, it
is part of the overall occupant restraint system in your vehicle.
A lways remember that t he airba g system ca n on ly help to protect
you if you are wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is ano the r reason why you s hould a lways wear your safety belts, not
just because the law requires you to do so=>
page 135, "General
n ote s".
I t is important to remember that while the side curtain airbag
system is designed to he lp reduce the like lihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for examp le, sw elli ng, bruising, and minor abrasions
can also be associated with these airbags upon deployment .
Reme mber to o, these airbags w ill depl oy only o nce and only in
certain kinds of accidents -yo ur safety be lts are alwa ys there to
o ff er pro tec tion .
Iii-

The side curtain airbag system basically consists of:
• The electronic control module and external side impact sensors
• The side cur tain airbags above the front and rear side windows
• The airbag indicator light in the instrument panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain it is
functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the ignition,
the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few seconds
(self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
• if the ignition is turned off,
• in side collisions when the acceleration measured by the sensor
is too low,
• in front -end collisions,
• in rear-end collisions,
• in rollovers.
& WARNING
• Safety belts and the airbag system will only provide protection
when occupants are in the proper seating position
~ page 72,
"General recommendations".
• If the airbag indicator light comes on when the vehicle is being
used, have the system inspected immediately by your authorized
Audi dealer . The side curtain airbag may not work properly even
when the vehicle acceleration in a side collision is high enough to activate the airbag. •
Safety first
Airbag system
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side airbags
to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for
occupants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 146 Illustration of
principle: Inflated side
curtain airbags on the
left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the occupant and the
windows on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision
~ fig. 146.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain airbag is filled with
propellant gas and breaks through a seam above the front and rear
side windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order to help
provide this additional protection , the side curtain airbag must
inflate within the blink of an eye at very high speed and with great
force. The side curtain airbag could injure you if your seating posi­
tion is not proper or upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side curtain airbag inflates. This applies espe­
cially to children ~
page 167.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain airbags can
" cushion" the impact and in this way they can help 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 quite
normal and does not mean there is a fire in the vehicle. •
Vehicle care I I irechnical data