2011 AUDI A3 Owner´s Manual

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
re stra ined in o ne of th e re a r-f acing or forward-fac ing inf ant
res traints (listed in F ed era l M oto r V ehicl e Sa fe ty Stand ard 2 08 wi th
w hich t he Adva nced Ai rbag System in your ve hicle was c ert ifi ed), th e
front a irbag on the passen ge r side may o r may not dep loy.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t com es on whe n the ele ctronic
cont rol u nit detects a tota l wei ght on t he front passenger seat that
re qui res th e fr ont a irbag to b e turned off.
If the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
lig ht does not come on, the fro nt airbag o n the passenger
s ide has not bee n turned off by th e c ontro l un it an d can d ep loy i f the
cont rol unit senses an impact that meets t he conditions stored in its
memory.
I f th e tota l w eight on th e fro nt passenger sea t is mor e t han that of a
ty pical
1 yea r-o ld, but less tha n th e weight of a sma ll adult, t he front
a ir bag o n the pa ssenge r si de m ay de ploy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht does not come on).
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child tha t is heav ier th an a typi cal 1 year-old child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whet he r the c hild is in o ne o f th e
c hild safe ty seats listed~
pag e 169),
• a child who has outgrown child rest raints is on the front passenger
seat .
If the front passe nger a irbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
ligh t in the center of the i nstru me nt pan el will co m e on an d sta y
on .
Th e f ront a irba g on the passenger side may
not dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght does no t illum inate and s tay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a pass enger w ho is no t si tting upri ght w it h t heir ba ck again st a
non-recline d backrest with their feet on t he vehicle floo r in front of
t he seat i s on the fro nt pa ssenge r seat .
If the fro nt passenger airbag deploys, the Federa l Standard req uires
t he a irbag to mee t the " low r is k" deployme nt crit er ia to hel p r educe
the risk of injury through interaction with t he a irbag. "Low r isk"
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
dep
loyme nt occ urs in those c rashes that ta ke place at lowe r decele r­
at ions as de fined in t he ele ct roni c cont rol uni t~
page 15 6.
Always remember: Even t hough your veh icle is equip ped with
Advanced Airbags, t he sa fest place for children is properly restraine d
on the ba ck sea t. Ple ase be sure to rea d the impor tant in forma tion i n
t he sections that follow and be su re to heed all of the WAR NINGS .
& 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 injurie s 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 145.
& 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 .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward-facing child
restraint has been installed on the front passenger seat, nobody
can absolutely guarantee that deployment is impossible in all
conceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest , door, or roof.
• Always install rearward-facing child restraints in the back 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 , _,.
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& WARNING (conti nued)
immediately install the rear -facing child safety seat in a rea r
se ating po sition 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 pa ssenger' s seat:
• Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed
and certifi ed 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 in strument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost posit ion in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the forward-facing child
re straint. 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
Th e fron t passenger sea t in your veh icle ha s a lot of very im port ant
parts of the Advanced A irbag System in it . These parts include the
we ight- sens ing mat, sensors, wiring, bracke ts, and more. The func ­
t ion of t he sys tem in the front passenger sea t is checked by the elec­
t ron ic control unit w hen the igni tion is on. The contro l unit mo nitors
the Advanced Airbag System and tu rns the airbag indica to r li ght on
when a malfunction in t he system components is detecte d. The func ­
t ion of the a irbag indicator lig ht is descr ibed in greate r de tail be low.
Beca use the front passenge r seat contains important parts o f the
Adv anced Airba g Sy stem , you m ust ta ke c are to preve nt it fro m being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced A
irbag for
t he fro nt passenge r se at from do ing its job in a cr ash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of t he veh icle that measure vehicle
a cc ele ra tion/de ce le ra tion to prov ide i nform ation to the Adv ance d
Airbag System about the severi ty of the crash .
• An e lec tron ic contro l uni t, w ith integr ate d cr ash sensor s fo r fron t
and side impacts. T he control unit "dec ides" w het her to fire the front
a irbags based on the info rm at ion rece ive d fr om t he c rash se nso rs.
The contro l unit also "decides" whether the safety be lt prete nsione rs
shoul d be activa ted .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
s t eeri ng wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the inst rument
p an el f or the front p assenge r.
• A weight-sensin g mat under the upho lstery padd ing of the front
passe nge r seat c ushion t hat measu res the tota l we ight on the sea t.
T he informat io n registered is sent cont inuously to the elect ronic
con trol uni t to reg ula te deploymen t of t he fr ont Adv anced A irbag o n
the passenger side.
• An airbag mo nitoring syste m and indi cator light in the inst ru m ent
cl uster ~
page 156.
• Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light com es on an d stays on in t he
center of the instr ument pane l=>
page 157, fig . 139 a nd tells you
w hen the fron t Advan ced A irbag on t he passe nger side has been
turned off.
• A senso r below t he saf ety belt la tc h for the front s eat p ass enge r
to meas ure the tens ion on the safety be lt . The tension on the safety
be lt a nd the we igh t regis tere d by the weig ht-sensing mat help t he
cont rol un it "dec ide" w hethe r th e front airbag fo r th e front
p assenge r sea t should be turned o ff or not~
page 147 , "Ch ild
restraints on the front seat -some important th ings to know" . ._

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• A se nsor in the safety belt latch for the d river a nd fo r th e front
sea t passenge r that senses w heth er that sa fe ty bel t is la tched or no t
and tra nsmits this information to t he e lectron ic co ntrol un it.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly.
• Imprope r repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advan ced Airbag System from func­
tioning properly.
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel.
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat.
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it .
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat. If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly .
• Never carry th ings on your lap or carry objects on the passenger
seat . Such items can increase the weight regi stered by the weight­
sensing mat and send the wrong information to the airbag control
unit.
• Never store items under the front passenger seat. Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be damaged, preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats .
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraint s or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(co ntinued )
• Never use cushions , pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat . The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
c hild restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning prope rly.
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or something else to properly pos ition
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light come s on and stays on whenever the child re straint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, immediately install child restraint in a rear seating posi­
tion and have the airbag system inspe cted by your authorized Audi
dealer. •
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advanced A irbag System and the side airbags sup plement
t he p ro tect io n offered by the front three-po int safety belts w ith
pretens io ners and load limiters and t he adjustable head restra ints to
help red uce the risk of injury in a w ide range of acci den t and cras h
sit uat ions. Be sure to read the important informat ion about safety
and hee d the WAR NINGS in this ch ap ter.
Deployme nt of the Adva nced A irbag System and the act ivation of t he
safety belt pretens ione rs depen d on the dece le ration measure d by
the crash sensors a nd reg istered by the e lectro nic contro l un it . Crash
sever ity depends on speed and decele ration as well as the mass and
st iff ness of t he ve hicle or object invo lved in the cras h.
Whe n the electronic contro l unit registers a low sever ity crash and
t he safety be lt is being used , the air ba g w ill not dep loy . If the safety
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Airbag system
•m---=---=----------------
belt is not being used, t he first stage dep loys, followed by the second
stage a fter a mu ch later time in the c rash seq uence .
If the electronic control un it reg isters a crash of medium severity, the
first stage of the airbag deploys fo llowed by the second stage at a
much la ter t ime in the crash sequence -regard less of whethe r th e
safety belt is being used or not. In higher sever ity crashes as regis­
t ere d by t he elect ronic con tro l u ni t, both the first and second stages
dep loy almost at the same time.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety be lt use, the a irbag will
be turned off if the we ight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount prog rammed in the electronic contro l unit. The front airbag
on the passenge r side w ill a lso be turned off if one of the ch ild safety
seats that has been certified under Federa l Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standar d 208 has bee n recognized o n th e seat. The
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tell you w hen the front
Advanced Airbag o n the passenger side has been tu rned off
~ page 147, "Ch ild restraints on the front seat -some important
t hings to know" .
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflate s, always wear
safety belts properly .
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sidewa ys or
out of position in any way , your risk of inju ry 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 145. •
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fi g. 138 I nflated
front a irb ags
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
pro per seated pos ition so that a irbags can unfold prope rly and
prov ide supp lemental protect ion in a frontal collision.
Th e front airbags are designed to provide add itio na l protec tion for
the c hest and face of the driver and the front sea t passenge r when:
• safety belts are worn properly,
• the seats have been posit ioned so that the occupant is prope rly
seated as far as possible from the airbag,
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted .
Because air bags inflate in the b link of a n eye w it h great force, things
you have on your lap o r have place d on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the a irbag inf lates.
When a n airbag dep loys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is
not caused by a fire in the vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a
powder used to l ubricate the ai rbags as they deploy.
It could irritate
skin .
It is important to remember that while the supp lemental airbag
system is desig ned to reduce the li ke lihood of serious injur ies, other
injuries, for example swelling, b ruising and m inor abras ions, can also
happen when airbags infl ate. Airbags do not p rotect the arms or the ..,_

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lower parts of the body . Front a irbags s upplement the t hree-poi nt
sa fety belts o nly in some fro ntal collis ions in which the vehicle decel­
eration is high enough to dep loy the a irbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs,
• in s ide collisions ,
• in rea r-end collisions,
• in rollovers,
• when the crash decelerat io n me asured by the a irbag system is less
than the min imum threshold needed for a irbag deployment as reg is­
tered by the e lectron ic con trol un it.
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy:
• when the fron t passe nger seat i s not oc cupied,
• when the weight on the front passenger seat as sensed by the
Advanced Ai rbag System in dicates that the front airbag o n the
passenger side has to be turned off by the e lectronic control unit (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght comes on and stays on).
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the ri sk of ser iou s injury
in crashes.
• To redu ce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate, the driver
and pas sengers mu st always sit in an upright position , mu st not
lean against or place any part of th eir body too close to the area
where the airbags are lo cated.
• Occupants who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriou sly injured by an airbag a s it unfolds with
great force in th e blink of an eye =>
page 147 .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child
safety se at installed on the front
pa sseng er seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflat es - ev en with an Ad van ced Airbag System .
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will smash the child safety s eat and
c hild against the backre st, center armre st, d oor or roof .
• Always install rear -facing child safet y seats on the rear seat.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger se at because of e xceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light do es not come on and stay on ,
immediately install the rear -facing child s afety seat in a rear
s eating po sition and h ave the airbag system inspe cted by your
authoriz ed Audi d ealer.
& WARNING
Object s between you and the airbag will increase th e risk of inju ry
in a cra sh by int erfering with the way the airb ag unfold s or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
• Never hold things in your hand s or on your lap when the vehicle
i s in use.
• Never tran sport items on o r in the are a of the fr ont pa ssenger
seat. Obje ct s c ould move into the area of the front ai rbag s during
braking or other sudden maneu ver s and become dang erous
projectiles that can c au se se rious per sonal injury if the ai rb ags
infl ate.
• Never pla ce o r atta ch acce ssorie s or other objects (such as cup
holder s, telephone brac ket s, large, hea vy or bulky objects ) on th e
doors , ov er or near the are a marked "AIRBAG" on the stee ring
wheel, in strum ent panel , se at ba ckre sts or between th ose ar ea s
and yourself . These objects could cause injur y in a crash , especially
when the airbags infl ate .
9"'
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........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the s ide airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneu ver. Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or other br eathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the veh icle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a colli sion in which airbags deploy, wa sh your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating .
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them with
water .•
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light f!G
Two separate indicat ors m onit or the func tion of the
Advanc ed A irb ag Sys tem: the airbag mo nit ori ng in dic ato r
li g ht and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (incl uding the electronic control unit,
sensor circui ts and system wiring) is mo nito red cont inuous ly to make
sure that it is f unctioning p roper ly whenever the ignition is on. Each time you t
urn on the ignit ion, the a irbag monitoring indicator light
:A
w ill come o n fo r a few secon ds (self diagnos tic s).
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 aft er you have switc hed on the igni­
tion, or
• comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light w ill
fir st start flashing to c atch t he d river's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the system
inspec ted immedia tely .
If a ma lfunct io n occ urs that t urns the fron t air bag on the passenger
side off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght will come on and stay on
w henever the igni tion is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag 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
Fig. 139 Section from
the center console:
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center console
=> fig. 139.
Th e
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on to tell
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
ign ition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will flash fo r 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 child restraint on the front
passenge r seat,
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registe red by the weight-sens ing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on if the
ign ition is on and
• a car bed has been installed on the front seat, or
• a rearward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front
passengerseat,or
• a forward-facing child restraint has been insta lled on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight registe red on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined weight of a typical 1 year-o ld restrained in
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant restraints listed in
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with w hich the Adva nced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag wi ll not
dep loy, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on. Never
install a rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest pla ce fo r a child in any kind of chi ld restraint is at one of the
seating positions on the rear seat=>
page 147, "Child restraints on
t he front seat -some impo rtan t things to know" and=>
page 167,
"Child Safety" .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
condit ions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regu larly to
make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not stay on all the t ime, stop
as soon as it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning
it on again;
• remove and reinstall the ch ild restraint. Make sure that the child
restraint is properly installed and that the safety belt fo r the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed through the child restraint
as described in the child restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenge r seat has been activated and that the safety
belt has been pulled t ight. The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the senso r be low the safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job=>
page 177.
• make sure that things that may increase the weight o f the chi ld
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 be lt latch on the front passenger seatback and forth;
• If a strap or tether is being used to t ie the child safety seat to the
front p assenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes •
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........ _A_ i_rb _ a_,g,:;._ s_, y'- s_ t_e _m ________________________________________________ _
the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actua lly on
t he seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and
does not stay on cont inuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child res tra int off the fr ont p assenger seat an d ins ta ll it
properly at one of t he rear seat positions. Have the a irbag system
ins pec ted by your a uth ori zed Audi de aler immedi ately.
• move the child to a rea r seat position and ma ke s ure that the child
is p roperly res trained in a c hild rest rain t th at i s appr opriate fo r its
size and age .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light shou ld NOT come on when the
ignition is on a nd an adult is sitt ing in a proper sea ting pos ition on the
front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and s tays on o r flashes fo r abo ut 5 seconds while d riving, under these
circumstances, make sure that:
• t he adul t on the front passenger se at is pro perly seate d on the
center of the seat cushi on with his or her back up against the backrest
and t he backres t is not reclined => page 126, "Proper seati ng posit ion
for the dr ive r",
• t he adult is not tak ing weig ht o ff t he sea t by holding on to th e
passenge r assist handle above the front passe nger door or
supporti ng their weight on the armrest,
• the safety belt is be ing properly wor n and that there is not a lot of
s la ck in th e s afe ty be lt webb ing,
• accessory seat cove rs or cushions o r othe r th ings that may ca use
an in corre ct re ading o r impre ss io n on th e weigh t-sensin g m at un der
the upholstery of the seat have been removed from the front
p as senge r se at,
• a sa fety be lt extender has not been left in th e safety belt latch for
th e fr ont pas senger se at.
In addit io n to t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in t he center of the
instrument pane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF o r
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON w ill briefly appea r in th e inst rument cluster display
. This is to inform the dr ive r of the current front passenger
a irb ag s tat us.•
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag 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
r ized 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, especially 12 years and
younger, always r ide on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seat s 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 because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
~