2011 AUDI A3 seats

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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"'
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (co ntinued )
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• A tight tether o r other strap on a rearward -facing child
restraint attached to the front pa ssenger seat can put too much
pressure on the weight -sensing mat in the seat and register more
weight than i s actually on the seat . The heavier weight regi stered
can make the system work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advan ced Airbag when it mu st be suppre ssed
causing serious or even fatal injury to the child .
• If , in exceptional circumstanc es, you must install a forward­
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, always move
the seat into its rearmost po sition in the seat' s fore and aft adjust­
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 stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
& WARNING
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s 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 we ight-sensing mat in the front passenger seat detects an
em pty seat , the front airbag on the passenge r side will be t urne d off,
and the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay on .•
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 Audi . Ins tall ing, remov ing, serv icing o r rep airi ng a pa rt in an
area of the vehicle ca n damage a part of a n airbag system and prevent
t ha t sys tem from working prope rly in a coll is io n.
Th ere are some importa nt things you have to know to ma ke sure t hat
the effectiveness of the system will not be impai red and that
dis ca rded compo nents do not cause injury or po llute t he e nvir on­
ment .
& WARNING
Improper care , serv icing 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 objects such 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 moistened with plain water . Solvent s or cleaners
could 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 part s of the airbag system .
• All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel , front seats
or electrical sy stem (including the installation of audio equip­
ment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc. ) must be performed
by a qualified technician who has the training and special equip­ ment 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

_____________________________________________ C _h_i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t ... Y'---_ffl'II
Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a collision.
Th e physical pr in ci ples o f wha t happens w hen yo ur vehicl e is in a crash
app ly a lso to children=>
page 137, "What happens to occupants not
wearing safety be lts?". But unlik e adu lts and teenagers, the ir
muscles and bones are not fully developed. In many respects c hildren
are at greate r risk of ser io us injury in cras hes than adults .
Because children 's bodies a re not f ully deve loped, they require
restraint systems especially designed fo r their size, weight, and body
st ruct ure. Many cou ntries and all states of t he Unite d States and
prov inces of Canada have laws req uiring the use of approved ch ild
restrain t sys tems for infan ts an d sm all ch ild ren .
I n a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph (30-56 km/h) the forces
act ing o n a 13- pound (6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 times the
we ight of the ch ild . This means the we ight of the child wo uld
suddenly be more than 260 po unds (120 kg). Unde r these conditions,
only a n app ropr iat e child restra int proper ly used can red uce the risk
of serious injury. Child restraints, like adult sa fety be lts, must be used
pro perl y to be effective. Use d imprope rly, they can i ncrease t he ris k
of serious injury in an accident.
C onsult the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's instruc tion to be s ure
t he seat is right for your child's size
=> page 170, "Importa nt safety
instructions for using ch ild safety seats" . P lease be sure to read and
heed all of the impo rtant informat io n and WAR NIN GS about child
safety, Advanced Airbags, and the insta llation of ch ild rest raints in
t his chapte r.
There is a lot you need to know about the Advanced Airbags in your
vehicle and how t hey wo rk when inf ants and childre n in child
restra ints are on the front passenger seat. Beca use of t he large
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
amou
nt of importa nt info rmation, we cannot repeat i t all here . We
urge you to read the detailed information in th is owne r's man ua l
abou t airbags and t he Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information abo ut transporting c hildren on the front
p assenger se at. P lea se be sure to heed the WARNIN GS - they a re
extremely important for your safety and the safety of your passe n­
gers, especially infan ts and small ch il dre n.
& WARNING
• Accid ent statisti cs have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position. Always
re strain any child age 12 and under in the rear.
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must be
restrained properly when ever riding in a vehicle. An unre strained
or improperly restrained child could be injured by striking the
interior or by being ejected from the vehicle during a sudden
maneuver or impact. An unrestrained or improperly rest rained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death through contact with
an inflat ing airbag .
• A suitable child restraint properly installed and used at one of
the rear seating pos itions provides the highest degree of protec­
tion for infants and small children in most accident situations.
& WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with Advanced Airbags
can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A
c hild in a rearward -facing child safety seat in stalled on the front
passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflate s.
• The inflating airbag will hit the child safety seat or infant
c arrier with great force and will sma sh the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest, or door . •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_,___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t-= y ;....._ ____________________________________________ _
C. Forward-facing convertible child restraint
systems, manufactured on or after September 1,
2004:
• Britax Roundabout 161
• Century Encore 4612
• Century STE 1000 4416
• Cosco Olympian 02803
• Cosco Touriva 02519
• Evenflo Horizon V 425
• Evenflo Medallion 254
• Safety First Comfort Ride 22-400
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the ignition is switched on.
• 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.
W Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C have been tested by Audi
only for the Advanced Airbag function. •
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially reduces the
risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of everybody
in the vehicle, especially children:
Always use the right child safety seat for each child and
always use it properly~
page 172.
-Always carefully follow the child safety seat manufac­
turer's instructions on how to route the safety belt prop­
erly through the child safety seat.
- When using the vehicle safety belt to install a child safety
seat, you must first activate the convertible locking retractor on the safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving ~
page 177.
-Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight so that the seat cannot
move forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm).
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child safety seat
to the front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so
tight that it causes the weight-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actually on the seat.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size . _,,

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& WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong child safety seat or
improperly installing a child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
• All vehicle occupants and especially children must always be
restrained properly whenever riding in a vehicle.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child can be injured or killed by being thrown against the inside of the
vehicle or by being ejected from it during a sudden maneuver or impact.
- An unrestrained or improperly restrained child is at much greater risk of injury or death by being struck by an inflating
airbag.
• Commercially available child safety seats are required to
comply with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
213 (in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one that fits your child and the vehicle.
- Only use child restraint systems that fully contact the flat portion of the seat cushion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side. Audi does not recommend using child
safety seats that rest on legs or tube-like frames. They do not
provide adequate contact with the seat.
- Always heed all legal requirements pertaining to the instal­
lation and use of child safety seats and carefully follow the
instructions provided by the manufacturer of the seat you are
using.
• Never allow children under S7 inches (1.45 meters) to
wear a
normal safety belt. They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they could sustain injuries to
the abdomen and neck areas during sudden braking maneuvers or
accidents.
• Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(continued)
• Never let babies or older children ride in a vehicle while sitting
on the lap of another passenger.
-Holding a child in your arms is never a substitute for a child
restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the child with the forces
that exist in an accident. The child will strike the interior of the
vehicle and can also be struck by the passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also injure each another in
an accident.
• Never install rear-facing child safety seats or infant carriers on
the front passenger seat . A child will be seriously injured and can
be killed when the passenger 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 or infant carriers
on the rear seat.
• Forward-facing child safety seats installed on the front
passenger's seat can interfere with the airbag when it inflates and
cause serious injury to the child. Always install forward-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat.
• If exceptional circumstances require the use of a forward­
facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well -being require that the following special precau­
tions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's instructions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Child Safety
__ .,.___ ____________
_
& WARNING (continued )
-Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost
position of the passenger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the front
pas senger' s seat from being moved to the rearmost position in
its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest i s in the upright pos i­
tion.
• Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child i s not sitting in it. A loo se child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 135, "Safety belts",
=>
page 145 , "Airbag system " and => page 167, "Child Safety ".
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of seriou s injury, make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on whenever a
child restraint is installed on the front passenger seat and the
ign ition is switched on.
• Take the child re straint off the front pa ssenger seat and install
it prope rly 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 .
& WARNING
A child in a child restraint installed with the LATCH lower anchor­
ages or with the standard safety belt on the rear seat may play
& WARNING (cont inued )
with unused rear seat safety belts and become entangled
re sulting in serious personal injury and even death.
• Always buc kle unused rear se at safety belts out of reach of chil­
dren in child seats and p roperly activate the convertible locking
retractor so that the child cannot unreel the safety belt from the
retractor. •
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babi es an d infants up to about one year old and 20 lbs. or
9 k g n eed sp ecial r earward -facing child res traints tha t
suppor t the back, neck and head in a cras h.
Fig. 144 Schemati c
ove rview : re arwa rd­
facing infan t seat ,
prope rly installed o n
t he rear s eat
- W hen usi ng the ve hicle safety bel t to i nstall a c hild safety
seat, you must first activa te the co nvert ible locki ng
ret ractor on the safety belt to preven t the child sa fety seat
fro m mo ving=>
page 177 or install the seat usi ng the
L ATCH attach ments. ..,_