2011 AUDI A3 ESP

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- A lways make sure that the chi ld can properly wear the lap
po rtio n of the belt low across t he th ig hs o r pelvis a nd
never over the stomach o r abdome n.
Ch ild ren up t o at le ast 8 years old (over 40 lbs or 18 kg) are best
protected in child safety seats des igned for their age and we ight.
Expe rts say t hat the ske letal structure, par tic ul arly the pelvis, of
these ch ildren is not fully developed, a nd they must not use the
vehicle safety belts w it h out a suitable c hild rest raint.
It is usually best to pu t these ch ildren in app ropria te booster seats.
Be sure the booster seat meets all appl icable safety standards.
Booste r seats r aise the se ating posi tion of the child and reposi tion
both the lap and sho ulder parts of the safety belt so t hat they pass
across the c hild 's body i n the rig ht places . The ro uting of the be lt ove r
t he c hild 's body is ve ry i mp ort an t fo r th e ch ild's p rot ection, wh eth er
or not a booster seat is used . Children age 1 2 and under m ust a lways
r ide in t he re a r se at.
Chi ldren who are at least 4 ft . 9 in. (57 inc hes/1. 45 meters) tall can
gene rally use t he ve hicl e's th ree poi nt la p and sho uld er bel ts. N ever
use t he lap belt port ion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone to restra in
a ny chi ld , re gar dless o f how big t he ch ild i s. Always remem ber that
childr en do no t have the pronounced pelvic s tru ctur e required for the
pr op er f unc tion of lap belt port io n of the vehi cle's t hree poin t lap and
shoulder b elts. Th e chi ld's saf ety absolu tely r equir es tha t a lap belt
portion of the safety be lt be fastened snugly and as low as possible
arou nd the pelvis. Never l et t he lap bel t port ion of the safety b elt
pass over the child's stomach o r abdome n.
I n a cra sh, air bag s must inflat e withi n a bli nk of an eye a nd wi th
cons iderable fo rce. In o rder to do its job, the airbag needs room to
in flat e so t hat it will b e the re to p rotect th e occupa nt a s th e occu pan t
mov es forward into t he a irbag.
A vehi cle occ upant who is out of position and too close to the a irba g
ge ts in the w ay of an inf latin g air bag. Whe n an o ccup ant is too clos e,
he or s he will be struck violently and will rece ive s erio us or poss ibly
eve n fata l in jury. I
n order for the airbag to offe r protect ion, it is impo rta nt t hat all
ve hicle occupant s, especiall y any childr en , wh o must b e in t he front
sea t beca use of exc eptiona l circu mstances, be pro per ly r estra ined
and as far away from t he a irba g as possib le . By keep ing room
b etween t he child's body and the front o f the passenger co mpart­
ment , th e a irba g can inflate completely an d prov ide sup plemental
pr ote ction in ce rt ain fro ntal coll isions.
& WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster seat improperly, incor­
rectly installing a booster seat or using the vehicle safety belt
improperly increases the risk of serious personal injury and death
in a collision or other emergency situation. To help reduce the risk
of seriou s personal injury and/or death:
• Always make sure to position the shoulder portion of the three­
point belt over the middle of child 's shoulder.
• Never let the shoulder portion of the belt rest against or acros s
the neck, face, chin, or throat of the child.
• Always make sure the lap belt portion of the three-point belt is
worn snug and passes as low as possible across the child's pelvis.
Never let the belt pass over the soft abdomen.
• Failure to properly route safety belts over a child's body will
cause severe injuries in an accident or other emergency situation
~ page 135 .
• The rear side of the booster seat should be positioned as close
as possible to the backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or remove
the rear seat head restraint if it is difficult to install the child seat
with the head restraint in place
~ page 78 . Install the head
restraint again immediately once the child seat i s removed.
Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramatically.
• Children on the front seat of any car, even with Advanced
Airbags, can be seriously injured or even killed when an airbag
inflates.

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& WA RNING (c on tinued )
• Never let a child stand or kneel on an y seat , for e xample the
front seat.
• Never let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle .
• Always remember that a child leaning forward , sitting s ide­
ways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck
by a deploying airbag . This will result in se rious personal injury or
death.
• If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional circumstance s the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on , whenever the ign ition is
switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight does not come on and
s tay on , perform the checks described=>
page 156, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child re straint off the front pa ssenger seat and in stall
it properly at one o f the rea r seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition i s swit ched
on.
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS whenever u sing a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 135, "Safety belts",
=>
page 145 , "Airbag sy stem " and => page 167, "Important
things to know ".•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
lnstalli ng a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S
afety belts for the rear sea ts and the fron t passen ger
can be l ocke d with th e co nverti ble lo cki ng retract or to
p ro p erly secur e child saf ety seats.
T he safety belts emergency locking retractors for the rear seats
safety belts and for the front passenge r's se at safety belt have a
convertible locking retractor for child restrai nts. The safety belt must
be locked so that belt webbing canno t unreel. The retra ctor can be
act ivated to lock the safety belt and prevent the safety belt webb ing
fr om loosen ing up du ring normal dr iv ing. A child sa fe ty sea t can on ly
be properly installed when the safety belt is locked so that the child
and child safety sea t will s tay in place .
Always remembe r: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equipped w ith a n
Advanced Airbag system, all ch ildren, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and
younge r, should a lways ride in t he back seat properly res tra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly in stalled child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision .
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a chi ld safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a crash .
• Always buckle the child safet y seat firmly in place even if a
child is not sitting in it. A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a colli sion.
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the
center rear safety belt is attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to secure a child restraint.
9JI,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
• 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 be especially careful if you must install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on
the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. 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 serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on.
• If 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 Audi dealer. •
Activating the convertible Locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a child
restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's instruc­
tions when installing a child restraint in your vehicle. To acti­
vate the convertible locking retractor:
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on the rear
seat.
- Slowly pull the belt
all the way out.
- Route it around or through the child restraint belt path
=>& .
- Push the child safety seat down with your full weight to
get the safety belt really tight.
- Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that seating
position.
- Guide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat.
- You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
i nto the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pulling on the belt. You should no longer be able to pull
the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor is now activated.
- Make sure that the red release button is facing away from
the child restraint so that it can be unbuckled quickly.
- Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is properly
tight and fastened so that the seat cannot
move forward
or sideways more than one inch (2.S cm).
& WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improperly installed child
restraint can cause serious personal injury or death in a crash.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or
in a crash. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Installing the tether strap
Fig. 153 Tether strap:
proper routing and
mounting
Fig. 154 Tether strap:
proper routing and
mounting
- Release or deploy the tether strap on the child restraint
according to the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions .
- Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear head restraint
and into the rear cargo area=> fig. 154 (raise the head
restraint if necessary).
- Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor bracket.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
-Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring catch of
the hook engages .
- Tighten the tether strap firmly following the chi ld
restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
- Loosen the tension following the child restraint manufac ­
turer's instructions.
- Depress the spring catch on the hook and release it from
the anchorage.
0 Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether strap firmly installed
for several days, this could leave a mark on the upholstery on the seat
cush ion and backrest in the area where the tether strap was installed.
Th e upholstery would also be permanent ly stretched around the
tether strap. This applies especially to leather seats.•
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems come w ith a tether.
Please read and heed the child rest raint system manufacturer's
instructions carefully to determine how to properly install the tether.
& 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, or door. ,-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieva l after an accident or crash event. ED R's are
sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by ED R's that were installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped w ith
a number of electronic control modu les for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emission control, as well as for
the airbags and safety belts.
T hese electronic contro l modules also record vehicle-re lated data
during normal vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
Th e recording capacity of the e lectronic control modu les is limited to
data (no sound is recorded) and only a sma ll amount of data is actu­
ally recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when a
system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction, braking
as well as restraint system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and down­
loaded with special equipment.
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP)
General
The Electronic Stability Program increases driving
stability .
With ESP, contro l over the vehicle is increased in situations when the
vehicle is close to the limits of grip, such as dur ing accelerat ion and in
curves. ESP reduces the risk of sk idding and improves vehicle stability
unde r all road conditions.
It operates at all speeds.
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDS) and Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the Elec­
tronic Stability Program .
How ESP works
The ESP control unit processes the following data from high-sensitive
sensors: the rotationa l speed of the vehicle about its vertical axis,
fore-and -aft and lateral acceleration forces, brake pressure and
steering angle .
Us ing stee ring ang le and vehicle speed, the direction the driver
wishes to travel is determined and continuously compared with
actual vehicle behavior. If the two do not match, for example when
the vehicle beg ins to skid, ESP brakes the appropriate whee l auto­
matically.
The vehicle is stabilized aga in by the forces act ing on the whee l
during braking. With an oversteering veh icle (tendency for the rear
end to skid out of the curve), the brake app lication is mainly at the
front wheel on the outside of the curve, with an understeering vehicle
(tendency to run wide in the curve) at the rear wheel on the insid e of
the curve or additionally at the other wheels as needed. This brake
application is accompanied by noises. _,

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ESP works in co njunction w ith ABS~ page 192 . If there is malfunc­
t ion in the ABS, ESP is also inoperat ive.
& WARNING
• The limit s of phy sics cannot be su spended by ESP. Even in vehi­
cles with ESP, you should always adapt your driving to road and
traffic conditions. Thi s is particularly true on a slippery and wet
road. Do not be tempted by the increased safety provided to take
ri sk s - danger of an a ccident!
• Please note that when ESP / ASR is deact ivated , the drive
wheel s can spin on icy and slippery roads and the vehicle can break
away -danger of skidd ing! •
Switching on and off
Fig. 155 C ente r
con sole w ith ESP
s wit ch
Th e ESP i s automa tically activ ated w hen the eng ine is st arted, and i t
performs a self-test. As soon as the test is comp leted, the system is
in normal operat ing mode .
Deactivating
ES P s hould no rm ally be activate d at all times beca u se this ens ures
optimum veh icle stability. Only in some cases it does make sense to
de activ at e t he Elect roni c Stabili ty Pr ogr am ( ES P) by p ress ing the
button~ fig. 155. Deact ivat io n i s indicated by the ESP lamp
J! in the
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
instrument cluster flashes . The message ESP OFF appears in the
ins trument cl uste r. Ant i-Slip Regula tion is comp le tely deact iv a te d
and the stab ilizat io n effects from the ESP system are lim ited. This
ma kes a more agile and spo rty driving sty le possible, but the full
extent o f th e stabilization function is not available .
Activating
~~~= Press the [ESP OFF ) button again~ fig. 155 . The ind icator lig ht
goes out . The message
ESP ON appears br iefly in the ins trumen t
cluster disp lay .
& WARNING
You should only switch the ESP off if your driv ing ability and the
traffic situation allow. Please note that when ESP /ASR i s dea cti­
vated, the drive wheels can spin on icy and slippery roads and th e
vehicle can break away -danger of skidding!
[ i ] Tips
If Audi magnetic r ide* is ma lf u nct io ning, the ESP may not sw itch off
or it may switch off automatically . •
Electronic differential lock (EDL}
The ele ctr onic dif ferential lock mo nit ors the rot ational
s p eed of the d rive wheels .
General notes
The elec tron ic differe ntia l lock ( EDL) helps the ca r to sta rt movin g,
acce le ra te and climb a gradient on surfaces provid ing poor or almost
no grip. Without E DL, this would be difficult, if not impossible.
How the system works
Th e E DL operates au tomatically . It mo nitors the rotational s peed of
t he drive wheels on an axle with the he lp of the ABS sensors
~ page 19 2. If a noticeable difference in rotational speed between ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technologyL ______________________________________ _
the drive wheels on one axle is detected (e.g . on slippery ground on
one side),
the spinning wheel is braked, thereby transferring power to
the other drive wheel or wheels (all -wheel drive) . This is done up to a
speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h). Noises from the brake system
signal that wheel sp in is being controlled .
Driving off
When driving off, always be sure to keep road conditions in mind as
you accelerate . If one drive wheel spins because it is on a surface with
less grip, gradually increase the pressure on the accelerator pedal
until the car starts to move. The wheel less ab le to transfer power
spms .
Overheating of brakes
To prevent the disc brake of the braked wheel from overheating if
subjected to excessive loads, the EDL cuts out temporarily. The
vehicle remains operat ional and behaves in the same way as a vehicle
without EDL .
As soon as the brake has cooled down, EDL switch es on again auto­
matically.
Electronic limited slip differential*
In vehicles w ith front wheel drive*, an electronic lim ited slip differen­
tial engages when driving on curves. The brakes are applied spec ifi­
cally to the front wheel that is on the inside of the curve. This mini­
m izes sliding on the front wheels and enables precise and neutral
driving through curves. The electronic limited slip differential does
not engage when d riving in wet conditions or snow.
& WARNING
• When accelerating on slippery surfaces, such as on ice or snow,
always be careful when depressing the accelerator pedal. Even
with the EDL and the ele ctronic limited slip differential working,
the drive wheels can spin and reduce your ability to control your
ca r. -Risk of crash!
& WARNING (continued)
• The increased safety afforded by EDL and the electronic limited
slip differential does not mean that you can take safety risks .
Always adapt your driving style to the road conditions and traffic
situation.
[I) Tips
If a fau lt occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also not f unct ioni ng. This is
indicated by the ABS warning light=>
page 16.
Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR)
The Anti-Slip Regulation System prevents the driven
wheels from spinning when the car is accelerating.
General notes
The Anti-Sl ip Regu lation System (ASR) is integrated in the electronic
stabili zation program (ESP) . When the vehicle starts up and acceler­
ates, the wheels are prevented from sp inning by adjust ing the engine
power to match the amount of grip available from the road surface.
How the system works
ASR performs automatica lly, i.e. without the driver's intervention.
With the aid of the ABS sensors=>
page 192, ASR monitors the speed
of the driven wheels. If the wheels start to spin, the engine torque is
reduced automatically until the tires find enough grip to lock onto
the road surface. The system is active across the entire speed range.
The ASR works in conjunction with the ABS. If a malfunction shou ld
occur in the ABS, the ASR w ill also be out of action .
[I) Tips
To ensure that the ASR works properly, all four wheels must be fitted
with identical tires. Any differences in rolling radius of the tires can .,

Intelligent technology
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& WA RNING (conti nu ed )
• Do not "ride the brakes " by re sting your foot on the pedal when
you do not intend to brake . Thi s may cause the brakes to overheat,
premature wear and increased stopping distance.
• Under certain climatic and operating condition s such as
pa ssing through water, dr iving in heavy rain or after washing the
vehicle, the effectiveness of the brake s can be reduced . In winter ,
ice can accumulate on the brake pads , linings , discs and drums .
Carefully apply brakes for a te st. Brakes will dry and ice coatings
will be cleaned off after a few careful brake applications.
• Driving for an extended period of time on salt-covered roads
without using your brakes can al so affect br aking efficiency. Clean
off accumulated salt coating from brake disc s and pads with a few
careful brake applic ations.
• If you damage the front spoiler , or if you in stall a different
spoile r, be sure the air flow to the front brakes is not obstructed.
Otherwi se th e brake system could overheat reducing the effective­
ness of the entire brake system.
• Failure of one brake circuit will impair the braking capability
resulting in an inc reased stopping distance. Avoid driving the
vehicle and have it towed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or
qualified wo rkshop .
.J
Brake booster
T h e brake booste r adds ext ra braking p ower.
The brake booster works with vacuum pressure which is created on ly
w hen the eng ine is ru nnin g=>&.
& WARNING
• Never let the vehicle roll to a stop with the engine shut off.
• If the brake boo ster i s not working , for example when towing
your veh icle , or because the brake booster has somehow been
& W ARNING (continued )
damaged , the brake pedal must be p ressed considerably harder to
make up for the la ck of booster assi stan ce. •
Functioning of Anti-Lock Brake System
{ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from l ockin g up under br aking.
Th e ABS contr ibutes effectively to vehicle co ntrol s ince it prevents t he
w heels from
locking when the brakes are applied . This means that the
veh icle rema ins steerable and is less likely to skid .
With ABS you do not need to pump the brake. Just hold the brake
pedal down .
However, do no t expect that the ABS shortens bra king d istance under
all circumstances . When dr iv ing on grave l or on newly falle n snow on
top of icy s urfaces, braking d istance may be even longer, therefo re,
under these circumstances, it is especially important that yo u drive
slowly and with g re at c are.
How the ABS system works
An au tomatic c hec k is made when a speed of about 4 mp h (6 km/ h) is
reached. When t his happens, a pump ing noise can be heard.
If an ind ivi dual wheel begi ns to rot ate too s low ly in relat ion to ve hicle
speed and tends to loc k, t he ABS automatically reduces brake pres­
s ur e to p revent t hat wheel from lo cking.
T hi s au tomatic adjustment p rocess w ill cause a
s light vibration of
the bra ke pedal and some noises to a lert you that vehicle speed must
be adapted to ex isting road and traffic co nditions .
& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tire traction. Always adjust your driving ...