2011 AUDI A3 service

& WARNING (continued)
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct
positioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the
system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING (continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=>
page 217,
"Safety belts". •
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 131 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection , safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=>
page 73 , "General recommendations" .
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt =>& .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=>& . _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident. • The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body => fig. 132. Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary.
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug => fig. 132. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary.
• A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner­
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information =>
page 138. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Pregnant women mus.t also be c:orrectly
restra ined
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 133 Safety belt
position during preg ­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body=>
page 140.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
=>
page 73, "General recommendations".
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=> fig. 133 , =>
& .
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely =>
page 139, fig. 131.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

_____________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t _y _b_ e_lt _ s __ _
[I) Tips
• T he shoulder belt part shou ld route approximate ly over the
middle of your shoulder -under no circumstances shou ld it route over
you r neck a nd throat area~ & in "Safety belt position" on
page 140 .
• With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also
be used to adjust the position of the safety belts. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
nes.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death . Safety belts can only work when they are correctly
positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the
ris k of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body . Improper seating positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and str ikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­ pants and especially for chi ldren. T herefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi-
tion in the vehicle while traveling
~ & .
The fo llowing lists on ly some examples of imprope rly worn safety
belts th at will increase the risk of ser ious injury and death . O ur hope
is that these examples w ill make you more aware of seat ing pos itions
t ha t are dangero us.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving :
• never wear the sho ulder belt unde r yo ur arm
• neve r let the shoulder be lt pass ove r you r neck
• neve r wear the safety belt loosely
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
never place the lap belt portion of the safety belt across your
abdomen ~& -
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belt s in cre ase th e risk of seriou s per sona l
injur y and death whene ver a vehicle is being used.
• Alway s make sur e that all vehicle occupants are correctly
re st ra ined and st ay in a c orrect se ating po sition whene ve r the
vehi cle i s bei ng used .
• Always re a d and heed all WARNINGS and other important
informat ion ~
page 13 8. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear end collisions above a particular
severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically .
The safety belts are eq uipped with safety belt p retensioners. The
system is activated by sensors in fron t, side and rear-end collisions of
great sever ity. Thi s tightens t he be lt and takes up belt slack~ & in
"Service and disposal of sa fety belt p retens ioner". Tak ing up the slack
helps to reduce forward occupan t movement during a collis ion .
0 Note
Never le t the bel t remain over a rear seatback that has been folded
forward.
[I) Tips
The safety belt pretensioners can only be act ivated once .
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ s_a_ f_ e_ t_ y _ b_e _l_t _s ___________________________________________ _
• In m inor frontal and side col lisions, in rear-end co llisions, in a ro ll­
over and in acci dents involving very li tt le im pact force, the s afe ty be lt
pretens ioner are not activated.
• When the safety bel t pre tensione rs are activ ated, a fine d ust is
re leased . This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the ve hicle.
• T he relevan t safety req uiremen ts mus t be observed when t he
vehicle o r components of the system are scrapped. A qua lified work­
shop is f amiliar wi th these reg ulat ions and w ill be pleased to pass o n
the information to yo u.
• Be sure to observe all safety, environmental and other reg ulations
if the vehicle or indiv id ual parts of the system, part icu larly the safety
bel t or airbag, are to be d isposed. We recommend you have you r
author ized A udi deale r perform this service for you .•
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
T he safety belt pre-tensioners are parts of the safety be lt and
ins talled at the outboa rd se ati ng positions on your Aud i. I nstalling,
removing, servicing or repa iring of belt pre-tensioners can damage
t he safe ty belt system and preve nt that sys tem from worki ng prop­
erly in a collision.
T here are some important things you have to know to make sure that
the effectiveness of the system w ill not be impa ired and that
discarded components do not cause injury or pollute the environ­
me nt.
& WARNING
Improper care , ser vicing and re pair procedures can increa se the
risk of per sonal injury and death by pre venting a safety belt
t e ns ion er from ac tivating when n eeded or activating it unex pect­
edly:
& W ARNING (continue d)
• The safety belt pre-ten sioner s ystem can be ac tivated only
once. If safety belt pre-tension ers have been activated, then th ey
must be replaced.
• Never repair, ad just, or change any parts of the safety belt
s ystem.
• Safety be lt systems including safety belt p re -ten sioners
cannot be repaired. Special procedu res are required for remo val,
i ns tallation and dispo sal of thi s sy stem .
• For any work on the safet y belt system , we strongl y recom­
mend that you see your authorized Audi dealer or qual ified tech­
nician who has a Audi approved rep air manual, training and
special equ ipment nece ssary .
'£> For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be class ified as
Perch lorate Materia l -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system includ ing a irbag modu les safety belts
w ith pretensioners are s crapped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed. Your author ized Aud i dealer is familiar with these
req uiremen ts and we re comme nd that you have your dealer perfo rm
this serv ice for you .•

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ _
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=>
page 126,
- Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 74,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 138,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children=>
page 167.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. Therefore in
order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a driver
and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =:,
page 126. For details on the operation of the seat
adjustment controls=>
page 75.
It 's especially important that children are properly restrained
=:,
page 167.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
There
is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system .
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or condi­
tion that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat with
the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi dealer
or other qualified workshop , or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-
822-2834 for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the airbags,
break open the padded covers, and inflate between the steering
wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel and the front
passenger . The airbags will deflate immediately after deployment so
that the front occupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy . Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement .
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside of the vehicle while reducing the
forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash .
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal collisions . The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control unit.
If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control
unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision . Vehicle damage, repair
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_______________________________________________ A_ ir_ b_ a_,,,g '--- s.:.y _s _t_ e _ m ___ __
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
- Be su re to re ad t he i mpo rt a nt i nfo rmation a nd head the
WA RNINGS fo r i mporta nt details about chil dre n and
Advanced Airbags ~
page 167.
Even t hough your ve hicle is eq uipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, ma ke ce rtain that a ll chi ld ren, especia lly those 12 years an d
younger, always r ide in the back seat prope rly rest rained fo r th eir age
and si ze. The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat a
po tentially da ngerous place fo r a child to r ide. The fro nt seat is not
the safest place for a ch ild in a forward-facing child safety seat. It can
be a very dange rous place fo r an i nfan t or a child in a rearward-fac ing
seat.
Th e Advanced Ai rbag System in your vehicle has been cer tified to
comply with the req uirements of Un ited States Federa l Moto r Veh icle
Sa fety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manu­
factured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
tu rne d off ("s uppressed") if a c hild up to abou t one ye ar of age
restra ined in o ne of the rear -facing or forward -fac ing infant
restra ints listed in Federa l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
whic h the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was cert ified has
been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the ch ild
restra in ts that were used to certify compliance with the US Saf ety
Standard =>
page 169.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t in th e in st rume nt p anel t ells you
when the front Advanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
tur ned off by the ele ct ronic con trol uni t.
Each time you t urn on the ignition, t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if th e front passenger se at is no t oc cupie d,
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• will stay on if there is a small ch ild or child restra int on the front
p assenge r se at,
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occup ied by an adult as
reg iste red by t he weight -sens ing mat =>
page 156, "M oni tor ing t he
Advanced Airbag System" .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes o n when t he control unit
de tects a total weight on t he front passenger seat that req uires the
front airbag to be t urned off .
If th e total weight o n the front passenger seat is more than th at of a
typical 1 year-o ld child but less than the weight of a small adult, the
fr on t a ir bag on the passenge r si de c an deploy (t he
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not come on) . If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side has
not been turned off by the electronic co ntrol unit and can deploy if
the control unit senses an impact t hat meets the conditions stored in
its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year -old child is on the
front passenger seat (regard less of whether the chi ld is in one of the
child safety seats listed =>
page 169), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front passenger
sea t.
If the fro nt passenger a irbag is tur ned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
lig ht comes on in the instr ument cluster an d stays on.
Th e fron t airbag on t he pa sse nger side may
not dep loy (t he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illum inate and stay lit) even
if a small a dult or teenager, o r a passenger who is no t sitti ng upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest w ith the ir feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=>
page 126, " P roper seat ing pos itio n for the dr iver".
If the front passenger ai rbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
t he a irbag to mee t the "low risk" deployme nt cr iter ia to reduce the
risk of inj ury through interaction with the a irbag. "Low r isk" deploy­
me nt o ccurs in those cras hes t hat tak e pla ce a t lower decelerat io ns as
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNIN G (con tinued )
• Imprope r in stall ation of child re straints can redu ce their effec·
tiveness or even prevent them from providing any protection.
• An improperl y installed child restraint c an interfere with the
airbag a s it deploy s and seriously injure or even kill the child - even
with an Advanced Airbag Sy stem.
• Always carefully follow the manufacturer 's instruct ions
provided with the child safety seat or carrier.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight regi stered by the weight-sen sing mat and can cause
injury in a crash .•
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
T he airbag system can p rovide supplemental protection
to properly r estrained front se at oc cupants .
Safety first
Fig . 136 Locatio n of
drive r airb ag : in
s tee ring whee l
Vehicle OP-eration
'l
-- -
Airbag system
Fig . 1 37 Locati on of
fr on t pass enge r's
a ir bag: in the instru ­
me nt pa nel
Yo ur vehicle is equi pped with an "Advanced A irbag Syst em" in compli ­
ance with United States Fe dera l Moto r Vehicle Safety Sta ndard
(FMVSS) 2 08 as a pplicable at t he time your vehi cle was manufac­
t u red . The safety belts fo r th e front seats have "p retensioners" t hat
help to ta ke slack out of the bel t sy ste m. The pre tension ers are also
act ivated by the electronic control unit for the airbag system .
Th e front sa fe ty bel ts also have lo ad limi ters to help red uce the fo rces
applied to the body in a crash.
Th e airbag for the driver is in t he steering whee l hub ~ fig .
136 and
t h e airbag for th e front pass enger is i n the inst rum ent pa nel
~ fig. 13 7 . The general locat ion of the airbags is marked "AIRBAG".
Th ere is a lo t you nee d to know abo ut the air bags in your vehicle. We
urge yo u to read the detai led information about airbags , safety be lts
and c hild s afety in this and the other chap ters that make up the
own er's literature. Please be sure to heed the WAR NIN GS· they are
extremely importan t for your safety an d the sa fe ty of your p asse n­
gers, es pecially infants a nd sma ll ch ildre n.
& WARNING
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
• Even when they deploy, airbags provide only supplemental
protection.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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 , _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data