2011 AUDI A3 airbag

Table of contents
Table of contents
Vehicle literature ..... .
About this Owner's Manual ............. ...... .
Controls and
equipment .............. .
Instruments and controls ... .
General illustration ........... .
Instruments and
warning/indicator Lights ..... .
Instruments ................ .
Warning/indicator ligh ts ...... .
Driver information display ... .
Introduction ............ ... . .
On-Board Diagno stic system
(OBD) ....................... .
T rip com puter .............. . .
Menu display ................ .
Eff iciency program ........ ... .
Service interval display ....... .
Speed warn ing system ........ .
Warning s and symbol s ... .... .
Opening and closing ......... .
Keys ........................ .
Power locking system ........ .
Doo rs, power locks ......... .. .
Power windows .............. .
Panoram ic sliding sunroof ..... .
Emergency mechanical closing for
th e panoramic sliding su nroof .. 4
s
6
7
7
8
8
11
18
18
20
21
22
2S
27
28
30
38
38
40
4 3
49
Sl
S3
Clear vision .................. .
Lights ...................... .
Interior lights ............... .
V is ion ...................... .
M irrors ... ............ ...... .
Wiper and washer sys tem .... .
D igita l compass ............. .
Seats and storage ........... .
General recommendat ions .... .
Adjust ing front seats manually .
Adjusting the power seat ..... .
Adjus ting the lumbar support ..
Head restrain ts .............. .
C ent er armrest ........... ... .
Rear seats ............. ..... .
Lug gage compartment ....... .
Roof rack• inst alla tion ....... . .
Cup holde rs ........... ...... .
Socket .................. ... .
Storage ............. ....... .
Warm and cold .............. .
Climate contro ls ...... ... .. .. .
E lectrica lly heated front seats ..
Engine preheater ............ .
On the road ............ ..... .
Steering .................... .
Ign ition lock and ign ition switch
Start in g and stopping the engine
Parking brake ............... .
Starting on hills .......... ... .
C ru ise con trol ............... .
Audi magnetic r ide ........... .
Transmission ................ .
Manual transm ission
S6
S6
60
63
63
65
71
73
73
74
75
77
77
79
80
81
86
89
90
91
95
95
103
1 03
lOS
105
106
10 7
108
110
110
112
114
114
S tronic transmission . . . . . . . . . . 115
Safety first ............... 124
Driving Safely ................. 124
Gen eral notes ................. 124
Prop er occupant seating
posit ions ...... ............ ...
126
Pedal area ............ ........ 130
Stowingluggage .............. 131
Reporting Safety Defects ..... .. 133
Safety belts .................. . 135
General notes .............. ... 135
Why safety belts? ............. 136
Safety belts ... ............... . 139
Safety belt pretensioners . . . . . . . 143
Airbag system .......... ...... 145
I mportant things to know . . . . . . 145
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Mon itoring the Advanced A irbag
System ......................
156
Side airbags .............. .... 161
Side curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Child Safety ................... 167
Important things to know ...... 167
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
Installing a chi ld safety seat . . . . 177
LA TCH Lower anchorages and
t ethers for child ren . . . . . . . . . . . .
180
Add itiona l Information . . . . . . . . . 186

Instruments and controls
General illustration
CD
@
®
©
Power window switches
Door handle
Power lo cking sw itch ... .. .. ......... .... .. .. .. . .
Switches for:
- Adjuster for outside m irro rs ... .. .. .. .. .. ... . .. .
- Switching on heated exterior m ir rors
© Light switch ........... .. .... .. .... .. ...... ... .
© Air outle ts ... .. ... .. .. .. .... .. .. .. .. .. ...... . .
0 T ur n s ignal and high be am .. ................... . .
@ Rad io cont rol buttons
® Steering wheel with:
- Integra ted control bu ttons
(multi-fun ction s teering
wheel only) for Audi Sound System
- Horn
- Drive r's airbag ............. .. .. .. .. .. .... ... .
@ Instrument cluster .................. .... ... ... .
@ Rad io and telephone control bu ttons
@ Switches for
- Windshield wiper/washer ... ...... .. ..... .... . .
- Trip computer ....... ...... .. .... .. ...... ... .
@ Depending on options : Radio or Navigat ion system
(n avigat ion, r adio, CD changer)
@ Sw itches fo r Electro nic Stabilization P rogram ( ESP)
@ Emergency flasher .. . .......................... .
@ Storage tray or switch for ............ ...... .. .. . . 4
9
44
6 5
56
101 59
1 4 9
8
65
21
188 92
92
- Audi magnetic ride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
@ Glove compa rtment (lockab le) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
@ Fron t passenge r's airb ag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and controls
@ loudspeaker (treble)
@ Climate controls .
.. ... ... .. ..... ........... ... .
@ Rear window defogger sw itch .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..... .
@ Sw itch for seat heat ing ... .. ................. .. .
@ Gear shift lever or se lector lever
- Manu al tra nsm iss io n ..... ................. .. .
- Automatic transm ission ................. .... . .
@ Cup holder ... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... ... .... ... .
@) Electrica l socket . ....... .. . .. ... .. ... .. .. ... .. .
@ El ectri cal socket ................. .... .. .. ..... .
@ AUX- in connection
@ Parking brake lever .................. .... ...... .
@ Ignit ion lock ...... .. .... .. ................... .
@ Adjustable steering co lumn . ....... ... ... . .... .. .
@ Cruise control .... .. .. ... . ..... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .
@ In strume nt lighting .......... ... .. . .. .. .. .. .. . .
@ Data Link Connecto r for On Boa rd Diagnostic (OBD II)
@ Release lever for the engine hood ......... . ... ... .
@ Switches for :
- Fuel flap release .... ... . ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .
- Rear hatch re lease
(I] Tips
9 7
102
103
1 14
115 89
90
90
108
106
105
1 10
5 8
20
2 25
222 4 5
A separate Owner's Manua l is in vehicles that have a factory-installed
radio, CD c hanger, navigatio n system, AUX -in connection or multi­
fu nction stee ring w heel. •
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Glow plug system (diesel engine only) ~page 13
(alternative to )
Electronic stab ilizat ion program (ESP) ~ page 14
USA models : ~page 14
Malfunction Indicator lamp (MIL)
Canada models: ~page 14
Malfun ction Indictor Lamp (MI L)
-o H igh beam ~page 14
¢ Left turn signal ~page 14
--
~
Right turn signal ~page 14
Ele ct ronic St abili zation Program ( ESP) ~page 14
CRUISE
USA models :
Cruise control activated ~page 14
0
Canada models:
Cruise contro l a ct ivate d
~page 14
.o.
,::::..fJ Airbag system ~page 15
0 Genera tor ~page 15
~
Safety belt ~page 15
BRAKE
USA models:
Bra ke system, parking brake set ~page 15
CCD> Canada models:
Brake system, parking bra ke set
-
-
-
~ page 16 USA models:
Anti-loc k bra ke system (ABS)
Canada models : ~page 16
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
/ @ Electr o-m ech anical power assist ~ page 17
& WARNING
• Failure to heed warning light s and other important vehicle
information may result
in serious personal injury or vehicle
damage.
• Whenever stalled or stopped for repair, move the vehicle a safe
d istance off the road, stop the engine, and turn on the emergency
fla sher ~
page 59.
• The engine compartment of any motor vehicle i s a potentially
hazardous area. Before you check anything in the engine compart­
ment , stop the engine and let it cool down. Always exercise
extreme caution when working under the engine hood
~ page 218, " Engine compartment"
[ i ] Tips
• When a yellow war ning symbol appears, one warn ing tone
so unds. C hec k the fun ction d isp laye d a s soo n as poss ible.
• When a red symbol appears,
three warning tones sound in succes ­
sion . The symbol continu es to flash until the fa ult has been
corrected. •
App lies to vehicles : w ith Au di magnetic r ide
Audi magnetic ride
The indicator ligh t monitors vehicle damping.
Th e indica tor lig ht illum ina tes w hen the ig nit io n is switched on as a
function check. _,,,

Airbag system !.!r
This warning/indicator light monitors the airbag and the
tensioner systems.
The !! r warning light i llum inates for a few seconds each time you
switch on the ign ition.
If the
! !r warning light does not go out, or if it illum inates while you
are d riving, or i f it s tarts to flash, t hen there is a m alfu nct io n some­
where in the system . If the light does not illum inate when you switch
on t he ignition, this also means there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the airbag sy stem, contact your
authorized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the airbag or the
belt tensioner ma y not work properly in an accident. •
Generator 0
This warning/indicator light detects a malfunction in the
generator or in the vehicle 's electrical syst em .
Th e D war ning/in dica tor lig ht ill uminates when you swit ch on t he
ign ition and must go out a fter the engine has started.
If the D war ning/ind ic at or ligh t illumina tes whi le you are d riving,
you shou ld contact you r auth o rized Audi dealer . Since the ve hicle
battery is discharging, you shou ld switch off any unnecessary elec­
t rical consume rs (fo r example , the air condi tioner) .•
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
Safety belts ,ft-
This warn ing/indic ato r light remind s you t o put on yo ur
safety belt.
The 4'-wa rning/ind icator light illuminates when the ignition is
s w itched on to re mi nd the driver and (o n USA models only) any fro nt
passenger to put on the sa fety belt. Additionally, an acoustic warn ing
(gong) will a lso s oun d.
For more Information=>
page 135, "Safety belt wa rning light .t" . •
Brake system
BRAKE (USA)/ (CD) (Canada)
T his warn in g/in dic ato r ligh t ill umin ates whe n t he br ake
flui d level is t oo lo w o r w he n t here is a ma lfunction in the
AB S, or whe n the pa rking b rake is s et.
T he light illuminates w hen the ign it io n is tu rned on . It goes out after
t he engine has bee n sta rted and th e p arki ng bra ke is f ully re le ase d.
T hi s indicates that t he bra ke warning light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking or the parking brake is appl ied , there may be a malfunc­
tion in the electrical system. In this case , contact your Audi dealer .
If the ABS f ails, the A BS war ning/ indicato r light 5 (USA
models)/ (Canada mode ls) flashes toget her w it h the brake system
w ar ning/indica tor ligh t=> & .
(USA models): If the warning light
BRAKE and the warni ng lig ht illu­
m inate together, immediate ly contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads inspected=>
page 35.
Whe n the light comes on, an aud ible warn ing si gna l is also given .
Parking brake set
The BRAKE warning/indicator light i lluminates when the par king brake
is set=> &. _,.
Vehicle care Technical data

All the doors and the rear lid are locked by the central locking system
when you lock the vehicle.
The unlock ing and locking mode* can be changed in the driver infor­
mation system~
page 22.
Unlocking the vehicle
You can unlock the vehicle from outside either by using the remote
control
or by inserting and turning the key in the driver's door lock .
When you
unlock your vehicle:
• Th e anti-theft alarm system is deactivated briefly.
• The vehicle interior lights illuminate for approximately 30
seconds .
• All turn signa l lights will flash twice when the car is unlocked .
• After unlocking the vehicle, you have 30 seconds to open a door or
the rear lid. Afte r 30 seconds, the vehicle automatica lly locks and the
anti-theft alarm system activates again.
The rear lid can be locked or unlocked either by using the remote
control or by inserting and turning the key in the dr iver's door lock.
Unlocking the vehicle with the remote control~ will only
unlock the
rear lid, to
open it, the lid handle needs to be pressed.
Locking the vehicle
You can lock the vehicle from outside either by using the remote
control
or by inserting and turning the key in the drivers's door lock.
When you
lock the vehicle:
• All doors and the rear lid are locked.
• All turn signal lights will flash once when the car is locked.
• Th e anti-theft alarm system is activated. The horn of the anti­
theft alarm system will sound and the anti-theft alarm system readi­
ness light, located in the center of the instrument panel below the
windshield on the right side of the air vent, will start to blink.
• Th e vehicle interior lights turn off.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Opening and closing
Automat
ic locking*
The automatic locking feature locks all the vehicle doors and the rear
lid when you drive faster than 9 mph (15 km/h).
You can unlock the vehicle from the inside by:
• removing the key from the ignition switch (the vehicle wi ll auto­
matically unlock itself) or
• pressing the unlock part of the power lock switch
ll::D or
• pulling the inside handle for that door (once - the front door is
unlocked and opened at the same time, twice to open the rear door).
If you wish, you can have an authorized Audi dealer convert your
power door lock system to automatic locking.
& WARNING
• When you lock your vehicle from outside, nobody· especially
children - should remain inside the vehicle. Remember, when you
lock the vehicle from the outside the windows cannot be opened
from the inside .
• When you leave the vehicle, always remove the ignition key
and take it with you. This will prevent passengers (children, for
example) from accidentally being locked in the vehicle should
they accidentally press the power locking switch on the center
console.
• Do not leave children inside the vehicle unsupervised. In an
emergency it would be impossible to open the doors from the
outside without the key.
[ i ] Tips
• In the event of a crash with airbag deployment all locked doors
will be automatically unlocked to give access to the vehicle occupants
from the outside .
• If the power locking system sho uld fail, you can still open the fuel
tank flap in an emergency~
page 224 . .,_
Vehicle care Technical data

Opening and closing
in. WARNING
Always read and heed WARNING~ & in "General description" on
page 40. •
Locking and unlocking the vehicle from
inside
The vehicle can be locked or unlock ed from the inside
usin g the power locking swi tches located i n the driver's
and the front passen ger 's door .
Fig . 3 1 Driv er's do or:
p ower locking switch
In add ition to the ce ntra l loc kin g swi tches in the doors , the re
is a locking switc h on the rear center console for the rear-seat
passe ngers=>
page 45 .
How to lock all doors and the rear lid
simultaneously
- Press lower pa rt of t he po wer locking sw itch {D ::::> fig. 3 1
=> & .
How to unlock all doors and the rear lid
simultaneously
- P ress the upper part o f th e swi tch@.
How to unlock/ open each front door
separately using the door handle
- Pull the doo r handle once to release th e lock and sim ult a-
neo usly o pen the door.
How to unlock/ open each rear door
separately using the door handle
- Pull t he door handle once to release the loc k.
- Pull the ha ndle
twice to o pen t he doo r.
If you lo ck the ve hicl e using t he power loc king switch 1'.I!, please note
the following:
• You cannot o pen the doors or the rear lid from the
outside
(increased security, for examp le whe n you a re stopped at a red light) .
• Th e diode in the power loc king switch illuminate when a ll the
doors and the rear lid are closed and loc ked.
• You can un lo ck and open t he doors in dividually from the inside by
pulling once o n the door hand le for the front doors and twice for t he
rea r doors.
• If the driver's door is opened (after yo u have locked the vehicle
fro m the inside using the power locking sw itch), the door will rem ain
unlocked to preve nt you from locki ng yourse lf out of yo ur vehicle.
After you close the doo r, you have to lo ck the drive r's door aga in .
• If you have a crash and the airbag is activated, the doors automat­
ically unlo ck.
& WARNING
• If you use the power locking switch with the door s closed,
remember that all the vehicle doors will lock.
• Locking doors from the inside can help prevent inadvertent
doo r opening during an accident and can also prevent unwanted
entry from the outside . Locked door s can, however, delay assi s- .,,.

instrument pane l illum in ation w ill autom at ically be com e dimm er
as the d ay light fade s away and eventu ally will g o out c ompletel y
wh en outside light i s very low . This is to r emind you, the drive r, to
s witch on the headlight s before it gets too dark .
• Canada model s: in strument pan el illum ination will stay bright
r e g ardle ss of the inten sity of ambient light . Alwa ys be awar e of
c hanges in o utside light conditions w hile you ar e dri ving. R espond
in time to fading da ylight by tu rning the light switch t o po sit ion
io
(or "AUTO" if your car is equipped with this feature) to turn on y our
headl ights .•
Emergency flasher ~
The emergency flasher makes other motorists aware that
you or your vehicle are in an emergency situation .
Fig. 53 Ce nter
conso le : eme rgenc y
fla sh e r sw it c h
- Press the switch~:::::> fig. 53, to switch the emergency
flasher on or off.
When the eme rgency flasher is o n, all four tu rn s ignal b link at the
same time . The turn signa l indicator lights¢¢ in the instrument
cluster , as well as the light in the emerg ency flasher switch~ blink
likewise.
T he emergency flasher will autom atically sw itch on if you are in an
acc ident where the airbag has deployed.
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t Vehicle
OP-eration
Clear vision
(I) Tips
You should swi tch on the emergency flasher when :
• you a re the last ve hicle stand ing in a traffic jam so that any ot her
vehicles com ing can see you , or when
• your vehicle has b roken down or you are in an eme rgency s itua­
tion , or when
• your vehicle is being towed by a tow tr uck or if yo u are tow ing
another vehicle behind you. •
Turn signals -¢¢ and high beam [D lever
The lever on the le~ side of the steering column is used to
operate the turn signals and the high beam as well as the
headlight flasher.
-"' M
-w .., a,
Fig . 54 Tu rn sign al
a nd h igh b eam lever
The turn signal and high beam lever has the following func­
tions :
Turn signals ¢ ¢
- Lift the lever up all the way:::::> fig. 54 (D, to use the r ight
turn signals , or push the lever down all the way@ to use
the left turn signals. .,,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

Seats and storage
General recommendations
Why is your seat adjustment so important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can only provide
maximum protection if the front seats are correctly
adju sted.
Th ere are several dif ferent ways you can ad just the d river's sea t and
t he front passenger's seat so that it confo rms to your body size .
It is
especially important t hat the seat be adjusted properly so that:
• you can easily and quickly reach a ll the switc hes and contro ls in the
ins trumen t pa nel
• your body is properly supported thus reducing phys ica l stress and
fatigue
• the safety be lts and airbag system can offer maximum protection
=>
page 145
In the follow ing chapters, you will see exactly how you can best adjust
your sea ts .
Th ere are special regulations a nd instr uctions for install ing a child
safety seat on the front passenger 's seat. Always heed the informa ­
tion regarding child safety p rovided in=>
page 167, "Child Safety ".
& WARNING
Incorrect seating posit ion of the driver and all other passengers
can result in seriou s personal injury.
• Always keep your feet on the floor when the vehicle is in
motion -never put your feet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the window or on top of the seat cushion! This applies especially
to the passengers. If your seating po sition is incorrect you
increase the ri sk of injury in the case of sudden braking or an acci-
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Seats and storage
& WARNING
(con tinu ed)
dent . If the airbag inflates and the seating position is incorrect
this could result in per sonal injury or even death .
• It is important for both the dri ver and front passenger to keep
a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between themselves and
the steer ing whee l and /or instrument panel. If you're sitting any
closer than this , the airbag system cannot protect you properly. In
addition to thi s, the front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they can give you maximum
protection .
• Always try to keep as much distance as possible between your­
self and the steering wheel or instrument panel.
• Do not adjust the driver's or front passenger 's seat while the
vehicle is moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly, causing
sudden loss of vehicle control and personal injury . If you adjust
your seat while the vehicle is moving, you are out of position. •
Driver's seat
The correc t sea t posi tion is import an t f or sa fe and
rel axed dri ving.
We recomm end that you a djust th e d rive r's sea t in the
fo llowing man ner:
- Ad just the sea t in f ore and a ft dire ct io n so that y ou can
e asily pus h the pe dals to the floor while keep in g you r
kne es slightly bent=>
& in "W hy is yo ur seat a djust m en t
so imp ort an t?".
- Adj ust the sea tbac k so tha t when yo u sit wi th y our back
agai nst the se atba ck, you can sti ll gra sp th e to p of t he
s te er ing w hee l. _..
Vehicle care Technical data