2011 AUDI A3 steering wheel adjustment

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

___________________________________________________ O_ n_ t_h _e_ r_o _a_ d __ _
On the road
Steering
Adjustable steering wheel
The height and reach of the steering wheel con be
adjusted .
First, adjust t he dr iver's seat correct ly.
Fi g. 106 Leve r und er
the s tee ring column
-Pu sh t he lever~ fig. 106 down as far as it wi ll go~ &.
- Move th e st eeri ng wheel to t he desire d position.
- Push t he lever back up as fa r as it wi ll go.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your chest and the
c en ter of the steer ing w hee l. If you cannot si t more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if adaptive equ ipment is avai l­
able to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance from the
steeri ng wheel.
For detai led info rmation on how to adjust the dr iver's seat, see
=> page 76, "Power se at adj ustment".
The steer ing whee l can be adjusted even when the ignition is turned
off .
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment and improper seating
position can cause serious personal
injury .
• Adjust the steer ing whe el column only when the vehicle is not
moving to prevent loss of vehicle control.
• Always make sure that the adjustment lever is securely pushed
up so that the position of the steering wheel cannot be changed
unintentionally when the vehicle is moving .
• Adjust the dr iver 's seat or steering wheel so that there is a
m inimum of 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone and the
steering wheel=>
page 126, fig. 122. If you cannot maintain this
minimum distance, the airbag system cannot protect you prop­
erly.
• If physical limitations prevent you from sitting 10 inches (25
c m) or more from the steering wheel, check with your authorized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is available .
• Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decrea ses the
ability of the supplemental driver's a irbag to prote ct you in an
accident. Always make sure that the steer ing wheel is pointed
towards your che st .
• Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of the steering
wheel rim with your hands at the 9 o'clo ck and 3 o'clock position s
to help reduce the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag
inflates .
• Never hold the steer ing wheel at the 12 o 'clock position or with
your hands at other positions inside the steering wheel rim or on
the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injurie s to the hand s, arms and head if th e
driver 's airbag inflates. •
Vehicle care Technical data

_______________________________________________ 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
9J),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___________________________________________ A_ l!;:p ...:...h .:..: a:.:.. b.::....:: e..:t ..:..ic ::.. a:.:. l :....:..: in....:.-=: d..:e :.:.x..:.__ __
Replacing a sound system .... ... .. .. . 302
Replacing light bu lbs ... .. ... ... ..... 285
Replacing tires and wheels ............ 258
Replacing windshield wiper blades ...... 69
Reporting Safety Defects ......... .... 133
Reset button ........................ 10
Resetting remote control ....... .. ..... 43
Retractor ..... ...... .. .. .. .... ..... 139
Reverse
Automatic transmission .... .. .....
115
Rims
Cast alloy ...................... .
212
Replacing ....................... 257
Steel rims .................... .. . 212
Roof rack
Attachment points w ith separate roof rack
system ................ .........
87
Loading .. .. .. ... .... ... .. .. ..... 88
Mounting locations ........... .... . 88
Safe mounting ............... ..... 86
Roof weight .... .. .. ............. .... 88
s
S tronic ........ ...... .. ... ........ 115
Driving Notes .................... 117
Emergency program ........... ... 121
Kick-down .. ............ ........ 120
T i ptronic ... .. ... ... ...... ....... 119
Tipt ronic controls on the steering wheel .
120
SAFE ............................... 10
Safe driving habits ..... .. .. .. .. ..... 124
Safety belt position .... .... ......... 140
Safety belt height adjustment .. .. .. 142
Safety belts worn by pregnant women ...
141
Safety belt pretensioner ........... ... 143
Service and disposal .............. 144
Safety belt warning light ......... 15, 135
Safety belts . ...... .............. ... 139
cleaning ..................... ... 217
Danger to passengers who do not wear a
safety belt .................. ...
13 7
Fastening .. .. .......... ......... 139
height adjustment ....... ...... .. .
142
Improperly worn ................. 143
Not worn ....................... 137
Safety belt position ............... 140
Safety instructions .. .. ... ..... .. . 138
Securing child safety seats ......... 177
Spe cial considerat ions fo r pregnant
women ................ .... .. ..
141
Unfastening .. ................. .. 142
Warning/indicator light ........... 135
Why YOU MUST wear them .... 135, 136
Worn properly ................... 138
Launch Control Program .......... . 120 S f
S l
t l
l
k
11
a ety compliance sticker ............. 294
e ec or ever oc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Safety equipment .... ............. ..
124 Selector lever positions ........ ... . 115
Safety features for occupant restraint and
protection .................. ...
124
Safety guidelines
Seat adjustment ................. .
73
Safety instructions
Engine compartment ..... ..... .. .
226
for side curtain airbags ............ 166
for using child safety seats ......... 170
for using safety belts ............. 138
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag System .
158
Safety lock
Ignition key, automatic transmission
106
Seat adjustment
Driver's seat ................ .... ..
73
Front passenger's seat ............. 7 4
Front seats ... ..... ...... ...... ...
73
Head restraints .................. 128
Head restraints, front seat .......... 77
Lumbar support .. .. ............... 77
Manual controls .. .. .... ...... ..... 7 4
Manual seats ....... .......... .. ..
74
Power seat .. ..... ................ 75
Seat be lts
Why YOU MUST wear them . . . .
135, 136
See also Safety belts ...... .. ... .. . 135
Seating capacity ....... ...... ... . .. . 135
Seating pos it ion
Driver .............. ... .. .... ...
126
Front passenger ................ .. 127
How to adjust the front seats ....... 12 7
Incorrect seat position .. ..........
129
Occupants .. ................... . 126
Rear passengers ................ . 128
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data