2012 AUDI A3 Owner´s Manual

Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, airbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. You r safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe t he information
a nd warn ings in th is se ct ion - for yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction applies to all
model ve rsion s of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures descr ibed in th is sec tions may be
standa rd equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask yo ur authorized Aud i dea ler.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
st ruct ions and heed the WARNINGS i n
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owne r's Liter­
at ure in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tion s.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint syst em and work togeth er to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations .
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
t echnology have made a var iety o f fea tures
avai lable to he lp red uce the risk of i njury in an
Dr iving Safel y 103
accident . The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in yo ur Audi :
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r driver and a ll
passenger sea ting posit ions,
- s afety bel t prete nsio ners ,
- safety belt force lim ite rs fo r the front sea ts,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for
the front seats ,
- automatic safety be lt height adjustment for
the rear seats,
- head restra ints for each seating posit ion,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rea r
seats *,
- side c urtai n airbags ,
- specia l LATCH an cho rages for child re-
s tr ain ts,
- he ad restra ints for each sea ting posit ion,
- adj ustab le steering colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features , can work to­
gether as a system to he lp protect you and
you r passengers in a w ide range of accide nts.
T hese fe;;itures c;;innot work ;;is ;;i system if
t h ey a re not always cor re ct ly adjus ted and co r­
re ct ly used .
Safety is everybody' s responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu ­
pant safety always depends on the informed
and careful driver .
For you r safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.,. Make s ure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
.,. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
.,. Make su re that all windows are clean and
afford good v isib ility to the o utside.
.,. Sec ure a ll luggage a nd other items carefu lly
~ page 75.
.,. Mak e s ure th at nothing can interfe re wi th
t he peda ls .
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mir ­
rors co rrectly for your height.
•
•

104 Driving Safel y
• Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
• Make sure to use the right child restra int
correct ly to protect children<=>
page 143 ,
Child Safe ty .
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
you r passenge rs do the same<=>
page 61 ,
General recomm endations .
• Fasten your safety bel t an d wear it properly.
Also ins truc t you r passengers to f aste n t heir
sa fety belts properly<=>
page 113 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving i s directly rela ted to the condi ­
t ion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver 's abili ty to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsib le fo r the s afety of the
ve hicl e an d all of i ts occupants . If you r ability
to d rive is impai red, safety r is k s for everybody
i n the vehicle increase and yo u also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road <=>
&_.
Therefore:
• Do no t let yo urself be dist racted by passen ­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEV ER drive when yo ur dr iv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol , drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws , rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS adjust you r speed to road , traff ic
and weathe r con dit ions .
• Take frequent b reaks on long t rips. Do not
dr ive for more than two hours a t a str etch .
• Do NOT drive whe n you are t ired , under
pressure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
t ant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fi g. 1 17 Correc t seat ing posit ion
For yo ur own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust t he driver's seat to the
fo llow ing pos ition:
• Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keepi ng your knee(s) slightly bent
¢ &_ .
• Adjust the a ngle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full conta ct w ith it when you d rive.
• Adjust t he steer ing whee l so that there is a
d is tance of at least 1 0 inches (2 5 cm) be ­
t ween the steer ing whee l and yo ur breast
bone
~ fig. 117. I f not possible, see your a u­
thorized A udi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that t he steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover poi nts at your
ch est and not a t your face .
• Grasp the top of the s teer ing wh ee l with
your elb ow(s) slightly ben t.
• Adjust t he head rest ra in t so t he up per edge
is as even as poss ible wi th th e top of y our
head . If that is not possi ble, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this pos ition as possib le .
• Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
<=>page 116.

~ Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 62, Adjusting front
seats manually
or ¢ page 63, Adjusting the
power seat .
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering 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. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de­
ploys .
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­ mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision .
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
Driving Safely 105
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 143. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 122.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position:
~ Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
~ Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
¢page 107.
~ Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 116.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 61.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
-
•
•

106 Driving Safely
-Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi ­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 143 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c::> page 122.
Proper seating positions for passenge rs
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas­
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following :
.. If there are passengers in the rear seat,
slide the head restraints upward at least to
the next notch on the occupied seats
¢ page 65.
.. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position
c::> page 67 .
.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c::> page 116.
.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
c::> page 143.
A WARNING .,__
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat .
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection.

Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted h ead restraints are an im­
portant part of your vehicle's occupant r e­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations.
F ig. 118 Hea d re str ain t: v ie w ed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust­
ed to achieve the best protection.
,.. Adjust the head restrai nts so the upper
edge is as even as poss ible with the top of
your head. If that is not possib le, try to ad­
just the head restraint so that it is as close to this position as possib le
q fig. 118.
"'" If there are passengers in the rear seat,
s li de the head restra in ts upward at least to
the next notch on the occup ied seats .
Ad justing head restraints¢
page 65.
A WARNING
Driv ing with out head restraints or w ith
head restraints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the risk of serious o r fatal
neck injury d ramatically. To help reduce
the risk of inj ury:
- Always drive wit h the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Always make sure each person in the ve ­
hicle p roperly adjus ts thei r head r e­
st raint. Ad just t he head rest raints so t he
upper edge is as even as possi ble w it h
the top of your head. If tha t is not possi­
ble, try to adjus t the head restra int so
that it is as close to this position as pos ­
sible.
-
Dr iving S afel y 107
-Never attempt to adj ust head restraint
while driving. I f you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
s traint .
- Ch ild ren must a lways be properly re ­
s trained i n a child rest ra int that is ap pro­
priate fo r their age and size ¢
page 143.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death . Safety belts can only work
whe n they are properly positioned on the
body . Improper s eating positions red uce the
effectiveness of safety belts and w ill even in­
c rease the r is k of i njury and dea th by mov ing
the safety be lt to crit ica l areas o f the body .
Improper seating positions a lso increase t he
risk of serio us inju ry and death when an a ir­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating posit ion. A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu­
pants a nd espec ially for children. The refo re:
"'" Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used ¢_&. .
The following bulletins list on ly some samp le
pos itions that will increase the risk of serio us
injury and death. Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make you more aware of seating po ­
s itions tha t are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down o n the rear se at
- neve r lean up against the ins trumen t panel
- neve r sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
•
•
...

108 Driving Safely
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used .
-
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
vehicle is being used.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mot
or any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without
interference and that nothing prevents them
from returning to their original positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten­
ers.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal
travel is required to bring the vehicle to a full
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of serious injury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's
footwell. An object could get into the
pedal area and interfere with pedal func­
tion. In case of sudden braking or an ac­
cident, you would not be able to brake or
accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall
or move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mots that con be securely
attached to the floor mot fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
.,. Make sure that the floor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals ~.&_ .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
unobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot slip out of position . You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­
ized Audi Dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi .
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at­
tached to these fasteners. Properly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways.
_&. WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result
in a loss of vehicle control and increase the
risk of serious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering with
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already instal­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver footwell while the ve-
hicle is moving. Objects can become
~

trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control.
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
partment.
F ig . 119 Safe load position ing: heavy cargo positioned
as far forward as poss ib le.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characterist ics. Loose items can also increase
the r isk of serio us personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment .
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forward as poss ible
¢ fig . 119.
.,. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid­
ed
¢ page 68.
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is secure ly
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle caus ing se rious
personal injury in the event of hard b rak­
ing or an ac cident. To help redu ce the r isk
o f serious persona l injury:
- Always put objects, for examp le, luggage
or other heavy items in the l uggage com­
partment.
Dr ivin g Sa fely 109
-Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the t ie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads w ill influence the way your ve­
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle hand ling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle We ight Rat­
ing or the G ross Vehicle Weight Rating
specif ied on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
miss ible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle different ly.
- Please
observe informat ion on safe driv­
ing¢
page 103.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always
ke ep the rear lid clos ed w hile driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fu lly
closed .
- I f you absolutely must dr ive with the rea r
lid open, o bserve the following no tes to
red uce the risk of poison ing:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Swi tc h off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.

110 Driving Safely
&_ WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­dows, the power roof* and the read lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load -see the tire pressure sticker on the
fuel filler door.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. On USA vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located on the driv­
er's side B-pillar. On Canada vehicles, the
tire pressure label is located either on
the driver's side B-pillar or inside the fuel
filler flap. The tire pressure label lists
the recommended cold tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its maximum
capacity weight and the tires that were
on your vehicle at the time it was manu­
factured. For recommended tire pres­
sures for normal load conditions, please
see chapter ¢
page 216.
-
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
¢ page 109, Loading the luggage com ­
partment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
&_ WARNING ~
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­ ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment .
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a tie-down.