2012 AUDI A3 belt

¢ fig. 81 -Arrow-and tilt the pass-through
forward.
~ Remove the sack from the luggage com­
partment and unfold it.
~ Place the empty sack in the hatch so that
the end with the zip fastener is in the lug ­
gage compartment .
~ Load objects from the luggage compart­
ment into the ski sack.
Securing
~ Insert the ski sack strap¢ fig. 82@ into
the center seat belt buckle @.
~ With skiing items, place the strap in the
middle between the bindings ¢,&. .
~ Pull the loose end of the strap tight in the
direction of the arrow.
Opening the safety strap buckle
~ Take the long sides of safety strap buckle
between thumb and forefinger¢
fig. 82 @ .
~ Squeeze the buckle and pull it away from
the cargo.
Stowing
~ Raise the pass-through until it is securely
latched. It is secu re when you can no longer
see the red mark on the latch in the luggage
compartment .
~ Carefully fold up the empty (dry) ski sack.
~ Stow the ski sack in the lu ggage compart­
ment so that it cannot slide around .
A WARNING
-After loading, the ski sack must be se­
cured with the strap.
- The safety strap must fit tightly around
the cargo.
- Make certain that the safety strap lies in
the middle between the bindings of the
ski equipment (refer also to printed mes­
sage on the ski sack).
(D Tips
- Place skis with the tips pointing forward,
snowboards and ski poles with tip to the
rear in the ski sack.
Seats and storage 71
-If there are several pai rs of skis in the sk i
sack, make certain that the bindings are
at the same level.
- Be sure not to fold up or sto re the sack
when it is still damp.
Roof rack* installation
First things first
A roof rack can be used to carry additional
luggage on the roof There are two different
roof rack systems .
Separate roof racks are needed for vehicles
without roof rails . Vehicles with standard roof
rails* need add itional cross bars to carry car­
go . Both types of add itiona l equipment are
available at your authorized Audi dealer.
~ Always read and follow the instructions pro ­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when
the roof rack system must be installed.
If a roof rack or s imilar luggage carrying
equipment is to be installed, please note the
fo llow ing :
Vehicles without roof rails
- Your vehicle has aerodynam ic rain gutters
molded into the roof. That is why only roof
racks specially designed for the roof can be
used . We recommend using roof racks from
the Audi original accessories program .
- These roof racks are the basis for a complete
roof rack system . For safety reasons, some
additional attachments are necessary to
transport luggage, bicycles , surf boards,
skis and small boats safely. A ll these com­
ponents are available at your authorized Au­
di dea ler .
Vehicle with roof rails
-The vehicle is equipped with integrated roof
railings,
which can be covered into roof rack
by ins tal ling c ross bars . Only install cross
bars specifica lly designed for this vehicle.
- These bars are the basis for a complete roof
rack system . Additional attachments are ..,.

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
•
•
...

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are nec­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
impaired persons must also use safety
belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are
more likely to be seriously injured if they
do not wear safety belts. The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each
seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
Safety belts 113
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safe­
ty belt or child restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up.
Fig. 120 Safety belt warning light in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly.
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle
up and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is switched on as a
reminder to fasten the safety belts. In addi­
tion, you will hear a warning tone for a certain period of time .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
A WARNING
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
•
•

114 Safety belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warning
light that come on, could lead to person­
al injury.
Why safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for
people riding in vehicles.
Fig. 121 Unb elted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a
wall
Fig. 122 Th e vehicle c rash es into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the
vehicle and the passengers possess energy
which varies w ith veh icle speed and body
weight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic en­
e rgy ."
T he higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not
using safety belts
c::;, fig. 121, they will keep
moving at the same speed the vehicle was
mov ing just before the crash, until something
stops them - here, the wall ¢
fig. 122 .
The same principles apply to people sitting in
a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision .
Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50
km/h), the forces acting on the body can
reach one ton (2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or
more . At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher .
Peop le who do not use safety belts are also
not attached to their vehicle. In a frontal colli­
s ion they will also keep moving forward at the
speed their vehicle was travell ing just before
the crash . Of course, the laws of physics don't
just apply to frontal collisions, they determine
what happens in all kinds of accidents and col­
lisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 123 A d river not wea ring a safety b elt is viol en tly
thrown fo rwa rd
Fig . 124 A rear passe nge r not wearing a safety belt
w ill fl y forward and strike the dr iver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the
tremendous forces of i mpac t by holding tight
or bracing themselves. Without the benefit of
safety restraint systems , the unrestrained
ll-