2012 AUDI A3 belt

occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
¢ fig. 123. This impact
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver, must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed. Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and other passen­
gers
r::;; fig. 124. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas ­
senger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
Fig. 125 Drive r is correct ly restrained in a sudden brak­
ing maneuver
Safety belts 115
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement that can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing" the kinetic energy over a longer
period of time, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also su bsta ntia l­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle.
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

116 Safety belts
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
,.. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
,.. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person , in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­ ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- 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 ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing 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 dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder pa rt of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos i­
tion . -
Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere 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 latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly .
If web­
bing, bindings, buck les, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au ­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- 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 . Replace­
ment 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.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inert ia reel
c:> page 187, Safety belts .
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 126 B elt buck le and to ngue o n th e drive r's sea t

To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body .
... Adjust the front seat and head restra int
properly
c::> page 61, General recommenda­
tions .
... Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt
c::> ,&. .
... Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis
c::> ,&..
... Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hea r it latch securely
c::> fig. 126.
... Pull on t he be lt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat­
i c belt retractor on the shoulder be lt. This fea­
ture locks the be lt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac­
tivated. The funct ion of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c::> page 16.
Sw itchable locking feature
E very safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read the important information about this
feature
c::> page 152.
A WARNING
Imprope rly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
o::> page 117, Safety belt position.
-Safety belts offer optimum protect ion
only when the seatback is upright and
Safety belts 11 7
belts are properly positioned on the
body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
be lt is attached is securely latched when­
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used. If the backrest is not securely latched, the passenger w ill move for­
ward with the backrest during sudden
braking, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
cially in a crash .
- Never attach th e safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat . Atta ching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt
effectiveness and can cause ser ious per­
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrain ­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
be lt itself when it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re­
tractor when you are securing a child safety seat in the vehicle
c::> page 154.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 1 27 Head restra int and safety belt pos it ion as
see n from the s ide
ill
q :r ... CD
Standard features on your vehicle he lp you ad ­
just the position of the safety belt to match
your body size.
- be lt h eight adjustment for the front seats,
- automatic belt height adjustment for the
rear seats .

118 Safety belts
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- 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. 127.
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 abdo­
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug ¢
fig. 12 7. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary.
-A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri­ ous injuries by shifting its position on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious
injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢page 116.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy.
Fig. 128 Safety belt posit ion during pregnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
¢ page 117.
.,. Adjust the front seat and head restraint cor­
rectly¢
page 61, General recommenda­
tions.
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
benc h is in an upr ight position and secure ly
latched in place before using the belt .
"' Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pelvis
¢ fig. 128, ¢ ,&, .
"' Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
<:!;>page 116, fig. 126 .
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent .
-
-Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢.&.
in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 117.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only a~er the vehicle has stopped .
Fig. 129 Releasing the tongue from the buckle
.,. Push the red release button on the buckle
c:!;> fig. 129. The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle ¢,& .
.,. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
Ill-

,&_ WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi ­
cle is movi ng . Doing so will increase your
risk of being injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust ­
ment, the thr ee point safety belt strap rout­
ing can be fitted to the shoulder area, accord­
ing to body size.
Fi g. 13 0 Safety be lt heig ht ad justment fo r the fr ont
s e ats - loop -a ro un d f ittin gs
g 0 0 0 ... a,
• Push the loop -aro und fitti ngs up ¢ fig. 130
@ , or
• squee ze together the (D button, and push
the loop-around fitt ings down @.
• Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged .
_&. WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS an d
ot her i mpo rtant in format io n
¢ page 116.
(D Tips
-The sho ulder belt part sho uld route ap­
pro ximately over the middle of your
shou lde r -
under no circum stances
should it route over your neck and
throat area
¢ .&. in Safety belt posi tion
on page 118.
- Wi th the fr ont seats, the he igh t adju st­
me nt of the se at c an a lso be used to ad­
ju st the position o f the safety belts.
Safety belts 119
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can on ly
work when they are correctly positioned on
the body . Imprope r seat ing pos itions reduce
the effectiveness of safety be lts and will
even
inc rea se t he risk of inju ry and death by mov ­
in g t he safety be lt to c riti cal a reas o f the
bo dy. Improper seating posi tions a lso in ­
c rease the ris k of serious injury and death
when a n airbag dep loys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is respons ible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for ch il­
dren . Therefore:
• Never perm it anyone to assume an incorrect
sitt ing pos ition in the vehicle while traveling
¢ _& .
The following lists only some examples of im­
proper ly worn safety belts that will increase
the risk of ser ious injury and death . Our hope
is that these examp les w ill make you more
aware of seat ing pos itions that are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never wear the shoulder belt under your arm
- never let the s hou lder belt pass over yo ur
neck
- never wear the safety belt loose ly
- neve r place the lap belt port ion of the safety
be lt across your abdomen¢.&. .
_&. WARNING
Im properly worn safety belts increase the
risk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used .
- Always make s ure t hat all vehicle occu­
pa nts are co rrectly restra ined and stay in
a co rrect seati ng position whe never th e
veh icle is being used.
- A lways read and heed a ll WARNIN GS and
o th er impo rtant information
¢ pag e 116 .

120 Safety belts
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side ond rear end collisions above a
particular severity, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety be lt
p retensioners. The system is activated by sen ­
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
g reat severity. This tight ens the belt and takes
up be lt slack ~
& in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 120 .
Taking
up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
Never let the be lt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been folded forward.
The safety be lt pretensioners can only be
activated once.
-In m inor frontal and side coll isions, in
rear-end collisions, in a rollover and in
accidents involving very little impact
force, the safety belt pretensioner are
not act ivated.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are
activated, a fine dust is released. This is
normal and is not caused by a f ire in the
vehicle .
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped . A
qualified workshop is familiar with these
r egulations and will be pleased to pass
on the information to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
mental and other regulations if the vehi­
cle or indiv idual pa rts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your a uthorized Audi dealer perform this
serv ice for you .
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pre-tensioners are parts of the
safety belt and installed at the outboard seat­
ing pos itions on your Audi. Installing, remov ­
ing, servicing or repairing of be lt pre-tension­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent that system from working properly in
a coll is ion.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
,&. WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing a safety belt
tensioner from activating when needed or
activating it unexpectedly:
- The safety be lt pre-tensioner system can
be activated on ly once. If safety belt pre­
tensioners have been activated, then
they must be replaced .
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety be lt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pre-tensioners cannot be repaired. Spe ­
cial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of th is system.
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has a Audi approved re­
pa ir manual, train ing and special equ ip­
ment necessary .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/per­
chlorate. When the veh icle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety be lts with pretensioners are scrap-
ped, all applicab le laws and regulations .,.

must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform this service for you.
Safety belts 121
•
•

122 Airbag sys te 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 al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
• Adjust the dr iver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 104,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 62,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 116,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
stra int to protect children¢
page 143.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplementa l airbags can cause injuries if
the dr iver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to he lp the
a irbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r 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 ca n inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemental p rotec­
tion in ce rtain frontal collisions¢
page 104.
For detai ls on the operation o f the seat ad­
justment contro ls
¢ page 63.
It 's especially important that children a re
properly restrained ¢
page 143.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individual
safety features installed in your Audi work to­
gether as a system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the drive r side ca n do its
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con­
d ition that p revents you from sitt ing proper ly 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 author ized Audi dealer or
other qualified workshop, or ca ll Audi Cus ­
tomer CAR E at 1-800-822-2834 for possible
modifications to your vehicle .
When the airbag system deploys, a gas gener­ ator will fill the a irbags, break open the pad ­
ded covers, and inflate between the steering
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru­
ment pane l and the front passenger. The a ir­
bags will defla te immed iately after dep loy­
me nt so that the front occupants can see
t h rough the windshie ld again witho ut inter ­
ruption.
All of th is takes place in the b lin k of an eye , so
f ast that many peop le don't even realize that
the ai rbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a g reat deal of force and nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy.
Front a irbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc­
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from hitting pa rts of the inside of the
vehicle while reducing the forces act ing on the
occupant dur ing 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 t he
body.
Both front airbags w ill not inflate in all fronta l
co llisions . The triggering of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece leration rate
caused by the co llision and registered by the
electron ic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con­
trol unit , the airbags will not be triggered ,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a resu lt of the co llision . Ve hicle damage, re­
pair costs o r even the lack of ve hicle damage
is not necessari ly an indica tion of whether an
airbag shou ld inflate or not .
S ince the circumstances wi ll vary considerably
betwee n one co llision and ano ther, it is not .,.