2012 AUDI A3 warning light

138 Airbag sys te m
The side airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's, front and rear* passeng­
er's upper torso and head on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision. The
a irbag dep loys only in side impacts and only
when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the contro l unit is high enough. If th is rate is
below the refe rence value p rogrammed into
the contro l unit, the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not
possible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every possible angle of impact,
since the c ircumstances will vary considerab ly
between one collision and another. Important
factors include, fo r example, the nature (hard
or soft) of the impacting object, the angle of
impact, veh icle speed, etc.
q page 139, Im­
portant safety instructions on the side airbag
system.
As ide from the ir normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
coll is ion so that the side a irbags can provide
p rotection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc­
cupant res traint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system
can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
qu ires you to do so
<=')page 113, General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
supp lemental s ide a irbag system is designed
to reduce the like lihood of serious injur ies,
other i njuries, for example, swell ing, bruising,
and minor abras ions can also be associated
with deployed side a irbags. Remember too,
side a irbags wi ll deploy on ly once and on ly in
cer tain k inds of ac cidents -yo ur sa fety belts
are a lways there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage a re not necessar ily an ind i- cation o
f over -sensitive or failed airbag activa­
tion . In
some collisions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, that air ­
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
k inds of collisions -your safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acc i­
dents in which a irbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit ion is turned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollove rs.
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
t rigge red togethe r.
&, WARNING
- Safety belts and the air bag system will
only provide pro tection when occupants
are in the proper seating posi tion
¢page 139.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by you r
author ized Audi dealer. The airbag may
not work properly when the vehicle ac­
celeration in a side coll is ion is high
enough to activate the a irbag.
-

in a side collision. The side curtain ai rbag in ­
f lates in side impacts and on ly when the vehi­
cle acce lerat ion reg istered by the contro l unit
is high enough. If th is rate is be low the refer ­
ence value programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­ sult of the collision . It is not possible to de­
f ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impac t, since the ci r­
cumstances wi ll vary conside rably between
one co llision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the nat ure ( hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le of impact,
veh icle speed, etc.
c:> page 141.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safe ­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it prope rly. Thi s
i s another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety bel ts, not just beca use the law re­
q uir es you to do so
<=:>page 113, General
notes.
It
is important to rememb er that while the
side curta in a irbag sys tem is designed to he lp
r educe the like lihood of se rious injur ies, other
in ju ries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and
minor abrasions can a lso be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these a irbags w ill dep loy on ly once and
only in certain kinds of accide nts - your safety
be lts are a lways there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag sy stem ba sically
consi sts of:
- The electronic control mod ule and external
s ide impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags ab ove the front and
rear side w indows
A irba g sy stem 141
- The a irbag indicator light in the instrument
pane l
T he airbag system is mon itored e lec troni cally
to make ce rtain i t is func tioning prope rly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is turned off ,
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration
meas ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rea r-end collisions,
- in rollovers.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection w hen occupants
a re in the proper seating posi tion
c:> page 61, General re commendation s.
- If th e air bag ind icator lig ht comes on
when the vehicle is being used, h ave the
sys tem inspected immedi ately by your
author ized A udi dealer. The s ide cur tain
airbag may not wo rk proper ly even w hen
the vehicle acce lerat ion in a side collision
is high enoug h to activate the airbag.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags ca n work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
Fi g. 13 8 Illust rat io n o f pri nc iple: I nflated s ide c urtai n
a irbags o n the le ft sid e
The side c urtai n airbags inflate betwee n the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the ..,.

142 Airbag sys te m
vehicle that is struck in a side co llision
~ fig . 138.
When the system is triggered , the side c urtain
a irbag is filled wi th propellant gas and b reaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows ide ntified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and w ith
great force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seat ing pos ition is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the suppleme nta l side cu rtain airbag
i nflates . This applies espe cial ly to childre n
~page 143.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they ca n he lp to redu ce the r isk of in­
ju ry to the head and the upper part of the
body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. This is q uite norma l and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle .
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
a irbags do the ir job to provide s upplementa l
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
prope r seat ing positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used .
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of
their bodies in the a rea from wh ich the
side cu rtain airbags inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curta in
airbags can inflate w ithout interference .
Unsuitable accessor ies fitted inside the expansion range of a curtain airbag can
dangerously interfere with its funct
ion. A
deploying head airbag develops enough
force to catapult any p iece of add-on
component out of its path of infla tion
and into the passenger compa rtment. An
o ccu pant hit by such a projectile can suf­
fe r serious injury or death~
page 262,
Technical Modifications.
- Do not swive l the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them
(for examp le pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects .
- Use the bui lt -in coat hooks only for light ­
weight clothing . Never leave any heavy o r
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with a irbag dep loyment
and can cause personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang cloth ing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
veh icle leaves the factory, on ly Audi roll­
up sunscreens may be used
~ page 261,
Additional accessories and parts re­
placement.
- Always sit in proper seat ing pos ition and
wear safety belts wh ile traveling so that
the side curtain airbag s can help p rov ide
p rotec tion.
- T he a irbag system can only be triggered
once .
If the airbag has been triggered,
t he system mus t be rep lace d by an au­
thor ized A udi dealer or qualified work ­
shop .
- Always have work involving the side c ur­
tain airbag system, removal and insta lla­
tion of the airbag components, or ot her
repairs performed by a qua lified work­
shop. Otherwise the airbag system may
not work correct ly.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .

144 Child Safety
-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the air­
bag system inspected immediately by
your authorized Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make sure the forward-facing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the child restraint. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with an "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your
vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system , all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride . The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat .
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
child restraint on the front passenger seat us­
ing the weight-sensing mat in the seat cush ­
ion and the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the front passenger seat that measures the
tension on the safety belt.
The weight -sensing mat measures total
weight of the child and the child safety seat
and a child blanket on the front passenger
seat. The weight on the front passenger seat
is related to the design of the child restraint
and its "footprint", the size and shape of the
bottom of the child restraint as it sits on the .,..

146 Child Saf ety
-Model Manufactured on or
a fter
Ev enflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
G ra co Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Vi -September 25, 200 7
aggio SIP I MUN00US
Subpart C -Forward-facing and
con vert ibl e child re straint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
2 2-26 2
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007
I Booster 22-209
E venflo Tribu te V September 25, 200 7
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December 1, 1999
1 254
Evenflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo
A WARNING
T o reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
child rest raint is installed o n the front pas­
senge r seat and the ignition is switched
on .
- Take the child rest raint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on. -
Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer immed iate­
ly .
@ Tips
The child seats listed in categories A to C
have been statically tested by Audi on ly for
the Advanced A irbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially
reduces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, you are responsib le for the safe­
ty of everybody in the veh icle, especially ch il­
dren:
... Always use the right chi ld safety seat for
each child and always use it properly
c::;,page 148.
.,. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instruct ions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the c hild
safety seat .
.,. When using the vehicle sa fe ty belt to ins tall
a ch ild safe ty seat, yo u m ust first a ctivate
t he convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from moving
¢ page 152 .
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward or
sideways more than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
.,. If a st rap o r tet he r is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat , m ake sure tha t it is not so tight th at i t
causes the weigh t-se ns ing ma t to measure
more weight than is act ually on the seat.
Always remember: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped wi th an A dvan ced Air bag system, all
children, especially those 1 2 years and young ­
er, shou ld always ride in the back seat proper-
ly restrained for their age and size. ..,.

148 Child Safet y
as possible before insta lling the child
restra int.
- Always make sure t hat nothing pre­
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright position .
- Always buck le the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not s itting in it.
A loose ch ild safety seat ca n fly around
dur ing a sudden stop or in a coll is ion.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
<=:>page 113, Safety
belts,<=:> page 122, Airbag system
and
<=;> page 143, Child Safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whe never a
child rest raint is installed on the front pas ­
senge r seat and the ignition is switched
on.
- Take the child rest raint off t he front pas ­
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PAS SEN­
G ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer immediate­ ly.
A WARNING
-
A child in a child restraint installed w ith
the LATCH lower anchorages or w ith the
standard safety belt on the rear seat may play with unused rear seat safety belts and
become enta ngled resu lting in ser ious per­
sonal inj ury and even dea th.
- Always buck le unused rear seat safety
bel ts out of reach of ch ildren in ch ild
sea ts and p roperly activate the conve rti­
ble locking retrac to r so that the child
cannot un reel the safety belt from the
retracto r.
(D Tips
Always replace chi ld restraints that were
i nstalled in a vehicle d uring a crash. Dam -
age to a chi ld restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
s ituation.
Chi Ld safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old
and
20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-fac­
ing child restraints that support the back,
neck and head in a crash.
F ig . 13 9 Schema tic overview : rearward -facing infan t
seat, properly installed o n the rear seat
.. When using the vehicle safe ty belt to install
a child safety seat, you m ust first activate
the convertib le locking retractor on the
safety belt to prevent the child safety seat
from mov ing <=:>
page 152 or install the seat
using the LATCH attachments .
.. Push the chi ld safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety be lt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forwa rd or
sideways mo re than one inch (2 .5 cm).
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg)
are best protected in spec ial infant car riers
and ch ild safety seats designed for their age
group. Many experts believe that infants and
small chi ld ren shou ld r ide o nly in special re­
stra ints in wh ich the child faces the back of
the vehicle . These infant seats suppo rt the ba­
by's back, neck and head in a c rash
<=:> fig. 139 .
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
fron t se at a pote ntia lly d angero us place for a
c h ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest ..,..

place for a child in a forward-facing child seat.
It is a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
.&_ WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the
wro ng chi ld safety seat or improper ly in­
stalling a child restraint increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death in a
crash .
-
- Never install rear-facing ch ild safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat -even with an Advanced Air­
bag System. A child will be se riously in­
jured and can be k illed when the in flat ­
ing airbag hits the child safety seat o r in ­
fant carrier with great force and smashes
the child safety seat and chi ld against
the backrest, center armrest, door or
roof
c:> page 123, Child restraints on the
front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint
in t he forward-facing direction . Such re­
straints are designed for the spec ial
needs of infants and very small children
and cannot p rotect them properly if the
seat is forward-fa cing.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
sea t beca use of exceptional cir cumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the a irbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used
c:> page 113, Safety
belts,
c:> page 122, Airbag system and
c:> page 143, Important things to know.
Child S afety 149
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats
can help protect toddlers and children over
age one who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9
and 18 kg) in a crash .
Fig. 140 Sc hem atic overv iew: in stallation of the at­
tac hments applicable to a LATCH seat
Fi g. 141 Schema tic overv iew: in stallatio n of the seat
us ing the ve hicle 's safety be lt system
.,. When usi ng the vehicle safe ty belt to ins tall
a child safety seat, you must first activate
the convertible locking feature on the safety be lt to prevent the child safety seat from
moving
c:> page 152 or install the seat using
the LATCH attachments.
.,. Push the ch ild safety seat down with your
full weight to get the safety belt really tight
so that the seat cannot move forward o r
sideways mo re than one inch ( 2.5 cm)
c:> page 152.
.,. If the child sa fe ty seat is eq uippe d wit h a
tether strap, attach it to the tethe r anchors
<=) page 158.
A toddler or child is usu all y too large for an in­
f ant restraint if it is more than one year old
and we ighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg) .
T oddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weig h mo re
~

150 Child Saf ety
than 20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must
a lways be properly restrained in a chi ld safety
seat certified for the ir s ize and weight
c::> fig. 140 and c::> fig. 141.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the
front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
chi ld to r ide. T he front seat is not the safest
p lace for a child in a forward-facing child safe­
ty seat. It is a very dangerous place for an in­
fant or a larger child in a rearward -fac ing seat .
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the
w rong ch ild safety seat or improper ly in­
stall ing a child res traint increases the risk
of serious person al injury and de ath in a
co llision or other eme rgency s ituation.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even w ith Adv anced A irbags, can be seri­
o usly inju red or even killed when an a ir­
bag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing
child safety seat installed on the front
passenger seat w ill be seriously injured
and can be k illed if the front a irbag in­
flates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant car rier with g reat
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on t he rear sea t.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
sea t be cause of ex cep tional circ ums tan­
c es and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t does no t come on and stay on, im­
me diately install the rea r-facin g child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer.
- Always read and heed all WARNI NGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave­
hicle is being used
c::> page 113, Safety
belts,
c::> page 122, Airbag system and
c::> page 143, Important things to know .
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a fo rward-facing child restraint on
the front passenge r's sea t, the child's safe­
ty and well-being require t hat the follow­
i ng spe cial preca utions be ta ken:
- Make sure t he forward-facing seat has
been designed and cert ified by its man u­
f a cturer fo r use on a front seat with a
p assenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer' s in­
s truc tions prov ided with t he ch ild safety
se at o r infant ca rr ier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the re armos t posi tion of the passen­
ge r seat's fo re and aft adjustment range,
an d as far away from the airbag as possi­
b le before installing the ch ild restraint.
- Always make sure that no thing prevents
the front passenger 's seat from being
moved to the rea rmost pos ition in its
fore and aft ad justment range .
- Always make sure the bac krest is in an
upright pos ition.
- Make sure t hat the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignit ion is switched
on.
- If the light does not stay on, perform the
checks
c::> page 133, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- Ta ke the chi ld restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
l ight does not s tay on
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
-