2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET warning

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on the front passenger seat that might cause the capa citive passenger detecti on
system to miscalcu late electrical capac i­
tance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airb ag Sys­
tem has changed while the vehicle is
moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light b links for about S seconds to catch
the driver's attent ion. If this happens, al­
ways stop as soon as it is safe to do so
and check the steps described above .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go off when an adult who is not
very small is sitting on the front passen­ ger seat after taking the steps descr ibed
above, make sure the adult is properly
seated and restrained at one of the rear seating pos it ions. Have the a irbag sys­
tem inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the
front passenger seat .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c> page 20
turns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by you r autho rized Aud i dea le r. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inf late when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld.
A WARNING
If the front airbag infla tes, a ch ild witho ut
a c hild restraint , or in a rearwar d-fac ing
child safety seat , or in a forward-facing
child rest raint that has not been properly
installed will be serio usly injured and can
be killed.
-
A irbag system 16 1
-Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced A irbag System, make
certa in that all children, espec ia lly 12
yea rs and younger, always ride on the
back seat prope rly rest rained for their
age and size .
- Always install forward o r rear-facing
child seats on the rear seat -even with
an Advan ced A irbag System.
- I f you must install a rearwa rd-facing
child seat on the front passenger seat because of ex ceptio nal circumstances
an d the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and s tay on, immedi ate­
ly install the rear -facing child seat in a
rea r seating pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by you r Audi dealer.
- If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you
m ust install a forwar d-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the seat into its rearmost po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as fa r away from the a irbag
as poss ible. The backrest must be ad just­
ed to an upright pos ition. Make su re that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on a nd stays on all the time when­
eve r the ignit ion is switched on .
A WARNING
=
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go o ut when an a dult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rea r seat ing pos itions .
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your Aud i dea ler before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat .
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection sys ­
tem dete rm ines that the front passenger
seat is empty, t he fronta l airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on.
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162 Airbag system
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
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.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB
radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop. -
Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once.
After an airbag has been deployed, it must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially
for your Audi model version. Replace­
ment of complete airbag systems or air­
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only . Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book­
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE­
CORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­ nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the ex­ perience, information and special tools
necessary to perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped, all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.
@) For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see

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www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system includ ing airbag modules
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electron ic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi­
nally insta lled on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system 163
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 144 Driver 's kn ee airbag
The dr iver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢
fig. 144, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up ­
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met¢
page 156, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
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 be lt and wearing it properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so
¢page 138, General notes. ..,_

164 Airbag system
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in certain k inds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, for example when your veh i­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
first coll is ion .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore, always wear your
safety be lts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries , for example , swell ing, bruising
and minor abrasions and friction burns can al­
so occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
- The elec tronic con trol module
- T wo inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one fo r the driver and one for the
front passenger
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- i n the event of a system malfunction (warn-
i ng/indicator light is on)
Q page 20.
.8, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posit ion
Q page 156.
-If the airbag indicator light¢ page 20
tur ns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
-
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should .
How knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles: wi th knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re ­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig . 145 Inflated a irbags protecting in a fronta l co lli­
sion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas ­
senger deploy in certa in but not all frontal
collisions.
If the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system deploys, the airbags fill
with a compressed propellant gas, and inf late
between the lower part of the instrument
panel and the driver and the lower part of the
instrument panel and the front passenger
Qpage 156, fig. 142.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies .
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed . The airbags also
i nflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant for occupant safety that nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy. ..,.

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Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
App lies to vehicles: with knee airbags
Airbags are only supplemen tal restraints. Al­
ways wear safety belts correctly 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
airbags to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
justing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following minimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing your safety belt. The risk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­ ploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter­
fering with the way the airbag deploys or
Airbag system 165
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
or animals ride in the footwell in front
of the passenger seat.
If the airbag de­
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you or your pas­
sengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratches or other damage in the area of
the instrument panel where the knee air­
bags are located.
- If children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
~page 169, Child Safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 146 Side a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 146 ..
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
help reduce the risk of injury that can be
caused by airbags when they inflate, particu -
larly when the occupant sitting next to it is .,..

166 Airbag sys te m
not seated p roperly. The side airbag for the
front passenger seat can be used with proper­ l y installed ch ild restraints. Please be sure to
read the important information and warnings
whenever us ing a child restraint in a vehicle:
Safety belts¢
page 138, Airbag system
c:;, page 146, Child safety c:;, page 169.
The side airb ag system basically con sists of:
- the e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests
- the a irbag warn ing light in the inst rument
cluster .
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ica lly
to make certain that it is functioning prope rly
at all times. Each time you switch on the igni­
tion, the ai rbag system indicato r light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's and front passenger's up­
per torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a side co llision . The airbag deploys
only in s ide impacts and on ly when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control unit is
h igh enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control un it,
the side airbags will not be tr iggered, even
though the ca r 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 o f impact, since the cir­
cumstances wi ll vary conside rably between
one co llision and another. Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact ,
ve hicle speed, etc. ¢
page 167, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position i n the event of a side
coll is io n so that the side a irbags can provide
protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall oc -cu pant restraint system in you
r vehicle . A l­
ways remember that the side airbag system can only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re ­
quires you to do so c:;,
page 138, General
notes.
It i s important to remember that w hile the
supplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of ser ious inju ries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing,
friction burns and m ino r abrasions can a lso be
associated w it h dep loyed side airbags. Re­
member too, side a irbags w ill dep loy on ly
once and on ly in certain kinds of accidents -
your safety belts are always the re to offer pro­
tection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of ve hicle damage are not necessarily an indi ­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t ion. In some col lisions, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
k inds of col lisions -your safety belts are al­
ways the re to offer p rotection in those acc i­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignit ion is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
measured by t he 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 cu rtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
t rigge red togethe r.
_&. WARNING ~ ~
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupa nts
are in the proper seating position
c;, page 167 .

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-If the airbag indicator light c::> page 20
turns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Aud i dea le r. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it
is not s upposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­ duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig . 14 7 Side impac t pro tectio n: inflated s ide a irbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
fi lled with propel lant gas and brea ks thro ugh
a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG".
It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger. In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side a irbag
must inf late within a fraction of a second at
ve ry high speed a nd with great force . The sup­
p lemental side a irbag could i njure you if your
seating position is no t proper or upr igh t or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
p lemental side a irbag expands. This app lies
espec ia lly to children
c::> page 169, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­ lision
c::> fig . 147 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ p loys. Th is is norma l and does not mean there
is a fire in the ve hicle.
A irba g sy stem 16 7
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
T he re is a lot that yo u and your passengers
must know a nd act accord ingly to help the
safe ty belts and airbags do their job to pro­
v ide s upplemental pro tect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side ai rbag can cause serio us
or fata l injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seat ing positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is bei ng
used .
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean aga inst the area where the
supplementa l side airbag is located .
- Never let a child or anyo ne e lse res t
their head aga inst the s ide trim pane l
in the area where the supplementa l
s ide airbag inflates.
- A lways make sure that safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t let anyone s itting in the front
seat put the ir hand or any ot her parts
of their body out of the window.
-Always ma ke s ure that the side a irbag
can inflate without interfe rence.
- Neve r install seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholste ry over the front seat­
bac ks that have not be en specifically
approved by Audi.
- Neve r use addi tional seat c ush ions that
cover the areas where t he s ide a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
t o the seam in the area of the side a ir­
bag module mus t always be repaired
i mmedi ately by an author ized Audi
dealer.

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Child Safety
Important things to know
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision.
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash app ly also to chi ldren
~ page 139, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts?.
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not
fu lly developed. In many respects children are
at greater risk of serious injury in crashes than
adu lts.
Because children's bodies are not fully deve l­
oped, they require restraint systems especial­ ly designed for their size, weight, and body
structure. Many countries and all states of the
United States and provinces of Canada have
laws requiring the use of approved child re­
straint systems for infants and small children .
In a fronta l crash at a speed of 20 -35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13-pound
(6 kg) infant w ill be more than 20 t imes the
weight of the child . This means the weight of
the child would suddenly be more than
260 pounds ( 120 kg). Under these conditions,
on ly an appropriate chi ld restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Child restra ints, like adult safety belts, must
be used properly to be effective. Used improp­
erly, they can increase the risk of serious in ­
jury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions in order to be sure the seat is
right for your chi ld's size ~
page 173, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about ch ild safety, Advanced A irbags, and the
installation of child restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they
wo rk when infants and children in child re-
Child Sa fet y 169
straints are on the front passenger seat . Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor­
mation, we cannot repeat it a ll here . We urge
you to read the detailed information in this owner's manual about airbags and the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the
very important information about transport­
ing children on the front passenger seat .
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they
are extremely important for yo ur safety and
the safety of your passengers, especially in­
fants and small children .
.A, WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that chil ­
dren are generally safer in the rear seat
area than in the front seating position.
Always restrain any child age 12 and un­ der in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially chil­
dren must be restrained properly when­
ever riding in a vehicle . An unrestrained
or improperly restrained chi ld could be
injured by str iking the interior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuve r or impact. An un re ­
strained or improperly restrained chi ld is
also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- A suitable chi ld restraint properly instal­
led and used at one of the rear seating
positions provides the highest degree of
protection for infants and small children
in most accident situations.
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even
with Advanced Airbags can be ser iously in­
jured or even killed when an a irbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be ser iously injured and can
be killed if the front airbag inflates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
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