2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET airbag off

1 78 Child Safety
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before installing the child restraint .
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the device is connected to
the 12-volt socket or the cigarette light­
er socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as
a laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the
electrical capacitance measured by the
capacitive passenger detection system
and can also fly around in an accident
and cause serious personal injury .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the forward-facing child seat
at a seating position on the rear seat and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
- Take the child 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
light
does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. tall. 9 in. (57 inches/1.45 meters)
tall.
Fig. 1S2 Rear seat : child properly restrained in a boos·
te r seat
The vehicle 's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in.
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs .
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil ­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop­
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies
and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
" Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re­
strain a child on a booster seat.
"The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen.
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug . Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
"Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
~page 175.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs
or 18 kg) are best protected in child safety
seats designed for their age and weight . Ex­
perts say that the skeletal structure, particu­
larly the pelvis, of these children is not fully ...

M N
" > co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
developed, and they must not use the vehicle
safety belts without a suitable child restraint.
It is usually best to put these children in ap­
propriate booster seats. Be sure the booster
seat meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder parts of the safety belt so that they pass
across the child's body in the right places. The
routing of the belt over the child's body is very
important for the child's protection, whether
or not a booster seat is used. Children age 12
and under must always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall can generally use the
vehicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the lap belt portion of the vehicle's
safety belt alone to restrain any child, regard­ less of how big the child is . Always remember
that children do not have the pronounced pel­
vic structure required for the proper function
of lap belt portion of the vehicle's three point
lap and shoulder belts. The child's safety ab­
solutely requires that a lap belt portion of the
safety belt be fastened snugly and as low as
possible around the pelvis. Never let the lap
belt portion of the safety belt pass over the
child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, airbags must inflate within a blink
of an eye and with considerable force. In order
to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate
so that it will be there to protect the occupant
as the occupant moves forward into the air­
bag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and
too close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating airbag. When an occupant is too
close, he or she will be struck violently and
will receive serious or possibly even fatal in­
Jury.
In order for the airbag to offer protection, it is
important that all vehicle occupants, especial­
ly any children, who must be in the front seat
because of exceptional circumstances, be
properly restrained and as far away from the
airbag as possible. By keeping room between
Child Safety 1 79
the child's body and the front of the passen­
ger compartment, the airbag can inflate com­
pletely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions.
A WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the boos­
ter seat improperly, incorrectly installing a
booster seat or using the vehicle safety
belt improperly increases the risk of seri­
ous personal injury and death in a collision
or other emergency situation. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury
and/or death:
- The shoulder belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possi­
ble and must lie flat and snug on the up­
per body. It must never lie across the
throat or neck. The lap belt must lie
across the pelvis and never across the
stomach or abdomen. Make sure that the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to
tighten if necessary .
- Failure to properly route safety belts
over a child's body will cause severe inju­ ries in an accident or other emergency
situation
¢page 138.
- The rear side of the child safety seat
should be positioned as close as possible
to the backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or
remove the rear seat head restraint if it
is difficult to install the child seat with
the head restraint in place¢
page 63. In­
stall the head restraint again immediate­
ly once the child seat is removed. Driving
without head restraints or with head re­
straints that are not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced Airbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an air­
bag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat, for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
II>-
•
•
•

180 Child Safety
-Always remember that a child leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi­
tion in any way during an accident can be
struck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
sult in serious personal injury or death .
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep ­
tional circumstances the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the ignition is switch­
ed on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described¢
page 158, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child 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
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in
ave­
hicle is being used¢ page 138, Safety
belts,¢ page 146, Airbag system
and
¢page 169, Important things to know .
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger can be locked with the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child
safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors
for the rear seats safe ty belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that belt
webbing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to lock the safety belt and prevent
the safety belt webbing from loosening up
during normal driving. A child safety seat can
only be properly installed when the safety belt
is locked so that the child and child safety
seat will stay in place. Always
remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and young­
er , should always ride in the back seat proper ­
ly restrained for their age and si ze.
A WARNING
=
Improperly installed child safety seats in -
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in a collision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re ­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tractor cannot hold the child safety seat
in place during normal driving or in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
in place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a collision.
- If the backrest is not securely latched,
the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back­
rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in­
jured or killed .
- Never install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­
ger airbag inflates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center
armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­ senger's seat may interfere with the de­
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave-
hicle is being used
¢ page 169. Special ..,.

Child Safet y 181
precautions apply when installing a chi ld -Always make sure the forward-facing
safety seat on t he front passenger seat seat has been designed and certified by
Q page 148, Child restraints on the front its manufacturer for use on a front seat
seat- some important things to know . with a passenger front and side a irbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child re-
_&. WARNING straint up, against or very near the in-
-strument panel.
Always take special precautions if you •
•
must install a forward or rearwa rd-facing -
Always move the passenger seat into its
child rest raint on the front passenger's rearmost position in t
he seat's fore and
sea t in except iona l situat ions: aft adjustment range, as fa
r away from
- Whenever a fo rward or rearward-facing the airbag as possible before installing
child restraint is installed on the front the forward-fa
cing ch ild restra int. The
passenge r seat, the
PASSENGER AIR b ackrest mu st be ad ju sted to an upright
BAG OFF light must come on and s tay on position
.
whenever the ignition is switched on . -
Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light OFF light comes on and stays on all the
does no t come on and s tay on, per form time wheneve
r the ignit ion is switched
the checks described
Q page 158, Moni -on.
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
_&. WARNING - T ake the child restrain t off the front pas-~
senger seat and install it properly at one Rearward-facing child rest raints:
of the rea r seat positions if the
PASS EN-- A child in a re arward-facing chi ld safety
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on
seat installed on the front passenger
whenever the ignition is switched on. seat will be seriously in jured and can be
- Improper installation of child restraints killed i
f the front airbag inflates -even
can reduce the ir effectiveness or even with an Advanced Airbag System.
prevent them from prov iding any protec-
-The inflating air bag will hit the ch ild
t ion .
safety seat or infant carrier with great
- An improperly installed child restraint force and will smash the child safety seat
can interfe re with the airbag as it de- and child against the backrest , center
ploys and serio usly injure or even kill the armrest, door or roof.
child .
-Always be especially careful if you must
- Always carefully follow the manufactur- install a rearward facing child safety seat
er's instructions provided with the child on the front passenger seat i n exception-
safety seat or carrier . al circumstances .
- After checking to make sure that the - Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
child restrain t is properly installed, make OFF light comes on and stays on all the
certain that the child restraint is correct- time whenever the ig nit ion is switch ed
Ly recog nized by the capacitive pa ssenge r on.
de te ct ion sys tem in t he front p assenger
-If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
sea t and that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG does not come on and stay on, immed i-
OFF light signals the correct front pas-
ately insta ll the rear-fa cing child s afety
senger fronta l airbag status.
seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and h ave
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
M
_&. WARNING • N dea le r. ,....
> co Forward-facing child restra ints: ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,

Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear- facing child rest raint sys ­
tems come with a tether . P lease read and
heed the child res traint system manufactur­
er 's instructions carefully to determine how to
prope rly install the tether.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can b e kill ed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad­
v a nced Airbag System.
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety sea t or infan t carrier w ith g reat
f orce and w ill smash the ch ild safety se at
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- If you mus t inst all a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat beca use of exceptional circ umstan­
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 a nd
have t he a irbag system inspected by you r
Audi dealer.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in formation about ch ild restrai nt select ion, in­
stallat ion a nd use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat
i s the one that fits your child and fits in your
ve hicle, and that you wi ll use correctly and
consistently .
Try before you buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin· M N i s tration ,....
> co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Te l.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
www.nhtsa.gov
Child Sa fet y 187
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Safet y BeltSafe U.S .A
T el.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747 -SANO (Spanish)
www.carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
T el.: 1 -800 -333-0371 o r ca ll
1-613-998-86 16 if yo u are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
menu.htm
Audi Cu stomer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
•
•
•

188 Smart Technology
Smart Technology
Information about
data recorded by
vehicle control
modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with a crash data
recorder. This device is insta lled by some vehi­
cle manufacturers to record data about crash ­
es so tha t it can be analy zed later. Crash data
recorders are also called "Event Data Record­
ers (EDR)" .
In some legal jurisdictions, it is not permitted
to access or download data recorded by pre­
installed crash data recorders in order to eval­
uate a crash without clear consent of the vehi ­
cle owner .
Your veh icle is not equipped with a crash data
recorder. However it does contain a var iety of
e lectronic control modules for various vehicle
systems such as eng ine funct ion, exhaust
treatment or airbags and safety belts .
These electron ic control modules record vehi­
cle data during normal driv ing for diagnosis
and repair purposes. The recording capab ility
of the electron ic control modules is lim ited to
data only- no sound is reco rded.
If t he control
mo dule detects a sys tem m alfu nction or other
change in sta tus, a very lim ited amount of da­
ta is recorded for an extreme ly sma ll period of
time . Data t hat is recorded in s uch a case may
include veh icle speed, driving direction, the
load on the brakes and head restraints and
performance in the event of an acc iden t or
other change in status . The stored data can
only be read o r down loaded w ith specia l dev i­
ces.
Electronic stabilization
control (ESC)
Description
The E lectronic Stabilization Cont rol (ESC) con­
tr ibutes to d river safety. It reduces the risk of
slipp ing and improves driving stability. ESC detects critical situations such as the veh
icle
oversteering and understeering or the whee ls
are spinning . The vehicle is stabilized by ap­
plying the brakes or reducing engine torq ue.
Once the ESC is activated, the ind icator light
Bl blinks in the instrument cluster .
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock braking s ystem (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when
braking . The vehicle can still be steered even
during hard braking . App ly steady pressure to
the brake peda l. Do not pump the peda l. A
puls ing in the brake peda l ind icates that the
system is act ing to stabilize the ve hicle.
Brake assi st sy st e m
The brake assist system can decrease braking
distance .
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake peda l quickly in emer­
gency s ituations. You m ust press and hold the
brake pedal until the dangerous situation is
over . In vehicles with adaptive cruise control*,
the brake assist system is more sens it ive if the
distance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti-slip regu lation (ASR )
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin sp inning and adapts the force to
the road conditions. This makes it easier to
sta rt , accelerate and dr ive up inclines .
Electronic differenti al lock (EDL )
The EDL brakes whee ls that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with
all wheel drive *). This function is not ava ilable
at h igher speeds .
In extreme cases, EDL automatically sw itches
off to keep t he b rake on the braked wheel
from overheat ing. The ve hicle is still working
co rrect ly. EDL w ill switch o n aga in automat i­
ca lly when cond itions have ret urned to no r-
mal. .,._

....,
N
r--. > co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
Stee ring re comm endat ion
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by
changing the steering torque.
Selective wheel torqu e control
Select ive wheel torque control is used when
driving on curves . The front wheel on the in­
side of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selective ly as needed.
This a llows more precise driving in curves.
Automatic post -collisi on brakin g system
The "Automatic post-collision braking system "
can help to reduce the risk of slidi ng and of
other coll is ions afte r an accident. I f the airbag
con tro l modu le detects a collision above ace r­
tain vehicle speed, the vehicle is braked by the
ESC.
The vehicle does not brake automatically if:
- the driver presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the braking force generated by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the braking force
that would be initiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the brake system or the vehicle
electrical system are not functioning.
A WARNING
-The ESC and its integrated systems can­
not overcome the limits posed by natura l
physical laws. This is especially impor ­
tant on s lippery or wet roads. If the sys-
Switching on/off
Sm art Te chnol og y 189
terns beg in acting to stabilize your vehi­
cle, you should immediately alter your
speed to match the road and traffic con­
ditions . Do not let the increased safety
provided tempt you into taking r isks .
This could increase your risk of a co lli­
SIOn.
- Please note the r isk of a coll is ion increas­
es when driving fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to objects ahead.
The ESC and its integrated systems can ­
not a lways prevent collisions -there is
still a risk of accidents!
- Press the accelerator pedal caref ully
when acce lerating on even, slippery sur­
faces such as ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even when these control systems are installed and this can affect
driving stability and increase the r isk of a
coll is ion.
@ Tips
-ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels are equipped w ith
identical tires. Different t ire sizes can
lead to a reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems
descr ibed are working.
- If the
Bl or [I] indicator light appears,
there may be a malfunction
¢ page 21.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
gi
Fig. 159 Upper c ente r conso le: ESC button
The ESC is designed to funct ion in levels . De­
pend ing on the level that is selected, the sta­
bilization funct ion of the ESC is lim ited or
swi tched off . The amoun t of stabilization con­
trol wi ll differ depending on the level.
In the follow ing unusual situations it may
make sense to switch the ESC sport mode on
to allow the wheels to sp in:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
IJJ-

M N
-How far (if at all) the driver was depressing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can he lp provide a better under­
standing of the circumstances in which crash­
es and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are re­
corded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial
crash situation occurs; no data are recorded by
the EDR under normal driving conditions and
no personal data (e.g., name, gender, age,
and crash location) are recorded. However,
other parties, such as law enforcement, could
comb ine the EDR data with the type of per ­
sonally identify ing data routinely acquired
during a crash invest igation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equ ipment is required, and access to the veh i­
cle or the EDR is needed . In add ition to the ve­
hicle manufacturer, other parties, such as law
enforcement, that have the special equip­
ment, can read the information if they have
access to the vehicle or the EDR.
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or down­
loading of data stored by EDRs installed in a
vehicle for the express pu rpose of retr ieving
data after an accident or crash event without
the owner's consent.
Aud i will not access the EDR and/or sim ilar
data or give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the ve­
hicle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern-
ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the ju­
dicial discovery process .
- Audi may also use the data for research
about vehicle operation and safety perform­
ance or provide the data to a third party for
research purposes without identifying the
specific vehicle or information about the
identity of its owner or lessee and only after
the recorded vehicle data has been ac-
S: cessed. co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Smart Technology 195
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electronic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as engine management, emis­
sion control, airbags, and safety belts.
T hese electronic control modu les record data
during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic
and repair purposes. The recording capability
of these modules is limited to data (no sound
is recorded). Only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very lim ited period of
time, or stored when a system fault is detect­
ed by a control module. Some of the data
stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction,
or braking, as well as restraint system use and
performance in the event of a crash. Stored
data can also only be read and downloaded
with special equipment that is directly con­
nected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi
connect. Your use of certain Audi connect
features requires wireless services that are
provided by a third party wire less telecom­
munications provider. For details regard­
ing how information obtained through
Audi connect is collected, processed,
transmitted, used, and shared, please see
your contract with the wireless telecom­
munications provider and the "About Audi
connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI: I MENU I
button > Audi connect > About Audi con­
nect.
•
•
•