2015 AUDI A3 warning light

178 Child Safety
-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 166. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 142, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described ¢
page 152, 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.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion .
-An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
-Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the
child restraint is properly installed, make
certain that the child restraint is correct­ ly recognized by the capacitive passenger
detection system in the front passenger
seat and that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light signals the correct front pas­
senger frontal airbag status.
A WARNING
-Forward-facing child restraints:
- 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.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- 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 forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.

A WARNING ,~
Rearward-facing ch ild restraints:
-A chi ld in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, door or roo f.
- Always be especially caref ul if you must
install a rearwa rd fa cing child safety seat
on the front passenge r sea t in exception­
al circumstances .
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays 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 rea r-facing chi ld safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufactur­
er's instructions when install ing a chi ld re­
straint in your vehicle . To activate t he conver ­
tible locking retracto r:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear sea t.
.,. Slow ly pull the be lt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the ch ild re­
st ra int be lt path ¢&, .
.,. Push the child safety seat dow n with your
f ull weight to ge t the safety belt really t ight.
.,. Insert the be lt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
Child Safet y 1 79
.,. Guide the sa fe ty be lt back into the retractor
until the be lt lies flat and sn ug on the child
safety seat .
.,. You shou ld hear a "clicking" noise as the
be lt winds back into the iner tia ree l. Test the
convert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on
the belt. You sho uld no lo nger be able to
pull the be lt out of the retracto r. T he con­
ver tible locking re trac to r i s now ac tiva ted .
.,. Mak e s ure t hat t he red release b utton is fac ­
ing away from the child rest rain t so t hat i t
can be unbuckled q uic kly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2 .5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint o r an im­
p roperly installed chi ld restraint can cause
serious pe rsonal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safe ty belt re-
tracto r is loc ked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tracto r can not hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing no rma l driving o r in a
cras h.
- Always buckle the child sa fe ty seat firmly
in place even i f a ch ild is not sitt ing in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly aroun d
during a sudden stop or in a crash .
- Always ma ke s ure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright pos ition and securely latched
into place and can not fold forward . Oth­
erw ise, the seatback with the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the ev ent of an accident o r othe r emer­
gency situatio n.
- Always read a nd heed al l WAR NINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used ¢
page 166. Special
pre cau tions apply whe n inst alling a child
safety sea t on the fron t passenger seat
¢ page 142, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
-
•
•
•

restraint systems c> page 166, Child
Safety.
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 14 1 Tether anchors: recess flaps behind th e rear
seatbacks
The tether anchors for the rear seating posi­
tions are located in recesses in the rear win­
dow shelf
c> fig. 141
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a child restraint to
special anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child restraint in a
crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by striking the ve­
h icle inter ior .
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new ch ild
head movement performance requirements .
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new chi ld safety
seats.
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld res traints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry and death in
a c rash.
- Always follow the instructions p rov ided
by the manufacturer of the chi ld re ­
straint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use o f ch ild restraint anchors
(incl uding tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a co llision. The anchors are de-
-
Child S afety 183
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted child restraints.
- Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie -down
hook i n the Luggage compartment .
- Never use child rest raint tether ancho­
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds of occupant restraints .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho­
rages or to the tether anchors.
- If you must insta ll a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately insta ll the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat i n a rear seating position and
have the airbag syste m in spected by your
Audi dea le r.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fi g. 14 2 Tether strap: proper rout ing a nd mount ing
Installing the tether strap
.,.. Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child res traint accord ing to the child re­
straint manufacture r's instructions.
.,.. Guide the upper tether s trap
under the rear
head restr aint
c> fig. 142 (ra ise the head re­
s tr aint if necessa ry).
... Ti lt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket .

184 Child Saf ety
• Attach the te ther strap anchorage hook into
the ope ning of the tether anchorage .
• Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages.
• Tighten the tether strap firmly following the
child restra int manufacturer's instruct ions .
Rele asing the tethe r strap
• Loosen the tension following the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
• Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
({D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly installed for several
days, this cou ld leave a mark on the up­
holstery on the seat c ushion and backrest
in the area whe re the te ther strap was in­
s talled. The upholstery wo uld a lso be per­
manently stretched around the tether
s t rap. This applies especially to leather
seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint sys­
tems come with a tether . P lease read and
h eed the child rest raint system manufactur­
e r's instructions carefully to determ ine how to
p rope rly insta ll the tethe r.
_& WARNING
A child in a re ar ward-f acing child sa fety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be ki lled if
the front ai rbag inflates -even wit h an A d­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag wi ll hit the child
sa fety seat or infant carrier wit h great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
sea t because of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of add itiona l
information about child restra int selection, in­
stallation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best chi ld safety seat
is the one that fits your ch ild and f its in your
vehicle, and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently .
Try before yo u buy!
U.S National Highwa y Traffi c Safety Admin ­
istration
Tel.: 1 -888-327-4236 (TIY: 1-800-424-9153)
www. n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campa ign
T el.: (20 2) 66 2-0600
www.safekids.o rg
Safet y BeltSafe U.S .A
T el.: (80 0) 745 -SAFE (English)
T el.: (800) 74 7-SANO (Span is h )
www.carseat.org
Tran sport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or ca ll
1 -6 13 -99 8-86 16 if yo u are in the Ottawa a rea
http ://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/
men u.htm
Audi Customer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 82 2-2834

186 Smart T echnol ogy
correctly. ED L will switch on again automati ­
cally when conditions have returned to nor­
mal.
Electroni c inte raxle diff ere ntial lo ck */
s e le ct ive w heel t orqu e cont rol *
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
wheel drive) or the selective wheel torque
contro l (all wheel drive) operates when driving
through curves. The front whee l on the inside
of the curve or both wheels o n the inside of
the curve are braked selectively as needed .
This minimizes s liding in the front wheels and
a llows for more precise driving through
curves. The app licab le system may not acti­
vate when driving in wet or snowy conditions .
Post-collision bra ke ass ist
"Post-collision brake assist" can ass ist the
driver during a collision by reducing the dan­
ge r of slipp ing and further co llision and by au­
tomatic braking.
"Post-collision brake assist" functions during
front, side and rear collis ions when the a irbag
control module a detects a trigger level and
the co llision takes place at a dr iv ing speed
faster than 6 mph (10 km/h). The braking of
the vehicle happen automatically via the ESC
as long as the ESC, the hydraulic brake sys­
tem, and the vehicle electrical system are not
damaged from the coll ision.
The fo llowing activ ities override the automat­
ic braking during a collision:
- If the dr iver presses the accelerator peda l.
T here is no a utomatic braking.
- When the force on the press brake pedal is
stronger than the b raking force initiated by
the system . The vehicle is manually braked .
- When the ESC is damaged and the "post­
collision brake assist" is not availab le.
A WARNING
- The ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL, electron ic inter­
axle d ifferential lock or select ive wheel
torque control cannot overcome the laws
of physics. This is espec ially important
on sl ippery o r wet roads.
If the systems
begin acting to stabili ze your veh icle, you
should immediately alter your speed to
match the road and traffic conditions . Do
not let the increased safety prov ided
tempt you into tak ing risks. This could
increase your risk of a collision.
- Please note the risk of a collision increas­
es when driving fast, especially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iv ing too close to objects ahead .
ESC, ABS, the brake assist system, EDL,
electronic interaxle differentia l lock or
selective whee l to rque control cannot
p revent coll is ions.
- Press the acce lerator pedal carefully
when acce le rat ing o n even, slippe ry sur­
f a ces 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 risk of a
col lision.
(D Tips
- ABS and ASR only function correc tly
when all four wheels are eq uipped w ith
identical tires. Different t ire sizes can
lead to a reduction in engine power.
- Yo u may hear noises when the systems
described are working .
- If the
DJ or m] (USA models) !II] (Cana ­
da mode ls) indicator light appears, there
may be a malfunction
¢ page 22.

Smart Technology 187
Switching ESC on and off
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 143 Upper center console: ESC button
bilization function of the ESC is limited or
switched off. The amount of stabilization con­
tro l will differ depending on the level.
In the following unusual situations it may
make sense to switch the ESC sport mode on
to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose gro und
The ESC is designed to function in levels. De­
pending on the leve l that is selected, the sta-
Sport mode on ESC
/ASR off
Sport mode off or
ESC /ASRon
Behavior
The actions taken by the
The actions taken by the Th
e fu ll stabilization fu nc-
ESC system to stabilize the ESC system to stab ilize the tion of the ESC and ASR is
vehicle are limited, the an- vehicle are very limited, available again.
ti-slip reg ulation (ASR) is the anti-slip regulation
sw itched off
q .&.. (ASR) is switched off q .&. .
Operation Press the If) OFF I button P ress and hold the If) OFFI Press the I.$ OFF I button
briefly. button longer than 3 sec- again.
onds.
Indicator II turns on. II and II * turn on . II turns off or II and
lights II* turn off.
Driver mes-
Stabilization control Stabilization control
Stabilization control
sages (ESC):
sport. Warning! (ESC): off. Warning! Re- (ESC): on
Restricted stability stricted stability
A WARNING
You should only sw itch the ESC off if your
driving ability and the traffic s ituation al­
low. This could increase the risk of slip­
ping.
- The stabilizing function is limited in ESC
sport mode. The driving wheels could
spin and the vehicle could swerve, espe­
cially on slick o r slipp ery road surfaces .
- T here is no vehicle stabilizat ion when
ESC/ASR are switched off.
@ Tips
-If Audi magnet ic ride is malfunctioning,
the ESC sport mode cannot be switched on or off. If ESC sport mode is activated
or ESC is switched off, it w
ill be switched
back on automatically.
- ESC sport mode cannot be switched on
or the ESC/ASR cannot be switched off
when the cru ise contro l system* or the
adaptive cru ise contro l* are actively reg­
ulat ing.
Brakes
New brake pads
New brake pads do not achieve their full brak­
ing effect during the first 400 km. They must
be "broken in" first. However, you can com­
pensate fo r the slightly reduced braking force ""

190 Smart T echnol ogy
Drive to an authorized Audi dea le r or qualified
repair facility immediately to have the ma l­
function corrected .
_& WARNING
Have the system malfunction repaired as
soon as possible by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility, as th is in ­
creases the risk of an acc ident.
(D Tips
If the . or ,1:-ij indicator light on ly stays
on for a short time , you may continue driv­
ing .
ALL wheel drive
(quattro)
Appl ies to vehicles: wit h all whee l drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are pow ­
ered .
General information
In all wheel drive, the driving power is divided
between all four wheels. This happens auto­
mat ica lly depending on you r driv ing behavior
as we ll as the current road conditions. Re fer
to
¢ page 185, Electronic stabilization con ­
trol (ESC) .
The all wheel drive concept is designed for
h igh engine power . Yo ur vehicle is exception­
a lly powerful and has excellent driving charac ­
teristics bot h under normal driving conditions
and on snow and ice . A lways read and fo llow
safety precautions
c> & .
Wint er t ire s
By using all wheel drive, your vehicle has good
forward motion with standard tires in winter
conditions . However, in winter we recommend
using winter or all season t ires on
all four
wheels, because this will improve the braking
effec t.
Snow cha in s
If there are snow chain laws, snow chains
must also be used on vehicles with a ll whee l
drive
c> page 241, Snow chains.
Replacing tire s
For vehicles with a ll wheel d rive, only wheels
with the same ro lling circumference should be
u sed. Avoid wheels with different tread
depths ¢
page 236 .
Offroad vehicle?
You r A udi is not a n offroad vehicle -there is
not enoug h ground clearance. For this reason ,
avoid difficu lt terrain. Refer to
c::> page 266.
A WARNING ~
- Also, in vehicles with a ll w heel drive,
adapt your driving sty le to the c urrent
road and traffic cond itions. Do not let
the increased safety provided tempt you into taking risks .
- The braking ability of your veh icle is lim­
ited to the traction of the wheels. In this
way, it is not different from a two wheel d rive vehicle . Do not be tempted to ac­
celerate to a high speed when the road is
slippe ry this inc reases the r is k of an acci­
dent.
- Note that o n wet s treets, the front
wheels ca n "hydrop lane " if driv ing at
speeds that are too high. Unlik e fron t
wheel drive vehicles, the engine does not rev higher sudden ly when the vehicle be­
g ins hydroplaning. For this reason, pay
attention to the road conditions regard­ less of your speed.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy management system manages
the electrical energy distribution and optimiz­
es the availability of electrical energy for
starting the engine.
When a vehicle with a conventiona l energy
system is not d riven for a long time , the bat­
te ry is drained by equ ipment ( for example the
immobilizer) . In certain c ircumstances, there
cou ld may not be enough energy to start the
engine .
1J1-

196 Driving and the environment
than the posted speed limit and weather con­
ditions permit.
Reducing unnecessary idling
Even wh en your car is just idling it burns up
fuel.
,.. Shu t the engine off when you a re not dr iv ing
the vehi cle.
... Do not warm up the vehicle by letting the
engine run at idle.
It is efficien t to switch off the engine when
stopped at railroad crossings and long red
lights. Turning the engine
off for j ust 30-40
seconds saves mo re f uel than is burned by
start ing the engine again.
It takes a long time fo r the engine to wa rm up
fu lly when it is running at idle. However , wear
and noxious emissions are especially high
when the engine is warming up. So you should
drive away as soon as you start the engine and
avoid ru nning at h igh rpms while the engine is
still warming up.
{[) Note
Do not leave engine idling unattended af­
ter starting. If warning lights s hould come
on to indicate improper operation, they
wou ld go unheeded . E xtended idling also
produces heat, which cou ld resu lt in over­
heat ing or o ther da mage to the vehicle or
o ther prope rty.
Regular maintenance
A badly tuned engine unnecessarily wastes a
lot of fuel .
... Have your vehicle serv iced at regular inter-
vals.
H aving your vehicle regular ly serviced by an
author ized Audi dealer helps to ensure that it
runs properly and economically . T he condition
of yo ur vehicle not only affects its safety and
ab ility to hold its value, it also affec ts
fuel
con sumption. Check
your oil each t ime you fill your tank.
T he amou nt of oi l used is re lated to engine
lo ad a nd speed.
It is normal fo r the oil consumption of a new
engine to reach its lowest valu e after a c erta in
mileage has bee n driven.
You must drive your veh icle about 3,000 m iles
(5,000 kilometers) before you can properly
assess oil consumpt io n.
This also app lies to fue l consumption and en­
gine output .
(0 Note
- Have your veh icle ma inta ined properly
and in accordance with the service rec­
ommendations in your Wa rranty
& Ma in­
tenance boo klet . Lack of proper ma inte­
nance as well as improp er use of the ve­
hicle will impair the fu nction of the
em iss io n con trol system and cou ld lead
t o dam age.
- Do not alte r or remove any component of
t he Emis sio n Control Sys tem unless ap­
proved by the manufacturer .
- Do not alter or remove any device, such
as hea t sh ie lds, swi tches, ig nitio n w ires,
valves, which are designed to p rotec t
your vehicle's Emission Control System
and other impo rtant vehicle compo ­
nents.
' Fewer short trips
Fuel consumption will always be relatively
high on short trips.
... Try to avoid dr iv ing sho rt distances w it h a
cold engine .
T he eng ine and cat alytic conver ter h ave to
re ach their opt imal
operating t emperature to
reduce fuel consumpt io n and nox ious em is­
sions effectively.
Jus t aft er s tarti ng, a c old eng ine in a mid-s ize
ca r on ly achieves a fuel economy of 6-8 m iles
per gallon (30 -40 l/100 km) . After about a
half a mile , fu el economy climbs to 12 mpg .,..