2015 AUDI A3 sensor

114 Parking systems
Parking systems
General information
A ppl ies to vehicles: with rea r parking sys te m s/park in g
syste m plus/rearv iew camera
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, vari­
ous parking aids will help you when parking
and maneuvering.
The
rear parking system is an audible parking
aid that warns you of obstacles
behind the ve­
hicle
¢ page 115.
The parking system plus assists you when
parking by audibly and visually indicating ob­
jects detected
in front of and behind the vehi­
cle
¢ page 115.
The rearview camera shows the area behind
the vehicle in the MMI display . This display as­
sists you when you are cross or parallel park­
ing. The parking system plus functions are al­
so available
¢ page 116.
& WARNING
- Always look for traffic and check the area
around your vehicle by looking at it di­
rectly as well. The parking system cannot
replace the driver's attention. The driver
is always responsible when entering or
leaving a parking space and during simi­
lar maneuvers .
- Please note that some surfaces, such as
clothing, are not detected by the system.
- Sensors and cameras have blind spots in
which people and objects cannot be de­
tected . Be especially cautious of small
children and animals .
- Always pay attention to the area around
the vehicle -using the rearview mirror,
too.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The
parking systems may become impaired
as a result. Have your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop check their
function. -
Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstruc­
tions as it may impair the sensor func­
tion . For information on cleaning, refer
to ~
page 201 .
(D Note
- Some objects are not detected or dis­
played by the system under certain cir­
cumstances:
- Objects such as barrier chains, trailer
draw bars, vertical poles or fences
- Objects above the sensors such as wall
extensions
- Objects with specific surfaces or struc­
tures such as chain link fences or pow­
der snow
- If you continue driving closer to a low-ly­
ing object, it may disappear from the
sensor range. Note that you will no lon­
ger be warned about this obstacle.
- The sensors can be displaced by impacts
or damage to the radiator grille, bumper,
wheel housing and the underbody. The
parking system may become impaired as
a result. Have your authorized Audi deal­
er or qualified repair facility check their
function .
(D Tips
- The system may provide a warning even
though there are no obstacles in the cov­
erage area in some situations, such as:
- certain road surfaces or for long grass.
- external ultrasonic sources e.g. from
cleaning vehicles.
- heavy rain, snow, or thick vehicle ex­
haust.
- We recommend that you practice park­
ing in a traffic-free location or parking
lot to become familiar with the system.
When doing this, there should be good
light and weather conditions.
- You can change the volume and pitch of
the signals as well as the display
¢page 120.

-What appears in the MM I display is
somewhat time -de layed .
- The sensors mus t be kept clean and free
of snow and ice for the park assist to op­
erate .
Rear parking system
Description
Applies to vehicles: with rear parking system
The rear parking system is an audible parking
aid .
Desc ripti on
There is a sensor in the rear bumper cover. If
these detect an obstacle, audib le signals warn
you .
Make sure the sensors are not covered by
stickers, deposits or any other obstructions as it may impair the sensor function. For infor­
mation on cleaning, see ¢
page 201.
The range at which the sensors begin to meas­
ure is approximately:
side 3 ft (0 .90 m)
rear center 5.2 ft (1.60 m)
The closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter the interval between the audib le signa ls . A
continuous tone sounds when the obstacle is
less than approximate ly 1 foot (0 .30 meters)
away. Do not continue backing up¢&.
in Gen­
eral information on page 114,
¢ (D in General
information on page 114!
If the d istance to an obstacle remains con­
stant, the volume of the distance warning
gradually drops after about four seconds (th is
is not apply in the continuous tone range) .
Activat ing
The par king system activates automatically
when the reverse gear is selected. Yo u will
hear a brief confirmation tone.
P arking systems 115
Parking system plus
Description
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus
The parking system plus provides audio and
visual signals when parking .
Fig. 98 Display field
Senso rs a re loca ted in the front and rear
bumpers. If these detect an obstacle, a udible
and visual signals warn you.
Make sure the sensors a re not covered by
stickers, depos its or any other obstr uctions a s
it may impair the senso r func tion. For in fo r­
mation on cleani ng, see ¢
page 201.
The display field begins approx imately at:
@ 4 ft (1.20 m)
® 3 ft (0.90 m)
© 5.2 ft (1.60 m)
@ 3 ft (0.90 m)
T he close r you get to the obstacle, the shorte r
the inte rva l between the audible signals . A
continuous to ne sounds when the obs ta cl e is
less than approx ima tely 1 foot (0.30 meters)
away . Do no t continue dr iving forward or in re­
verse
¢ &. in General information on
page 114,
¢ (D in General information on
page 114!
If the distance to an obstacle remains con­
stant, the vo lume of the distance warning
gradua lly drops after about fo ur seconds (this
is not apply in the cont inuo us tone range).

120 Parking systems
Adjusting the display and the warning tones
App lies to vehicles: with par king system p lus/ rearview
camera
The display and warning tones can be adjust­
ed in the MMI.
.. Se lect : IMENUI button> Systems control
button or
Car systems > D riv e r assistance >
Parking aid .
Display
On* -
An opti cal d isp lay is shown for the park­
ing system p lus, a rearview camera image is
shown fo r parking system plus with rearview
camera*.
Off -When the parking system is sw itched off,
on ly audib le signa ls are given.
Warning tones
Front volume -
Volume fo r th e fro nt and s ide*
a rea
Rear volume -Volume for the rear area
Front frequency -Frequency for the front and
side* area
Rear frequency -Frequency for the rear area
Entertainm ent volume -When the parki ng
sys tem is tu rned o n, the vol ume o f the aud io/
video source is lowe red.
The new ly adjust ed value is briefly heard from
the signa l gene rato r.
- The wa rning tones can a lso be adjusted
directly from the visual display or the r earview camera image*. Simply press
t he
Settings con tro l button.
- The settings a re automatically stored
and ass igned to the remote control key
t ha t is in use.
Error messages
Applies to vehicles: wi th parking syste m plus/ rea rview
camera
T he re is an error in the system if t he LE D i n
the
p, q~ button is bl ink ing and yo u hear a con ­
t inu ous al arm for a few se conds after switch­
i ng on the park ing system or when the park ­
ing system is already activated. If the error is
not co rrected before you switch off the igni­
t ion, the LED in the
P'#A button wi ll blink the
next time you switch on the parking system by
shifting in to reverse.
Parking system plu s*
If a sensor is faulty, th e~ symbol will a ppear
in front of/behind the vehicle in the MMI dis ­
play. If a rear sensor is faulty, only obstacles
that are in areas @ and @ are shown
Q page 115, fig. 98. If a front sensor is faulty,
o n ly obstacles that a re in a reas © and @are
shown .
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
repair fac ility immediately to have the mal­
funct ion corrected.

148 Airbag system
-Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenger seat that will
cause the capacitive passenger detection
system in the seat to signal to the Airbag
System that the seat is occupied by a
person when it is not, or to signal that it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the person actually sitting on the
seat. The presence of additional objects
could cause the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way
that is different from the way it would have worked without the object on the
seat.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a
lot of very important parts of the Advanced
Airbag System in it. These parts include the
capacitive passenger detection system, wir­
ing, brackets, and more. The control unit
monitors the system on the front passenger
seat when the ignition is switched on and
turns the airbag indicator light on when a
malfunction in the one of the system compo­
nents is detected
¢ page 153. Because the
front passenger seat contains important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must
take care to prevent it from being damaged.
Damage to the seat may prevent the Ad­
vanced Airbag System for the front passenger
seat from doing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System
consists of the following:
- Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration
to provide information to the Advanced Air­ bag System about the severity of the crash .
- An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts.
The control unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information
received from the crash sensors. The control
unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for
the driver inside the steering wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator in­
side the instrument panel for the front pas­
senger.
- A capacitive passenger detection system un­
derneath the front passenger seat cover.
This system measures the electrical capaci­ tance of the person in the seat. The informa­
tion registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deploy­ ment of the front Advanced Airbag on the
passenger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢page 152 .
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the steering wheel or instrument panel. The in­
formation registered is sent continuously to
the electronic control unit to regulate de­
ployment of the front Adv a need Airbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on in the center of the instru­
ment panel
¢ page 210 and tells you when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger
side has been turned off.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driv­
er and for the front seat passenger that
senses whether that safety belt is latched or not and transmits this information to the
electronic control unit .
A WARNING
--
Damage to the front passenger seat can
prevent the front airbag from working
properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the
front passenger and driver seat will pre­
vent the Advanced Airbag System from
functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must
be performed by qualified and properly
trained workshop personnel.
~

152 Airbag sys te m
sudden maneuver. Objects near the
air bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when t he s eat is re­
cl in ed .
- Never place or trans port objects on the
front passenger seat. Obj ects on the
front passenger seat could cause the ca­
pacitive sensor in the seat to s ignal to
airbag system that the seat is occupied
by a person when it in fa ct is not, o r th at
the person on the sea t is he avie r than he
or she actually is. The change in electric
capacitance because of such objects can
cause the passenger front airbag to be
t u rned on when it sho uld be off, or can
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
different from the way it wou ld have
worked w ithout objects on the seat.
- Always make sure that there is nothing
on the front passenge r seat that will
cause the capaci tive passenger detection
system in the s eat to s ignal to the A irbag
System that the seat is occupied by a
person when it is not, or to sign al that it
is occupied by someone who is heavier
than the person actually sitting on the seat . The prese nce of an object co uld
cause the passenger front a irbag to be
t u rned on when it sho uld be off, or co uld
cause the airbag to work in a way that is
differe nt from the way it wou ld have
worked w it h out the object on the seat.
.&, WARNING
The fine dust created when a irbags deploy
can ca use b reathing problems for peop le
w ith a hi story of ast hma o r othe r brea th ­
ing conditions.
- T o redu ce the r is k of breathing p rob lems,
th ose w it h asthma or o ther resp iratory
condit ions shoul d ge t fresh a ir right
away by gett ing out of the vehicle o r
opening windows or doo rs .
- If you are in a coll is ion in which a irbags
dep loy, wash yo ur hands and face w ith
mild soap and water befo re eating. -
Be ca reful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any c uts or scratches.
- If the resid ue s hould get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
tli Airbag monitor ing indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the
s ide airbags and side curta in a irbags w ith
eject ion mit igat ion features (including the
electron ic contro l unit, se nsors a nd system
wiring) are all mon itored continuously to
make su re that they are functioning p roperly
whenever the ignition is on. Eve ry time you
tu rn o n the ignition, the a irbag sys tem indica ­
tor light II will come on fo r a few seconds
(funct ion check) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
II:
- does not come on when the igni tion is
sw itched on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have switched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected,
the indicator lig ht w ill first sta rt flashing to
catch t he d rive r's attent io n and the n stay on
conti nuously to serve as a constant rem inder
to have the sys tem inspected immed iate ly.
If a malfunction occurs that tu rns the front
airbag on the passenge r side off, the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay
o n wheneve r th e ign it io n is on.

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 .
The sensors in the safety belt buckle for the
driver and front passenger seat tell the elec­
tronic control module if the safety belt is
latched or not.
It is important that nothing in­
terfere with the safety belt buckles so that
the sensors can send the correct information
about safety belt use to the electronic control
unit.
_& 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
Airbag system 157
characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
App lies to vehicles: wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 126 Driver 's kn ee airbag
The dr iver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
~ fig. 126, 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
q page 150, 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

160 Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 128 Side a irbag locat ion in the dr iver 's seat
The sid e airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests ¢
fig. 128 and the rear
backrest facing the doors.
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
not seated properly. The side airbag for the
front passenger seat can be used with proper­ ly installed child restraints. Please be sure to
read the important information and warnings
whenever us ing a child restraint in a vehicle :
Safety belts
c::>page 131, Airbag system
c::>
page 140, Child safety ¢ page 166.
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the
front backrests and the two airbags* located
in the rear backrest
- the airbag warning light in the instrument
cluster.
The airbag system is monitored electronically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you switch on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
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 passenger's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is
struck in a s ide collision. The airbag dep loys
only in side impacts and only when the vehicle
accelerat ion reg istered by the control unit is
high enough. If th is rate is be low the refer ­
ence value p rogrammed into the control unit,
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
fine an airbag triggering range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir ­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collis ion and another. Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object , the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc.¢
page 161, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
collision so that the side airbags ca n provide
protection.
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 side ai rbag system
can only help to prote ct you if you are wearing
yo ur safe ty belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because t he law re­
quires yo u to do soc::>
page 131, General
notes.
It i s important to remember that while the
supplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bru is ing,
friction burns and m inor abrasions can a lso be
associated w ith deployed side airbags . Re­
member too, side a irbags w ill deploy only
once and only in ce rtain kinds of accidents -
you r safety belts are always the re to offer pro­
tection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessarily an indi ­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa-
tion. In some coll isions, both front and side
lill>

airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air ­
bags will dep loy only once and only in certain
kinds of collisions -your safety belts are al ­
ways there to offer protect ion in those acci­
dents in whic h airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed .
The side airbag sy ste m will not depl oy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side collisions when the acce leration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end co llisions
- in rear-end collisions
- i n ro llovers .
In some types of acc idents the front airbags,
side curtain a irbags and side airbags may be
tr iggered together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag sys tem will
only p rov ide p rotection when oc cupants
are in the proper sea ting posit ion
~page 161.
-If the airbag indica tor ligh t¢ page 21
turns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your a uthorized Audi dea ler .
It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inf late when it
is not supposed to, or wi ll not inflate
when it should.
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.
Fi g. 12 9 Side impact p rotection: inflated s ide a irbags
A irba g system 161
When the system is triggered, t he a irbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through
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 add itiona l protect io n, the side airbag
must inflate with in a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force. The sup­
plementa l side airbag could injure you if your
seat ing pos ition is not proper or up right o r if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plementa l side airbag expands. This applies
especially to chi ldren
9 page 166, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplementa l side airbags inflate between
the occ upant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­ l is ion¢
fig . 129 .
Although they are not a soft pi llow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body.
A f ine dust may deve lop when the airbag de­
ploys . This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
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.
There is a lot that you a nd your passengers
must know and act accord ingly to help the
safety be lts and airbags do their job to pro­
v ide s upplementa l pro tect ion.
A WARNING
A n inflat ing si de a irbag can cause serious
or fata l injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seat ing pos itions in ­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of inju ry when
the supplementa l side airbag inflates: .,_