2015 AUDI A3 ESP

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.

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
PA SS ENGER AIR B AG OFF
light b links for about S seconds to catch
t h e driv er'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
PAS SENGER 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 21
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 15 5
-Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped
with an Advanced A irbag System, make
certain that all children, espec ia lly 12
yea rs and younger, always ride on the
back seat prope rly restrained for their
age and size .
- Always install forward or rear-facing
child seats on the rear seat -even with
an Advanced 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
and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not appear and s tay on, immediate­
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 forward-facing 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 adjust­
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 out 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 capac itive passenger detection sys ­
tem determ ines that the front passenger
seat is empty, the fronta l airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on.
•
•
•

156 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

Although they a re not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can he lp to reduce the r isk of injury to the lower
extremities.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The a irbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant for occupant safety that noth ing
should be in their way when they deploy .
Fu lly inflated airbags in comb ination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the r isk of injury .
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
Appl ies to vehicles : wit h kn ee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental 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
ai rbags to provide supp lemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious
injury. Wear ing safe ty belts inco rrec tly and
improper seating posi tions increase the
risk o f serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used .
- The knee airbag system cannot protect yo u properly if you are seated too close
to any o f the airbag locations. When ad­
just ing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the drive r and the front
passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the follow ing min imum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instr u­
ment panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the inst ru­
ment panel.
A irbag system 159
-The risk of personal in jury increases if
you lean forward or to the s ide, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing you r safety belt . The risk in­
creases even more should the ai rbag de­
ploy .
- Always make sure that the knee a irbag
can inflate without inte rfe rence . Objects
between you and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of inj ury in an ac cident by inte r­
fering w ith the w ay the a irb ag deploys or
by being p ushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children
o r anima ls ride in the footwell in front
of the passenge r seat . If the airbag de­
ploys, th is can result in serious o r fa tal
i njur ies.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
pas senger 's sea t. Bulky objects (shop­
p ing bags, fo r example) can interfe re
with o r prevent proper deployment of
the ai rbag . Small objects can be
thrown thro ugh the veh icle if the air­
bag deploys and injure yo u 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 ch ildren are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
~ page 166, Child Safety .
•
•
•

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: .,_

164 Airbag system
-in rear-end collisions .
~ WARNING
-Safety belts and the a.irbag system wi ll
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posit ion
q page 53, Front seats.
- If the airbag indicator light q page 21
turns on when the vehicle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Aud i dealer . It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained.
-
Fig. 131 Illustrat ion of p rinciple: Inf lated side cu rta in
airbags on the left side
The s ide curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the side of the
vehicle that is struck in a side collision
qfig. 131.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and w ith
g reat force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seat ing position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplementa l side curtain airbag inflates
. This applies especially to chi ldren
qpage 166.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection .
A WARNING
Improperly wea ring safety belts and im­
proper seating pos it ion s increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the
side curtain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the sid e curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in a colli­
sion.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on
the hooks .
- Only use factory -installed sun shades or,
if shades installed after the vehicle
leaves the factory, use only genuine Audi
sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the
side windows if things such as pens, ga­
rage door openers, hands-free speakers,
-

166 Child Saf ety
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 132, 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
adults.
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 ch ildren.
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,
only an appropriate ch ild restraint properly
used can reduce the risk of ser ious injury.
Child restraints, 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 ch ild's size ~
page 170, Impor­
tant safety instructions for using child safety
seats.
Please be sure to read and heed all of
the important information and WARNINGS
about child 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
work when infants and children in child re- straints are on the front passenger seat
. Be­
cause of the large amount of important infor­
mation, we cannot repeat it all 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 your 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 i nterior or by be­
ing ejected from the vehicle during a
sudden maneuver or impact. An unre­
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 airbag in­
flates. A child in a rearward-facing child
safety seat installed on the front passen­
ger seat will be seriously injured and can
be killed if the front 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, or door.
II>-

168 Child Safety
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in ave­
hicle
q page 131, Safety belts,
q page 140, Airbag system and
q page 166, Important things to
know.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child restraint that is not visible
could cause it to fail in another collision
situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the
time your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle
has been certified to meet the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3- and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criteria
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates . In addition, the system
has been certified to comply with the "sup ­
pression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn
off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who are restrained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard .
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all children, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, should al ­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a child to ride. The front
seat is not the safest place for a child in a for­
ward -facing child safety seat. It can be a very dangerous place
for an infant or a larger child
in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a
capacitive passenger detection system in the
front passenger seat cushion that can detect
the presence of a baby or a child in a child re­
straint system on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system
registers the changes that result in an electri ­
cal field when a child, a child restraint, and a
baby blanket are on the front passenger seat .
The change in the measured capacitance due
to the presence of a child, a child restraint,
and a baby blanket on the front passenger
seat is related to the child restraint system
resting on the seat. The measured capacitance
of a child restraint system varies depending
on the type of system and specific make and
model.
The electrical capacitance of the various
types, makes, and models of child restraints
specified by the U.S.National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NH TSA) in the relevant
safety standard are stored in the Advanced
Airbag System control unit together with the capacitances typical of infants and a 1-year
old child. When a child restraint is used on the
front passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Advanced Airbag System compares
the capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system with the data
stored in the electronic control unit. Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in excep­
tional circumstances you must use it on the
front passenger seat, carefully read all of the
information on child safety and Advanced Air-
bags and heed all of the applicable .,..