2015 AUDI Q3 Owners Manual

M N M N
0 ::i co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 51,
Front seats .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly¢
page 104 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle , the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants. If your ability
to drive is impaired, safety r isks for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you a lso become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
~ .&_.
Therefo re:
.. Do not let yourself be dist racted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER drive when yo ur driving ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions .
.,. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not
drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Driving Safely 95
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 103 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi ­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
¢&_ .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that th ere is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone ~
fig. 103. If not possible, see your au ­
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip­
ment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
.. Adjust the head rest raint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not poss ible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 107.

96 Driving Safely
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 51.
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de­
ploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision.
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in- jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 133. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 112.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom ­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position :
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving .
• Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible ¢
page 52.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 107.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 51.
A WARNING
-Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it

M N M N
0 ::i co
rl I.O
"' rl
"' rl
unfolds with great force in the blink of
an eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of the ir own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt be longing to that
seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restra int prop­
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­ dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt w il l not be ab le to protec t you prop­
er ly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined o r
ti lted far back! The farther the backrests
are ti lted back, the greater the risk of in ­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c> page 133. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c> page 112.
Proper seating positions for passengers
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor ­
rect seat ing pos ition in the event of a sudden
brak ing maneuve r or an acc ident, your pas­
se ngers on the rea r bench seat must always
observe the fo llow ing :
~ Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upr ight position ¢
page 60.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear cen ter
seat ing pos ition, slide the center head re-
Dr ivin g Sa fely 97
straint upward at least to the next notch
<=>page 52.
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts proper ly
<=>page 107.
~ Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
pria te fo r the ir s ize and age
c> page 133.
A WARNING
Passengers who are imp roperly seated on
the rea r seat can be seriously inj ured in a
crash .
- Each passenger must always si t on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat.
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is sec urely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly posit ioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
in ju ry from improperly positioned safety
be lts!
- Always adjust the head rest raint p roperly
so that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re ­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 1 04 Head restra int: v ie wed from the front
The head restraints must be correct ly adjust-
ed to achieve the best protectio n. ..,.

98 Driving Safely
• Adjust the head restraints so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possib le, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
Q fig . 104.
• If there is a passenger on the rear center
seat ing pos it ion, slide the center head re­
stra int upward at least to the next notch .
Adjusting head restraints
Q page 52.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­ s traints. Dr iv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints that a re not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
t al nec k injury dramat ic a lly. T o help reduce
t he risk of in ju ry:
- Alw ays drive with the he ad restr aints in
place and properly adjusted.
- E very pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly ad ju ste d head res tra int.
- Always make su re each pe rso n i n the ve­
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re­
strain t. Ad just the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possi ble with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restra int so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible .
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have driven
off and
must adjust the dr iver head rest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be ­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
st rain t.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro­
pr iate for their age a nd s ize
Q page 133.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re ­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seating posit ions can cause serious
injury or de ath . Safety belts can only work
wh en they a re p rop erly positioned o n the body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safety belts and wi
ll even in­
c rease the r is k of i njury and death by mov ing
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions a lso increase t he
risk of serious inju ry and death when an a ir ­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupa nt w ho is
not in the proper s eating posit ion . A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all ve hicle occu­
pants and espe cially for child ren. The re fo re :
• Never allow anyone to assume an incor rect
s e ating position when the vehicle is being
used
Q & .
The following bullet ins list o nly some samp le
pos itions tha t w ill increase the r isk of serious
i njury and dea th . O ur hope is that t hese exam­
ples will ma ke yo u more aw are o f seat ing po­
s it ions tha t ar e dangerous.
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r sta nd u p in t he vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- neve r sit on the e dge of the seat
- neve r sit s ideways
- neve r lean out t he window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cush ion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the cargo a rea
A WARNING
Imp ro per seating posit ions increase the
risk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occ u-
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are p roperly rest rained whenever the
veh icle is being used.

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without
interference and that nothing prevents them
from returning to their original positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area
free and can be secured with floor mat fasten­
ers .
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal
travel is required to bring the vehicle to a
full
stop.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk
of serious injury.
- Never place any objects in the driver's
footwell. An object could get into the
pedal area and interfere with pedal func­
tion. In case of sudden braking or an ac­
cident, you would not be able to brake or
accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall
or move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely
attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
"' Make sure that the floor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals ~
A,.
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
unobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot slip out of position. You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­
ized Audi dealer.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi .
Driving Safely 99
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be at­
tached to these fasteners. Properly securing
the floor mats will prevent them from sliding
into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result
in a loss of vehicle control and increase the
risk of serious personal injury.
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering with
the pedals or the ability to control the
vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already instal­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings will reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
pedals.
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwell while the ve­
hicle is moving . Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal causing a loss of vehicle
control. •
•

100 Driving Safel y
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com ­
partment.
Fig. 105 S afe load pos itio nin g: place heavy objects as
low a nd as far forward as possible .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle hand ling
characteristics. Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment .
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible
c> fig. 105.
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid­
ed
c> page 60.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle ca using serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak ­
ing or an accident. To help reduce the r isk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for examp le, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down eye lets
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
-Heavy loads will influence the way your ve-
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling :
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
c> page 94.
A WARNING
-
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting comp letely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed .
- If you absolutely m ust dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof *,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
pane l,
- Switch off the air recirculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof * and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked
-

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) 1.1"1 ,...., 1.1"1 ,....,
to reduce the risk of injury when the vehi­
cle is not be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open . A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Be ing trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious persona l injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehicle .
- Never let passe ngers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Ve hicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air c irculation helps to reduce window
fogging. Sta le air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re
to keep these slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
load. The t ire pressur e is shown o n the
tire p ress ure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is loc ated on the d river's s ide B-pi ll a r.
The t ire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold ti re inflat ion pressu res for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weig ht and the tires that were on you r
vehicle at the time it was manufactured.
For recommended t ire pressures fo r nor­
mal load conditions, please see chap ter
c:>page 199.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
c:> page 100, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a coll is ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smalle r items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
Dr iving S afel y 101
serious injury. Items in the ve hicle possess en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight o f the item . Vehicle speed is the most
s ignificant factor.
Fo r example, in a fronta l collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10 -lb (5 kg) object a re about 20 times the
no rmal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would sudden ly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imag ine the
i njur ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying
fr eely th ro ugh the passenger compar tme nt
c ould cause in a co lli sion like this.
A WARNING
We ak, dam aged or improper str aps used
to secure items to tie -downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury .
-Always use s uita ble mount ing stra ps and
properly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtme nt to he lp pre­
vent items from shift ing or f ly ing fo r­
ward as dangerous missiles .
-When the rea r seat backrest is folded
down, a lways use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to hel p prevent items from fly ing for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
s enger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat te th er
strap to a t ie- down .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you b elieve that your v ehi cle
has a d efe ct whi ch could cause
a crash or could cause injury or
d eath, you should imm ediately
inform the National Highway
Tr affic Safet y Admini stration ..,.
•
•

102 Driving Safely
(NHTSA) in addition to notify-Applicable to Canada
ing Audi of America, Inc.
If you live in Canada and you
If NHTSA receives similar com- believe that your vehicle has a
plaints, it may open an investi- defect that could cause a crash,
gation, and if it finds that a injury or death, you should im-
safety defects exists in a group mediately inform
Transport
of vehicles, it may order a recall Canada, Defect Investigations
and remedy campaign. Howev- and Recalls. You should also no-
er , NHTSA cannot become in- tify Audi Canada.
valved in individual problems Canadian customers who wish
between you, your dealer, or to report a safety-related de-
Audi of America, Inc. feet to Transport Canada, De-
To contact the NHTSA, you may feet Investigations and Recalls
,
either call : may either call Transport Cana-
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: da toll-free at:
1-800-424-9153) or Tel.:
1-800-333-0510 or
1 -800-424-9 3 9 3 Tel.
: 1-819-994-3328 (Ottawa
or you may write to: region and from other coun-
tries)
NHTSA TTY for hearing impaired:
U.S. Department of Transporta-
1-888-67 5-6863
tion
1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. or contact Transport Canada by
mail at:
West Building
Washington, DC 20590 Transport
Canada
You can also obtain other infor- Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga-
mation about motor vehicle tions Laboratory
safety from: 80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
http://www.safercar.gov J8Z OAl
For additional road safety infor-
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
...