2015 AUDI Q3 airbag

66 On th e road
On the road
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
The steering wheel position is fully adjustable
up and down and forward and bock .
Fig. 73 Lever under the steer ing colu mn
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly .
• Pull the lever
c> fig . 73 <=> &_ .
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired posi­
t ion.
• Push the lever against the steering column
until it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­ tween your chest and the center of the steer­
ing wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering wheel.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c> page 51 .
A WARNING
Improper use of steeri ng wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steering whee l co lumn on ly
when the veh icle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel
¢ page 95, fig. 103. If
yo u cannot mainta in this min imum dis- tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you proper ly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive equ ipment is ava ilable .
- If the steer ing wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplementa l driver's a irbag
cannot provide as much protection in an
accident . Always make sure that the
steer ing wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of persona l injury
if the driver's airbag dep loys .
- Never hold the stee ring wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steeri ng wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock
Starting engine with the key
Applies to vehicles : w ith ign ition lock
The ignition is switched on and the engine
started with the ignition key .
Fig. 74 Igni tion tock : Igni tion key po siti ons
Switching the ignition on /off
• To switch on the ignition , turn the ignit ion
key to position
(D .
• To switch off the ignit ion, turn the ignition
key to position
@ . ..,.

94 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others. We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle. Some of the
feat ures described in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may
be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-Always make sure that you follow the in­
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
your vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find it eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of injury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts fo r drive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- be lt fo rce limi ters fo r the front seats,
- belt p retensioners for the seats,
- be lt he ight adjustment for the front seats,
- head restra ints for each seating posit ion,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curta in air bags w ith ejec tion mi tiga tion
features,
- speci al LATCH anchorages for child re-
st raints,
- adjustab le steeri ng colum n.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to­
gether as a system to help p rotect you and
you r passenge rs in a w ide range of accidents.
T hese features canno t work as a system if
they a re not always corre ct ly adjus ted and co r­
rect ly used.
Safety is everybody' s respon sibil ity!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed
and careful driver.
For you r safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
b efore driv ing alway s:
.. Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erati ng correctly .
.. Make su re that the t ire p ressure is co rrect.
.. Make s ure that all windows are clean and af­
ford good vis ibility to the outs ide .
.. Secure al l luggage and other items caref ully
qpage 100, qpage 54.
.. Ma ke s ure that nothing can interfe re wi th
the peda ls .
.. Adj ust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
co rrectly for your height.
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to the ir height .
.. Make su re to use the r igh t child restraint
co rrectly to protect ch ildren
~ page 133,
~lld~~~-~

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.. 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

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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. ..,.

106 Safety belts
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 109. This imp act
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
t hey had just before the crash.
Never rely on a irbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and othe r passen­
gers ~
fig. 110. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true !
Fig. 111 Driver is co rr ect ly re strain ed in a sudd en brak­
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement tha t can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing " the kinetic energy over a longer
period of ti me, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags , for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is no t enough decelera tion
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

M N
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and disposal of safety belt pretensioner on
page 111.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce
forward occupant movement during a colli­
sion.
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been folded forward.
@ Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once .
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions and in accidents in­
volving very little impact force, the safe­
ty belt pretensioner are not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are
activated, a fine dust is released. This is
norma l and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The relevant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped. An au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop is familiar with these regulations
and will be pleased to pass on the infor­
mation to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
mental and other regulations if the vehi­
cle or individual parts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this
service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretension er
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the safety belts on your Audi. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing of belt pretens ion­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working correctly in a colli­
sion.
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-
Safety belts 111
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 a safety belt pretensioner from activating when needed
or activating it unexpectedly :
- The belt pretensioner system can be acti­
vated only once . If belt pretensioners
have been activated, the system must be
replaced.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the safety be lt system.
- Safety belt systems including safety belt
pretensioners cannot be repaired . Spe­
cial procedures are required for removal,
installation and disposal of this system.
- For any work on the safety belt system,
we strongly recommend that you see
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified
technician who has an Audi approved re­
pair manual, training and special equip­
ment necessary.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate
Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca . gov/hazard o u swa ste/ per­
chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
safety belts with pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicable laws and regulations
must be observed . Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your
dealer perform th is service fo r you. •
•

112 Airbag system
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
• Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
c:> page 95,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
r=:; page 51,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 107,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect children
c:> page 133.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force.
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to help the
a ir bag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r to sit properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compa rtment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supplemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions
c:> page 95,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or details
on the operat ion of the seat adjustment con­
trols
c:> page 51.
I t's especially important that children are
properly restrained
c:>page 133.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individual
safety features installed in your Audi work to­
gether as a system.
Proper seating pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side can do its
job. If you have a physical impairment or con- dition that prevents you
from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals, spec ial
modifications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler, or call
Audi Customer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system dep loys , a gas gener­
ator will fi ll the airbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inflate between the steering
whee l and the driver and between the instru­
ment panel and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after deploy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
th rough the windshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from hitting parts of the inside the ve­
hicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and upper body i n the crash . A irbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front a irbags will not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The trigge ring of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
elect ron ic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered ,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a result of the collision . Veh icle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is no t necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possible kind and .,.