2015 AUDI Q3 belt

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equivalent of about 200 lbs (90 kg). One can
easi ly imagine the injuries that an item of that
weight flying free ly through the passenger
compartment can cause in a collision at a
speed considered relatively low.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to t ie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard brak ing o r in a collision and cause
ser ious personal injury.
- Always use suitable retaining straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down, always use su itab le retain ing
st raps and proper ly sec ure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for­
ward into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a tie-down.
Ski sack
Appl ies to vehicles : wit h pass -t hr oug h and ski -sack
Long objects such as skis or snowboards can
be transported in the ski sack.
F ig. 69 Luggag .e compartment: pass-t hroug h cover
Sea ts a nd s to rage 61
Fig . 70 Rea r be nch seat : secu ring the ski sack
Lo ading
.. Fold the pass-through cover in the luggage
compartment down
¢ fig . 69 .
.. Slide the ski sack from the luggage com­
partment through the pass-through with
the zipper at the rear ¢
,&.
Securing
.. Insert the ski sack strap@¢ fig. 70 in the
center buckle @.
.. Pull the safety belt taut on the free end of
the belt @.
8_ WARNING
-
-The s ki sack is intended only for the
transportat ion of sk is and other light ob ­
jects . To reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal injury, never transport heavy or pointed objects in the sk i sack.
- When braking rapid ly or during an acci­
dent, the load could be d isp laced and
cause injury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be covered
for protection. A lways fasten the belt
tightly around the sack and its contents
¢fig. 70.
- For safety reasons, do not transport
more than two pairs of skis in the ski
sack .
- You must secure the ski sack wit h the
strap after load ing.
- Make sure all objects that you are trans­ port ing in the pass-through are secured .
Otherwise they could slide around during
sudden braking maneuvers and cause in-
jury .
~

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,...., ..,., ,....,
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the vehicle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail c::>
page 72, Emergency broking.
& WARNING
If a drive range is engaged with the vehicle
stat ionary and the engine running, you
must in no instance accelerate care lessly.
Otherw ise the vehicle will start to move
immediately -risk of an accident.
(D Tips
- If the parking brake is applied with the
i gnition switched off, the indicator lights
• in the switch and. (USA models) /
• (Canada models) in the instrument
cluster w ill go out after a certa in period
of time.
- Occasional noises when the park ing
brake is applied and re leased a re norma l
and are not a ca use for concern.
- When the vehicle is parked, the parking
brake goes through a se lf-test cycle at
regular intervals. Any assoc iated noises
are norma l.
Parking
~ Press the brake peda l to stop the vehicle.
~ Pull the switch@c::> page 70, fig . 77 to set
the parking brake.
~ Move the selector lever to P.
~ Turn the engine off c::> _&.
~ When on incl ines or declines, turn the steer­
ing wheel so that the vehicle w ill roll i nto
the curb if it begi ns to move.
& WARNING
- When you leave your veh icle - even if on­
ly b riefly- a lways remove the ign ition
key . This applies particularly when chil ­
dren remain in t he vehicle . Otherwise the
children co uld start the engine, release
the parking brake or operate electrical
equipment (e.g. power windows). There is the r isk of an accident .
On th e ro ad 71
-When the veh icle is locked, no one - par­
ticularly not children should rema in in
the vehicle. Locked doors make it more
difficult for emergency wo rkers to get in­
to the vehicle - putting lives at risk .
Starting from rest
The starting assist function ensures that the
parking broke is released automatically upon starting.
Stopping and applying park ing brak e
~ Pull the sw itch C®l to apply the pa rking
brake.
Starting and automatically releasing the parking brake
~ When you start to drive as usual, the park ­
ing brake is a utomatically released and your
veh icle begins to move.
When stopping at a traffic signal or stopping in city traff ic on vehicles with an automatic
transmission, the parking brake can be ap­
plied. The vehicle does not have to be held
with the footbrake. The parking brake elimi­
nates the tende ncy to creep w ith a dr ive range
engaged. As soon as you d rive off as usual,
t he pa rking bra ke is re leased automatically
and the veh icle s tarts to move.
St arting on slopes
When starting on inclines, the starting assist
prevents the vehicle from un intent io nally roll­
ing back. The braking force of the parking
brake is no t re leased unt il su ff ic ient d riving
force has been built up a t the wheels.
(D Tips
Fo r safety reasons, the parking bra ke is re­
l eased automatically o nly when the d riv­
e r's safety belt is eng aged in the buckle.

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selector lever position such as D/S and re­
lease the button.
~ Wait briefly until the transmission has shift­
ed (you will feel a slight movement).
~ Remove your foot from the brake pedal and
accelerate.
St opp ing tem porar ily
~ Keep the vehicle stationary using the brak­
ing peda l, for examp le at traffic lights.
~ Do not press the accelerator pedal when do­
ing this.
~ To prevent the veh icle from roll ing when you
start driving, set the parking brake when
stopp ing on steep inclines
c::, ,& .
~ The parking brake will re lease automatically
and the vehicle will s tart moving once you
press the accelerator peda l.
Stopping/p ar king
If the selecto r lever is not in the P position
when you ope n the dr iver's door, the vehicle
could ro ll. The message
Shift to P and turn
off i gniti on, o therwi se vehicle ca n roll aw ay
appears.
~ Press and ho ld the brake pedal unt il the ve-
hicle has come to a complete stop.
~ Apply the parking brake c::, page 71, Parking.
~ Se lect the P selector leve r position c::, ,& .
Stopping on an incline
~ Always press the brake peda l to hold the ve­
hicle i n place and prevent it from " rolling
back "
c::> &_. Do not try to prevent the vehi­
cl e from "roll ing back" when a gea r is en ­
gaged by increasing the engine speed
c::> (D .
Starting on an incline
~ Activate the parking b rake .
~ With the d riving gea r se lected, press the ac­
c e lerator pedal ca refully. The parking brake
will release automat ica lly if yo ur seat belt is
f astened.
Unde r ce rtain circumstances, such as dr iv ing
in the moun tains, it may be useful to swi tch
tempo rari ly to the manua l shift prog ram in o r-
Automa tic tran sm iss ion 83
der to ad just the gears to the driving condi ­
tions by hand
c::, page 84.
On s lopes, activate the parki ng b rake first and
then move the selec to r l ever to the P posi tion.
T his prevents too much stress from being
placed on the locking mechanism .
A WARNING
-The vehicle can also roll when the engine
is stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause
serio us injury.
- Never leave your vehicle with the engine
ru nning while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running,
activate the parking brake and move the
selector lever to P.
- Power is still transm itted to the wheels
when the engine is runn ing at idle. To
prevent the vehicle from "creeping", you
must keep your foot on the brake when
the eng ine is ru nning and the se lector
leve r is in D/S o r R or "t ipt ron ic" mode is
selec ted .
-Do not press the accelerator pedal when
changing the se lector lever posi tion
while the veh icle is stationary and the
engine is running .
- Never sh ift into R or P wh ile driving.
- Before driving down a steep slope, re-
duce your speed and shift into a lowe r
gear wi th "tiptronic".
- Do not ride the bra kes o r press the bra ke
pe dal too often or too long when d riving
down a hi ll. Constant braking causes the
brakes to overheat and substantially re­
duces braking performance, increases
brak ing distance or causes complete fa il­
ure of the brake system .
- To prevent the vehicle from ro lling back
when stopp ing o n inclines, always ho ld it
in place with the brake pedal or parking
brake .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with
a slipping clutch. The clutch opens auto­ matically when it becomes too hot from

84 Automatic tr an smis sion
the overload. An indicator lamp mJ illu­
minates and a dr iver message appears
Q page 85 when the clutch is overload­
ed .
- If the engine must remain running, never
have any driving pos ition engaged whe n
checking under the hood . Make sure the
selector lever has securely engaged and is locked in P with the parking brake set
c!:> page 179. Othe rwise, any inc rease in
eng ine speed m ay set the vehicle in mo­
t io n, even wi th the park ing brake ap ­
plied.
(D Note
- When stopping on an i ncl ine, do not try
to hol d the veh icle in place by pressing
the accelerator peda l whi le a driving gear
is selected. This can cause the transmis­
s ion to overheat and can damage it. Acti ­
vate the park ing brake or press the brake
pedal to prevent the vehicle from ro lling .
- Allow ing t he vehicle to roll when the en­
gine is stopped and the selector lever is i n N will damage the transmiss ion be­
cause it is not lub ricated under those cir­
cumstances.
{DI Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing brake is re­
leased automatically only when the dr iv­
er 's safety belt is engaged in the buck le.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the
driver when driving down declines.
Hill descent control is activated when these­
lector lever is in D/S and you press the brake
pedal. The transmission automatically se lects
a gea r that is suitable for the incline . Hill de­
scent control tries to maintai n the speed ach­
i eved at the time of bra king, within physical
an d techn ic al limita tio ns.
If may still be ne c­
ess ary to adjust the speed with the bra kes . Hill descent contro
l sw itches off once the de ­
cline leve ls out or yo u press the acce lerator
peda l.
On vehicles wi th the cru ise contro l system
Q page 73, hill descent control is also activat ­
ed when the speed is set.
A WARNING
--
Hill descent control cannot overcome
physical lim itations, so it may not be ab le
to maintain a co nstant speed under a ll
conditions. A lways be ready to apply the
b rakes .
Manual shift program
Using the manual shift program you can
manually select gears .
Fig. 88 Center co nsole: s hifti ng t he gears ma nually
Fig . 89 Stee ring w hee l: Shi ft padd les•
Gear selection w ith selector lever
T he t iptronic mode can be selected either w ith
the vehicle stat io nary or on the move .
.,. Push the selector lever to the right from 0/
S. An M appears in the instrument cluster
d isp lay as soon as the transm issio n has
shifted .

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,
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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. ..,.