2015 AUDI S3 instrument panel

160 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

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www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system includ ing airbag modules
and safety belts with pretensioners are
scrapped, all applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authorized
Audi dealer is familiar with these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dealer perform this serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem performs in a crash. For example, using
tire-r im combinations not approved by Audi,
lowering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the electron ic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
sensors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in which it would not deploy if the
changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious
personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspension components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi­
nally insta lled on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that
have not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system 161
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: wi th knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained
front seat occupants.
Fig. 133 Driver's kn ee airbag
The dr iver knee airbag is in the instrument
panel underneath the steering wheel
¢
fig. 133, the airbag for the passenger is at
about the same height in the instrument pan­
el underneath the glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection
to the driver's and passenger's knees and up ­
per and lower thigh areas and supplements
the protection provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met¢
page 154, More important things to
know about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function,
safety belts help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in a frontal collision so that
the airbags can provide supplemental protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety be lt and wearing it properly. This
is why you should always wear your safety
belt, not just because the law requires you to
do so¢
page 135, General notes. ..,_

162 Airbag system
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once
and on ly in certain k inds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are
not supposed to deploy or when they have al­
ready deployed, for example when your veh i­
cle strikes or is struck by another after the
first coll is ion .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt . The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore, always wear your
safety be lts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the
supplemental knee airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries , for example , swell ing, bruising
and minor abrasions and friction burns can al­
so occur when an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists
of:
- The elec tronic con trol module
- T wo inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas gen-
erator), one fo r the driver and one for the
front passenger
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- i n the event of a system malfunction (warn-
i ng/indicator light is on)
Q page 21.
.8, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating posit ion
Q page 154.
-If the airbag indicator light¢ page 21
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
-
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should .
How knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles: wi th knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be re ­
duced by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig . 134 Inflated a irbags protecting in a fronta l co lli­
sion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front pas ­
senger deploy in certa in but not all frontal
collisions.
If the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags
also dep loy in frontal collisions when the de­
ployment threshold stored in the control unit
is met.
When the system deploys, the airbags fill
with a compressed propellant gas, and inf late
between the lower part of the instrument
panel and the driver and the lower part of the
instrument panel and the front passenger
Qpage 154, fig. 131 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower
extremit ies .
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
i nflate with a great deal of force and it is im­
portant for occupant safety that nothing
shou ld be in their way when they deploy. ..,.

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Fully inflated airbags in combination with
properly worn safety belts slow down and lim­
it the occupant's forward movement and help
to reduce the risk of injury.
Important safety instructions on the
knee airbag system
A ppl ies to vehicles: with Knee airbags
Airbags are only supplemen tal 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
airbags to provide supplemental protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious
injury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and
improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect
you properly if you are seated too close
to any of the airbag locations. When ad­
justing their seat positions, it is impor­
tant that both the driver and the front passenger keep their upper bodies and
knees at the following minimum safe
distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instru­
ment panel.
- 4 inches (10 cm) between the knees
and the lower part of the instrument
panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if
you lean forward or to the side, or if the
seat is improperly positioned and you are
not wearing your safety belt. The risk in­
creases even more should the airbag de­ ploy.
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can inflate without interference. Objects
between you and the airbag can increase
the risk of injury in an accident by inter­
fering with the way the airbag deploys or
Airbag system 163
by being pushed into you as the airbag
deploys.
- Never let anybody, especially children
or animals ride in the footwell in front
of the passenger seat.
If the airbag de­
ploys, this can result in serious or fatal
injuries.
- Never carry objects of any kind in the
footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shop­
ping bags, for example) can interfere
with or prevent proper deployment of
the airbag. Small objects can be
thrown through the vehicle if the air­ bag deploys and injure you 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 children are incorrectly seated, their
risk of injury increases in a collision
~ page 170, Child Safety .
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 135 S ide a irbag locatio n in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~
fig. 135 and the rear
backrest facing the doors.
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
help reduce the risk of injury that can be
IJJJ,

172 Child Saf ety
c::> page 144, Airbag system and
c::> page 170 , Important things to
know.
Always rep lace 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 veh icle is eq uipped with a front "Ad­
vanced Airbag System" in compliance with
United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard ( FMVSS) 208 as applicab le 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-o ld children on
the passenger side and small adults on the
driver side. The low risk deployment criter ia
are intended to reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the a irbag that can
occur, for example, by be ing too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the airbag inflates. In addi tion, the system
h as been certified to comply w ith the "sup­
pression" requirements of the Sa fety Stand­
ard, to turn
off the front airbag for infants up
to 12 months who a re restrained on the front
passenger seat in chi ld restraints that are list­
ed in the Standard.
Even though yo ur vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag system, all chi ldren, espe­
cially those 12 years and younger, shou ld al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for the ir age and s ize . The a irbag 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 fo r a ch ild in a fo r­
ward-facing child safety seat. It can be a ve ry
dangerous place for an infan t or a large r ch ild
in a rearward- facing seat. The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a
capacitive passenger detection system i n the
front passenger seat cush ion that can detect
the presence of a baby or a ch ild in a child re­
stra int system on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system registers the changes that result in an electri ­
ca l fie ld when a chi ld, a child restra int, and a
baby blanket are on the front passenger seat.
The change in the measured capac itance due
to the p resence of a child, a ch ild restraint,
and a baby blanket on the front passenge r
seat is related to the chi ld restraint system
rest ing o n the seat. The meas ured capa cit an ce
of a child restrain t system varies depend ing
on the type of system and specific make and
model.
T he electrical c apa citan ce of the various
types, makes, and models of child restraints
specified by the U .S . Nationa l Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NH TSA) in the re levant
safety standard are stored in the Advanced
Airbag System contro l unit together with the
capacitances typical of infants and a 1-year
o ld child . When a child restraint is used on the
front passenger seat with a typical 1 year-old
infa nt, the Advanced Airbag System compa res
the capacitance measu red by the capacitive
passenge r de tection system wi th the data
stored in the electron ic cont ro l unit . Child restraints and Advanced front
airbag system
Regardless of the c hild restra int that you use,
make sure that it has been cert ified to meet
U nited States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards and has been ce rtified by its manu­
factu rer for use with an airbag. A lways be sure
t h at the c hild restr aint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating posi tions. If in excep­
t iona l circumstances yo u must use it on the
front passenger seat, carefully read a ll of the
information on child sa fety and Advanced Air­
bags and heed all of the applicable WARN­
INGS . Make certain that the c hild and chi ld re­
stra int are correctly recognized by the capac i­
t ive passenger detection system in the front .,.

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Opening the hood
The hood is released from the interior.
Fig. 157 Sect ion from the driver's footwe ll: release lev·
er
F ig. 158 Rocker switch un de r the hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the windshield. Otherwise the paint
could be damaged.
• With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever
below the instrument pane l in the direction
of the arrow
¢ fig. 157.
• Raise the hood slightly c;, &_ .
• Press the lever under the hood upward
c;, fig . 158. This releases the catch .
• Open the hood .
Che cking and Fillin g 219
A WARNING
Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coo lant drips from t he e ngine
compartment· there is a danger of burns!
Wait unti l no steam or coolant flows o ut.
- Never open the hood when you see that
steam or coo lant dr ips from the engine
compa rtment- the re is a dange r of
bu rns! Wai t until no ste am or coo lan t
flows o ut.
Closing the hood
• Push the hood down unti l the fo rce of the
strut is overcome .
• Then lower the hood and let it fall into the
engine hood latch -you do
not have to press
on the hood after it is locked.
c;, &_ .
A WARNING
If the hood is not latched complete ly, it
could fly up while you are dr iv ing and ob­
struct you r vis io n.
- For safety reasons, the hood must always
be closed secure ly wh ile d riving. Because
of this, always check the hood after clos­
ing it to make sure it is lat ched co rrectly.
When latched correc tly, the hood will be
f lush w ith the othe r body panels .
-If you no tic e th at t he hood is not latched
while you are dr iving, stop immedi ately
and close it, because this increases the
ris k of an accident .