2015 AUDI S3 ignition

158 Airbag system
- and if the electrica l capacitance registered
on the front passenger seat is equal to or
l ess than the combined capacitance of a typ­
ical 1 year-old infant and one of the rear ­
ward-facing or forward-facing child re­
stra ints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safe ­
ty Standard 208 w ith which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS ­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on . Nev­
er insta ll a rearward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seat ing positions on the rear seat
¢ page 146, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 170, Child Safety .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on when one of the conditions listed above is met , be sure to check the light regularly to
make certa in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light stays on cont inuously whenever the
ignit ion is on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
l ight does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off for more than 4 seconds and then turn­
i ng it on again;
- remove and re install the child restraint.
Make su re that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety belt fo r the
front passenger seat has been correctly
routed through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint man ufacturer 's in­
structions;
- make sure that the convertible locking re ­
tractor on the safety belt for the front pas ­
senger seat has been activated and that the
safety belt has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no e lectrica l device (such as
a laptop, CD playe r, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat hea ter for child seats)
is placed or used on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket;
- ma ke sure that no seat heater has been ret­
rofitted or otherwise added to the front pas­
senger seat;
- make s ure that nothing can interfere with
the safety belt buck les and that they are not
obstructed ;
- make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cushion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still
does not come on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on and does not stay on con ­
tinuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen -
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions. Have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer immed iately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and
make sure that the child is properly restrain­
ed in a ch ild restra int that is appropriate for
its size and age .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should
NOT come on ...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NO T come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about S seconds wh ile d riving, un­
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the cente r of the seat
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not reclined,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest ,
- t he safety belt is being properly wo rn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webbing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or
cushions or other things (such as blankets) .,..

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The inflatable side curtain airbags are located
on both sides of the interior above th e front
and rear side windows . T hey are identified by
the word "AIRBAG" on the windsh ield frame
and the center roof pillar.
The side curtain airbags contain features that prov ide ejection m itigation to he lp prevent ve­
h icle oc cupant s or parts of their bodies from
being comple tely or partially ejected from the
vehicle interior in certain side impacts and ve ­
h icle rollovers .
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury for occupa nts ' heads and upper
torso on the side of the veh icle that is struck
i n a side collision . T he side curta in a irbag in­
flates in s ide impacts and on ly w hen the veh i­
cle acce le rat ion reg iste red by the cont ro l u nit
is high enough . If this rate is below the refer ­
ence value programmed into t he control unit,
the side c urtain airbag will not be t riggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a result of the collision. It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range tha t will
cover every possible angle of impact, since the
circumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors
i nclude, for examp le, the natu re (hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le o f impact ,
ve hicl e speed, et c.
q page 168, How sid e cur ­
tain airbags work .
Besides their normal safety f unction, safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front
passenger in position in the event of a frontal
collision so that the side curtain airbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety be lt . Rathe r, it is pa rt of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle . Al­
ways rememb er that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly. Th is
is another reason why you shou ld always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re ­
q uir es you to do so
q page 135, General
~ notes .
M l/'I ,....,
Airbag system 167
It is important to remembe r that wh ile the
side curtain airbag system is designed to help
reduce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other
injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is ing, fric­
tion burns and minor abras ions can also be as­
sociated w ith these airbags upon deployment .
Remember too , these airbags will deploy only
once a nd only in ce rtain kinds of accide nts -
you r safety be lts a re a lways the re to offer p ro­
tection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
-The e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curta in a irbags above the front and
rear s ide windows w it h ejection mitigation
featu res
- The a irbag indicator light in the instr ument
p ane l
The airbag system is mon itored e lectronically
to make ce rtain it is func tioning prope rly at all
times. Each time you sw itch on the ig nition,
the air bag system indicator light will come on
f o r a few se conds (sel f diagnos tic s) .
The side curtain airbag is not activat ed:
- if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side collisions whe n the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro tection when occupa nts
are in the proper seating position
q page 57, Front seats .
-If the ai rbag ind icator light q page 21
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected imme diately
by your au thori zed A udi dealer.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when i t
is not supposed to , or will not inflate
when it should .
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-Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptional circumstances and
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the air­
bag system inspected immediately by
your Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal­
led on the front passenger's seat may in­
terfere with the deployment of the air­
bag and cause serious injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the
use of a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger's seat, the child's
safety and well-being require the follow­ ing special precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-fac­
ing seat has been designed and certi­
fied by its manufacturer for use on a
front passenger seat with a front and
side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufac­
turer's instructions provided with the
child seat or infant carrier.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if
the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions require the top tether strap
to be used.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper an­
chorage to the adjustment position
that permits proper installation in ac ­
cordance with the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions.
- Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in the seat's fore
and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible before in-
Child Safety 1 71
stalling the child restraint. The back­
rest must be adjusted to an upright po­
sition.
- Always make sure that nothing pre­
vents the front passenger's seat from
being moved to the rearmost position
in its fore and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such
as a laptop, CO player, electronic games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) . These may in­
fluence the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger
detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CO player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the device is connected
to the 12-volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passen­ ger seat, never install any child re­
straint system on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects (such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger
seat cushion .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rearward-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi dealer.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it.
A loose child seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in ave-
hicle
¢ page 135, Safety belts, ..,
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Child Safety 175
-The child and the passenger can also heater for child seats) on the front pas-
injure each other in an accident . senger seat if the device is connected
- Never install rear-facing child safety to the 12-volt socket or the cigarette
seats or infant carriers on the front pas- lighter
socket.
senger seat. A child will be seriously in- -If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
jured and can be killed when the passen- otherwise added to the front passen-
ger airbag inflates - even with an Ad -ger seat, never install any child re-
•
vanced Airbag System. straint system on this seat.
•
-The inflating airbag will hit the child -Make sure that there are no wet objects
safety seat or infant carrier with great (such as a wet towel) and no water or
force and will smash the child safety seat other liquids on the front passenger
and child against the backrest, center seat cushion.
armrest, door or roof. -Never place objects on the seat (such
- Always install rear-facing child safety as a laptop, CD player, electronic
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat. games device, power inverter or seat
- Forward-facing child safety seats instal- heater for child seats). These may
in-
led on the front passenger's seat can in- fluence the electrical capacitance
terfere with the airbag when it inflates measured by the capacitive passenger
and cause serious injury to the child. Al- detection system and can also fly
ways install forward-facing child safety around in an accident and cause serious
seats on the rear seat. personal injury.
- If exceptional circumstances require the -
Always buckle the child safety seat firmly
use of a forward-facing child restraint on in place even if a child is not sitting
in it.
the front passenger's seat, the child's A loose child safety seat can fly around
safety and well-being require that the during a sudden stop or in a collision
.
following special precautions be taken: -Always read and heed all WARNINGS
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has whenever using a child restrained in ave-
been designed and certified by its man- hide is being used
c> page 135, Safety
ufacturer for
use on a front seat with a belts, ¢ page 144, Airbag system and
passenger front and side airbag.
¢ page 170, Child Safety .
-Always carefully follow the manufac-
A WARNING turer's instructions provided with the
child safety seat or carrier. To reduce the risk of serious injury, make
- Always move the front passenger seat
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
into the rearmost position of the pas-
light comes on and stays on whenever a
senger seat's fore and aft adjustment child restraint is installed on the front pas-
range, and as far away from the airbag senger seat and the ignition is switched
as possible before installing the child on.
restraint. - Take the child restraint off the front pas-
- Always make sure that nothing pre-
senger seat and install it properly at one
vents the front passenger's seat from of the rear seat positions if the
PASS EN-
being moved to the rearmost position GER AIR BAG OFF light does not stay on.
in its fore and aft adjustment range .
-Have the airbag system inspected by
- Always make sure that the backrest is
your authorized Audi dealer immediate-
M • N in the upright position. ly. 0 > - Never place or use any electrical device co ,....,
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic \!) 1.1"1
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-Always follow the manufacturer's in­
structions provided with the child safety
seat or infant carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat in­
to the rearmost position of the passen­
ger seat's fore and aft adjustment range,
and as far away from the airbag as possi­
ble before installing the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its
fore and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure the backrest is in an
upright position .
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat
heater for child seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the device is connected to
the 12-volt socket or the cigarette light­ er socket.
-If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger
seat, never install any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or
other liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as
a laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice , power inverter or seat heate r for
child seats). These may influence the
electrical capacitance measured by the
capacitive passenger detection system
and can also fly around in an accident
and cause serious personal injury.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the forward-facing child seat
at a seating position on the rear seat and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer . Child Safety 1 79
- Ta ke the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs . and
80 lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4
ft. 9 in. tall. 9 in . (57 inches/1 .45 meters)
tall .
Fig. 143 Rear seat: ch ild prope rly restraine d in a bo os­
ter seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit
most children until they are at least 4 ft . 9 in .
(57 inches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about
80 lbs. (36 kg). Booster seats raise these chil­
dren up so that the safety belt will pass prop­
erly over the stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt can help protect them in a
crash.
.. Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to re­
strain a child on a booster seat .
.. The shoulde r belt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It mus t never lie across the throat or
neck . The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen .
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary .
.. If you must transport an older child in a
booster seat on the front passenger seat, .._

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without head restraints or with head re­
straints that are not pr operly ad justed
increases the risk of ser ious or fatal neck
injury dramat ically .
- Children on the front seat of any car,
even with Advanced A irbags, can be seri­
ously injured or even killed when an a ir ­
bag inflates .
- Never let a child stand or knee l on any
seat, for example the front seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle .
- Always remember that a ch ild lean ing
forward, sitt ing s ideways o r out of posi­
t ion i n any way during an acc ident can be
st ruck by a deploying airbag . This will re­
s u lt in se rious personal injury or death.
- If you must install a booster seat on the
front passenger seat because of excep­
tio nal circumstan ces the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and
stay on, whenever the igni tion is switch­
ed on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and s tay on, per form
the checks described ¢
page 156, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child rest raint off the front pas ­
senger seat and install it proper ly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is bei ng used ¢
page 135 , Safety
belts, ¢ page 144, Airbag system
and
¢ page 170, Important things to know .
Child Safet y 181
Installing a child safety
seat
Securing a child safety seat using a
safety belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front
passenger con be locked with the convertible locking retractor to properly secure child
safety sea ts.
T he safety belts emergency locking retractors
fo r the rear seats safety belts and for the
front passenger's seat safety belt have a con­
vertib le locking retractor for child restraints.
The safety belt must be locked so that be lt
webb ing cannot unreel. The retractor can be
activated to loc k the safe ty belt and prevent
t h e safety be lt webb ing from looseni ng up
dur ing no rm al driv in g. A ch ild safety seat can
o nl y be prope rly installed w hen t he s afety bel t
is locked so that the chi ld and child sa fety
seat w ill stay in place.
A lways remember: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is
equipped wi th an A dvanced Airbag sys tem, all
c hi ldren, es pecially those 12 years and young ­
er, sho uld always r ide in the back seat proper ­
l y restra ined for t he ir age and size.
A WARNING
Im properly installed chi ld safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
a n d death in a co llision .
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked w hen insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
trac to r cannot hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing norma l dr iving o r in a
crash.
- Always buckle the child safe ty seat firmly
i n place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it.
A l oose child safe ty se at can fly aroun d
du ring a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always ma ke sure tha t the rear seat
b ackrest to which the ce nter re ar safe ty
be lt * is attache d is se curely latched
wheneve r the rea r cente r safety belt is
be ing used to secure a child rest raint .
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182 Child Safety
-If the backrest is not securely latched,
the child and the child restraint will be
thrown forward together with the back­
rest and will strike parts of the vehicle
interior. The child can be seriously in­
jured or killed.
- Never install rear -facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the front pas­
senger seat. A child will be seriously in­
jured and can be killed when the passen­ ger 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, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or in­
fant carriers installed on the front pas­
senger's seat may interfere with the de­
ployment of the airbag and cause serious
injury to the child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing
child safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used ¢
page 170. Special
precautions apply when installing a child
safety seat on the front passenger seat
¢ page 146, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know .
A WARNING
-
Always take special precautions if you
must install a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's
seat in exceptional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front
passenger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, perform
the checks described ¢
page 156, Moni­
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front pas­
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not stay on
whenever the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints
can reduce their effectiveness or even
prevent them from providing any protec­
tion .
-An improperly installed child restraint can interfere with the airbag as it de­
ploys and seriously injure or even kill the
child.
-Always carefully follow the manufactur­
er's instructions provided with the child
safety seat or carrier.
- After checking to make sure that the
child restraint is properly installed, make
certain that the child restraint is correct­ ly recognized by the capacitive passenger
detection system in the front passenger
seat and that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light signals the correct front pas­
senger frontal airbag status.
A WARNING
-Forward-facing child restraints:
- Always make sure the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up, against or very near the in­
strument panel.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing
the forward-facing child restraint. The
backrest must be adjusted to an upright
position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on.

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A WARNING ,~
Rearward-facing ch ild restraints:
-A chi ld in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger
seat will be ser iously injured and can be
killed if the front airbag inflates -even
with an Advanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier w ith great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, cente r
armrest, door or roo f.
- Always be especially caref ul if you must
install a rearwa rd fa cing child safety seat
on the front passenge r sea t in exception­
al circumstances .
- Make su re that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched
on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immedi­
ately install the rea r-facing chi ld safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the a irbag system inspected by you r Audi
dealer.
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to se­
cure a child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat ma nufactur­
er's instructions when install ing a chi ld re­
straint in your vehicle . To activate t he conver ­
tible locking retracto r:
.,. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefera­
bly on the rear sea t.
.,. Slow ly pull the be lt
all the way out .
.. Route it around or through the ch ild re­
st ra int be lt path ¢&, .
.,. Push the child safety seat dow n with your
f ull weight to ge t the safety belt really t ight.
.,. Insert the be lt tongue into the buckle for
that seating position .
Child Safet y 183
.,. Guide the sa fe ty be lt back into the retractor
until the be lt lies flat and sn ug on the child
safety seat .
.,. You shou ld hear a "clicking" noise as the
be lt winds back into the iner tia ree l. Test the
convert ible lock ing retractor by pulling on
the belt. You sho uld no lo nger be able to
pull the be lt out of the retracto r. T he con­
ver tible locking re trac to r i s now ac tiva ted .
.,. Mak e s ure t hat t he red release b utton is fac ­
ing away from the child rest rain t so t hat i t
can be unbuckled q uic kly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt
is properly tight and fastened so that the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2 .5 cm).
A WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint o r an im­
p roperly installed chi ld restraint can cause
serious pe rsonal injury or death in a crash.
- Always ma ke sure that the safe ty belt re-
tracto r is loc ked when insta lling a child
safety seat. An unlocked safety belt re­
tracto r can not hold the child safety seat
in place dur ing no rma l driving o r in a
cras h.
- Always buckle the child sa fe ty seat firmly
in place even i f a ch ild is not sitt ing in it.
A loose child safety seat can fly aroun d
during a sudden stop or in a crash .
- Always ma ke s ure the seat backrest to
which the child restraint is installed is in
an upright pos ition and securely latched
into place and can not fold forward . Oth­
erw ise, the seatback with the child safety
seat attached to it could fly forward in
the ev ent of an accident o r othe r emer­
gency situatio n.
- Always read a nd heed al l WAR NINGS
wheneve r us ing a child restrained in ave­
hicle is being used ¢
page 170. Special
pre cau tions apply whe n inst alling a child
safety sea t on the fron t passenger seat
¢ page 146, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
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