2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN Owners Manual

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-never sit on the edge of the seat
- never si t sideways
- never lea n out the w indow
- never p ut yo ur feet out the window
- never put yo ur feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwe ll
- never ride in the cargo area
&_ WARNING
Improper seat ing positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is be ing used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrai ned whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
App lies to vehicles: with knee airb ags
&_ WARNING
Always ma ke sure that the knee a irbag can in­
flate without interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the r isk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in­ to you as the airbag deploys.
- No persons (chi ldren) or animals should ride
in the footwe ll in front of the passenger
seat.
If the airbag dep loys, this can result in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any kind shou ld be carried in
the footwe ll area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopp ing
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag . Small ob­
jects can be th rown thro ugh the vehicle if
the a irbag deploys and injure you o r you r
passengers.
Dr ivin g s afet y
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that a ll peda ls move freely without in­
terference and that nothing prevents them from
r eturning to the ir original positions.
Only use f loor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circ uit fa ils, increased brake pedal trav ­
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop.
&_ WARNING
--
Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of ser i­
ous injury .
- Never p lace any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking o r an accident, you would
not be able to b rake or accelera te!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the d river 's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at­
tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not in ­
terfere with the free movement of the pedals.
.. Make sure that the floor mats are properly se­
cured and cannot move and inte rfere with the
pedals
~ A .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un­
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot sl ip out of position . You can obta in
s ui table floor mats from your authorized Aud i
Dealer .
Floor mat fasteners are insta lled in your Audi.
Floor mats used in yo ur vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor .,..
13 5

Driving safet y
mats wi ll prevent them from sliding into posi ­
tions that cou ld interfere with the peda ls or im­
pa ir safe operation of your vehicle in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
serious persona l injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop­
erly secured .
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings in t he veh icle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and inte rfering w ith the ped­
als or the ability to control the veh icle .
- Never place or insta ll floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additiona l floo r mats and other
c overings w ill reduce the si ze of the pedal
area and interfere w ith the pedal s.
- Always proper ly reinstall and secu re floor
mats that have been take n ou t for clean ing .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fa ll
in to the dr iver footwell while the veh icle i s
moving. Obje cts can be come trapped unde r
the brake pedal an d accelerator peda l caus ­
ing a loss of vehicle cont ro l.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
s towed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment.
F ig . 11 5 Safe load pos it io nin g: place heavy objects as low
an d a s far for ward as possib le .
136
Loose items in the luggage compa rtment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac ­
teristics. Loose items can also increase the r isk o f
serious persona l injury in a sudden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a collision.
.,. Distribute the load even ly in the luggage com­
partment.
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as far forward as
possible .
.,. Secure luggage using the tie-downs prov ided
~ page 59.
.,. Ma ke s ure that the rear seatback is securely
la tc hed in place.
A WARNING
I mproperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serio us per­
sona l injury in the event o f hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of ser ious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
H eavy loads wi ll influence the way your vehi­
cle handles . To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to se rio us pe rsonal injury:
-Always keep in mind when transpo rting
heavy objects, tha t a change i n the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehi cle
h a ndli ng:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possib le.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possib le.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specif ied
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissib le weight
standards can cause the veh icle to slide and
handle d ifferently. ,...

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-Please observe information on safe driving
~page 130.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows,
the power roof* and the rear lid are securely
closed and locked to reduce the risk of injury
when the vehicle is not being used.
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe ­
cially with the rear lid left open . A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­ hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fog­
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these slots free and open.
Driving safety
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­ ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­
ter ~
page 224.
' Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
~page 136, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause serious in­
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h) , the forces acting on a 10-lb
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
lision like this.
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per­
sonal injury .
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan­
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
137

Driving safety
th e luggage compartment to help prevent
items from flying forwa rd as da ngero us mis­
siles int o the pass enger compartm ent.
- Ne ver att ach a child safe ty seat t ether stra p
to a ti e-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle
has a defect which could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immediately in­
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com ­
plaints, it may open an investiga­
tion, and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles , it may o rder a recall and
remedy campaign. However, NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you,
your dealer, or Audi of America,
Inc.
To contact the NHTSA, you may either call :
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY :
1-800-424-9153) or
1 -800 -424 -9393
or you may write to:
138
NHTSA
U.S . Department of Transporta­
tion 1200 New Jersey Ave., S. E.
West Building
Wa shington, DC 20590
You can also obtain other infor­ mation about motor vehicle safe­
ty from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you be­lieve that your vehicle has a de­
fe ct that could cause a crash , in ­
jury or death, you should immedi­
ately inform Transport Canada,
Defect Investigations and Recalls.
You should also notify Audi Cana­
da .
Canadian customers who wish to report a safety-related defect to
Transport Canada , Defect Investi­
gations and Recalls, may either
call Transport Canada toll-free at:
T e l.: 1-800-333-0510 or
Tel.: 1-819-994-3328 (Ottawa re­
gion and from other countries)
TTY for hearing impaired: Tel. :
1-888-67 5-6863
or contact Transport Canada by mail at:

Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga­
tions Laboratory
80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z OA l
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http://www.tc.gc .ca/eng/
roadsafety/menu.htm
Dr iv ing safety
1 39

Safety belt s
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
.. Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correct ly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
L ik e all veh icle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety be lts . The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the ent ire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat­
ing position has a safety belt .
&_ WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small ch ildren, into any belt. It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
140
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
~ -Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger (on USA models only) to remind you about the importance of buckling­
up .
Fig. 116 Safety belt warning light in the instrument cl us­
ter -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fas ten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly .
(0
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"' .. Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
.. Protect children with a child restraint system
appropriate for the s ize and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
light s up when the ign it ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts . In add ition, you will hear
a warn ing tone for a certain pe riod of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts .
&_ WARNING
-Safety belts are the sin gle most effect ive
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
F or your protection and that of your passen ­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, cou ld lead to personal injury .
-

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Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 117 Unbelted occupants in a ve hicle heading for a wall
Fig . 118 The vehicle cras hes into th e wall
CD
~ ± The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­ ies with vehicle speed and body weight . Engi­
neers call this energy "kinetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor. If the
speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km/
h) , the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety belts
q fig. 117, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall
qfig. 118 .
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
Safety belts
(2,000 lbs, or 1,000 kg) or more . At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher .
People who do not use safety belts are also not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash.
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determ ine what happens
in all kinds of accidents and collisions.
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed . Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 119 A dr iver not wea ring a safety belt is vio lently
thrown forward
Fig. 120 A rear passenger not wearing a sa fety belt w ill fly
fo rward and strike t he drive r
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tre ­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves . Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam v iolently into the steering wheel, in­
strument panel, windshie ld, or whatever else is
in the way
q fig . 119 . This impact with the vehi­
cle interior has all the energy they had just before
the crash. ..,_
141

Safety belts
Never rely on airbags a lone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection . A irbags are not supposed to deploy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in orde r to min imize the risk of seve re in­
jury o r death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once
and that your safety be lts are a lways there to of ­
fer protection in t hose accidents in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy or when they have a l­
ready deployed . Unbelted o ccupan ts can also be
thrown ou t of the vehicle where even mo re severe
or fata l injur ies can occur .
It is also important fo r the rea r passenge rs to
wear safety belts co rrectly. Unbe lted passenge rs
i n t he rear se ats endanger not only themselves
but also the driver and other passengers
~ fig . 120. In a frontal coll ision they wi ll be
thrown forward violent ly, where they can hit and
in ju re the driver and/or front seat passenger.
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!
F ig . 121 Driver is correct ly restra ined i n a sudden b rak ing
m aneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats , gradually reduce energy levels ap­
plied to the body in an accident, and he lp prevent
the uncont ro lled movement that can cause seri ­
ous injur ies. In add it ion, safety belts reduce the
danger of being throw n ou t of the vehicle.
142
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "softly" through the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features eng i­
neered into today's veh icles. By "absorbing" the
ki net ic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety be lts make the forces on the body more
"tole rable" and less li kely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based o n a frontal
collision, safety be lts can also substantially re ­
duce the r isk o f injury in other kinds o f crashes.
So, whether you're on a long tr ip or just go ing to
t he cor ne r store, always bu ckle up and ma ke sure
o thers do, too. Ac ciden t sta tis tics show that ve hi­
cle occupants properly wearing sa fe ty belts have
a lowe r risk of be ing injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Pro perly using
safety belts a lso greatly increases the ab ility of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
li sion. For this reason, wear ing a safety be lt is le­
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Audi is equipped with a irbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are act ivated only in some
fron tal coll is io ns . The front airbags are not act i­
vated in a ll frontal col lisions, in s ide and rear co l­
li sio ns, in ro ll overs o r in cases whe re the re is not
eno ugh deceler ation th rough impac t to the front
of the vehicle . T he same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
proper ly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body .
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de­
scribed in this chapter .
.,. Make s ure that your safety belts are always
ready fo r use and are not damaged .