2015 AUDI S3 SEDAN airbag off

Airbag syste m
-An Advanced Airbag wi th gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument pane l for the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger dete ct ion system under­
neath the front passenge r seat cover. This sys ­
tem measures the e lectrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger s ide.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster¢
page 160.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respect ive seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation registered is sent cont inuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l¢
page 198 a nd tells you when the front
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been t urned off .
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the dr iver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the e lectronic
control unit .
_&. WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from work ing properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat w ill prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from funct ioning
properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the veh icle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
156
- Never carry sharp objects in yo ur poc kets or
put them on the seat. The capacitive pas­
senger detection mat in the front passenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc­
tured.
- Never carry things on you r lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob­
jects can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capac itive passenger detection
sy stem, so that in correct info rmation is pro­
vided to the airbag cont rol uni t.
- Never store items under the front passenger
se at. P arts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, p reventing t hem and the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking properly.
- Never p lace sea t covers or rep lacement up ­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats .
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air ­
bag System from recognizing c hild re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side a irbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erw ise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, pillows, b lankets, or
sim ila r items on the front passenger seat .
The additional layers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capacitance of the child safe­
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Adv ance d Airbag System from
wo rking properly .
- Never p lace or u se any e lectr ic al device
(s uc h a s a laptop, CD player, elec tronic
games device, power inve rter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12 -volt
socket or the cigarette lighter soc ket. Such
dev ices can influence the capac itance regis­
tered by the capac itive passe nger detection
system, so that incorrect info rmation is pro-
vided to the ai rbag cont rol unit.
~

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-If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man­
ufacturer's instructions requ ire the use of a
towel, foam cushion or someth ing else to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the
P A SSENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restrain t is ins talled on the fron t pas­
senger seat.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately in­
sta ll child restra int in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer .
&_ WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im­
mediately.
-If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work­ ing properly and may, for instance, deacti­
vate the passenger frontal a irbag. If th is
happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the a irbag indicator light
II in the inst ru­
me nt cluster.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, but has not
soa ked in, this may a lso keep the airbag sys­
tem from wor king proper ly and cause the
passenger fron tal ai rbag to be ena bled
(turned on), even tho ugh there is a properly
installed chi ld restraint system on the seat .
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat c u shion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger fronta l airbag is turned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will go
o ut.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The fron t Advanced A irbag Sys tem and the s ide
ai rbags supplement the pro tect ion offered by the
front three-point safety be lts with pretensioners
and load limiters and the adjustable head re­
straints* to he lp red uce the risk of in jury in a
wide range of acc ident and cras h situations. Be
Airbag syste m
su re to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter .
Deployment o f the Adv anced A irbag System and
the ac tivation of the sa fety belt pretensione rs de ­
pend on the dece lerat ion meas ured by the crash
sensors and registered by the e lectronic control
u nit . Cras h seve rity depends on speed and decel­
eration as we ll as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash .
On t he passenger side, regardless of safety belt
u se, the front passenger fronta l airbag will be
turned off if the electrical capacitance meas ured
by the capacitive passenger detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount programmed in the electronic control unit . T he
front passeng er fronta l airbag will a lso be turned
off if the capac itance meas ured by t he system for
the front passenger sea t eq uals tha t of an inf ant
of about one year o f age in one of t he chi ld seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208. The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag System on the passenger side has been turned
off c::>page 160 .
&_ WARNING
-To reduce the risk of in jury w hen an a irbag in-
flates, always wear safety belts prope rly .
- If you are unrestra ined, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of posit ion i n any way,
your r is k of injury is m uch higher.
- You will a lso receive se rious injur ies an d
could even be killed if you a re up aga inst th e
ai rbag or too close to i t when i t in flates -
even with an A dvan ced Airb ag
<=:> page 14 8.
157

Airb ag syst em
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 130 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
ai rbags can unfold properly and provide supple­
mental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the
d river and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been posit ioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as poss ible
from the a irbag,
- and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been properly adjusted .
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
placed on the seat could become dangerous pro­
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy .
It
could irritate sk in .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental a irbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swell ing, bruising and m inor abra­
sions, can also happen when a irbags inflate. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supplement the three­ point safety belts only in some frontal collisions
158
in which the vehicle dece le ration is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Front airbags will not depl oy:
- if the ignition is sw itched off when a c rash oc-
curs ,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end col lisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
old needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control unit.
The front pa ssenger a ir b ag als o will n ot
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the e lectrical capacitance measured by
the capacit ive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas ­
senger s ide frontal airbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the
PASSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light ¢ page 160 and how they
work comes on and stays on).
.&, WARNING
Sitt ing in the wrong position can increase the
risk of serious injury in cras hes.
- To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passenge rs must al­
ways sit in an upright position, must not lean aga inst or place any part of thei r body
too close to the area w here the airbags are
located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an eye
~ page 149 .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing ch ild seat insta l­
led on t he front passenger seat w ill be ser i­
ously injured and can be k illed if the front a ir­
bag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
Sys tem.
- The infla ting air bag will hit the ch ild seat o r
infant carrier wi th grea t fo rce and will

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smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear­
facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat. Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing braking or other sudden maneuvers and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air­
bag during braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never place or transport objects on the front passenger seat. Objects on the front passenger seat could cause the capacitive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
Airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in electric capacitance because of
such objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it should be off,
or can cause the airbag to work in a way that
is different from the way it would have
worked without objects on the seat.
-Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of an ob­
ject could cause the passenger front airbag to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is different from the way it would have
worked without the object on the seat.
_LD. WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for people with a
history of asthma or other breathing condi­
tions.
- To reduce the risk of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eating .
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
159

Airb ag syst em
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
:A Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSEN GER AIR
BAG OF F
light.
The Advanced Airbag System as we ll as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is
on . Every time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicator light
fl will come on for a
few seconds (function check) .
The sy stem mu st be inspe cted when t he
indicato r lig ht
II:
- does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ignition, or
- comes on while driving.
If an airbag system ma lf u nction is detected, the
indicator light will first start flashing to catch the
driver's attention and then stay on continuously
to serve as a constant reminder to have the sys­
tem inspected immediately .
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PA SSE NGE R
A IR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
.,&. WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ion ing prop­
erly cannot p rovide supplemental protect ion
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicato r light
c::> page 20
comes when the vehicle is be ing used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by yo ur
authorized Aud i dealer .
It is possible t hat
the a irbag will inflate when it is not s up­
posed to, or wi ll not inf late when it should.
160
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
Fig. 131 Center console: passe nge r air bag off warning
light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
r:!;> fig. 131.
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to te ll you when the front Advan ced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit. If the bulb fo r the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light b urns o ut, the
airbag indicator light
rl will come on to s ignal a
malfunction in the Advanced A irbag System. Al­
though the burned-out bulb will not change the
way the front passenger's frontal airbag works, it
will no longer be possible to use the
PASSENGER
A IR BAG OFF
light to make sure that the a irbag
on/off status is correct fo r the occupant on the
front passenger seat . Have the a irbag system in­
spected immed iately by your au thorized A ud i
dealer.
Th e P ASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 se cond s when :
- the ignition is sw itched on and
- the capacitive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron ­
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG O FF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the a irbag
status (on or off) as shown by the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
the front passenger seat . Always make sure that
the safety be lt for the front passenger seat is
proper ly fastened . .,..

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The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni·
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas­
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-fac ing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 wit h
wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle was certified; For a listing of the child re­
stra ints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢page 174.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and ...
- a car bed has been installed on the front pas­
senger seat, or
- a rearward-facing chi ld restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been insta l­
led on the front passenger seat,
- and if the electr ical capacitance regis tered on
the front passenger seat is equa l to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year ­
o ld infant and one of the rearward -facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with 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
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward -facing child restraint on the front pas ·
senger seat , the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restra int is at one of the seating po­
sitions on the rear seat ¢
page 149, Child re-
Airbag system
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 172 , 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 cer­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appea r 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 ign ition
off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
aga in;
- remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the chi ld restraint
manufacturer's instru ction s;
- make sure that the convertible locking retractor
on the s,;1fety belt fo r the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the sa fe ty belt has
been pu lled tight.
- make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater fo r child seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the ci garette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit ­
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
- make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob­
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cush ion.
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 continuously
(when the ignition is sw itched on),
111-
161

Airbag syste m
-take the chi ld restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the chi ld is properly restrained in a
child restra int that is appropriate for its si ze
and age .
The PA SSENGER AIR B AG light sh ould NOT
c ome on ...
The PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat . If the
PAS SENGER AIR B AG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes fo r about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan­
ces, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the ba ckrest 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 suppo rting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety belt is bei ng p roperly wor n and that
there is not a lot of s lack in the safety be lt web ­
bing,
- the re are no aftermarket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca­ pacitive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
.&_ WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SS ENGE R AI R BA G OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten­
t ion. If this happens, always stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri ­
bed above .
162
-If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is sitting on the front passenger seat
after tak ing the steps described above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger seat.
.&_ WARNING
-
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator light~
page 20
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should .
.&_ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or in a rearward -facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint that has not been proper ly installed
will be ser iously injured and can be killed.
- Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make ce rtain
that a ll children, especially 12 years and
younger, a lways ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for their age and size.
- Always install forward o r rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearwa rd-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSEN·
G ER AIR BAG OF F
light does not appear and
stay on, immediately install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dealer .
- If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the

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seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible . 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.
A WARNING
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi . Installing, remov­
ing , 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 discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
Airbag system
-Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened 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 deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
-All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding 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 au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- 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 replacement upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approved especially for your Audi model version. Replacement of complete
airbag systems or airbag components must be performed by qualified workshops only.
Make sure that any airbag service action is
163