2016 AUDI A3 light

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..... I.Cl ..... How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
Fig. 172 Ill ustra tion of prin ciple : Inflated s ide cur ta in air ­
bags on th e left side ( example )
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi­
cle that is st ruck in a side collision
¢ fig. 1 72 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side cur tain airbag mus t inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The side curtain airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supple­
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especially to children
9 page 209.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion " the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the vehicle.
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
properly wear safety belts 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
do their job to provide supplemental protection.
A WARNING ~
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference .
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use only genuine Audi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the side
windows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc . are at ­
tached to the sun visors. They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cur­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fraction of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a side curtain airbag.
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept clear at all times. Make sure there are no
objects, pets, or other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time.
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.
207

Child safety
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 airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-Forward-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious
personal 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 following special
precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its
manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer'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 instructions require the top tether strap to be used.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
-Always set the safety belt upper anchor­
age to the adjustment position that per­
mits proper installation in accordance
with the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
- 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
child restraint. The backrest must be ad ­
justed to an upright position .
- 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 .
210
-Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measured by the capaci­
tive 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, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
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 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 oth­
er 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, immediate­ ly install the forward-facing child 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 a vehi­
cle ¢
page 176, Safety belts, ¢ page 184,
Airbag system
and ¢ page 209, Impor­
tant information.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.

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0 > co ,...., Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance w ith United States
F edera l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ( FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your veh icle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has been certified to meet the "low-risk" require ­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"s uppress ion " req uirements of the Safety Stand­
a rd, to turn off the front ai rbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
E ven though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad ·
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always ride
in the back seat properly restra ined for their age
and si ze. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a
child to r ide . The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat .
It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
l arger child in a rearward -facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced A irbag System has a ca ­
pac itive passenger detect io n system in the front
passenger seat cush ion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a child in a ch ild restraint sys­
tem on this seat .
The capacit ive passenger detection system regis­
ters the changes that result in an electrical fie ld
when a ch ild, a child restra int, and a baby blanket
are on the front passenge r seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby b lanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child restraint system resting on the seat. The meas­
ured capacitance of a child restraint system var-
Ch ild safety
ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and mode l.
T he elect rical capac itance of the va rious types,
makes, and models of chi ld restra ints specified
by the U.S .National Highway Traff ic Safety Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typ ical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat w it h a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance measured by the capacitive passenge r detection
system with the data stored in the electronic co n­
t rol unit.
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the ch ild restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been cert ified by its manu ­
facturer for use w ith an airbag . Always be sure
that the c hild rest raint is p roperly installed at
one of the rear seating positions . If in exception­
al circumstances you must use it on the front
passenge r seat, carefu lly read a ll of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and heed all of the applicable WARNINGS . Make cer ­
tain that the chi ld and child restraint are correct­
ly recognized by the capac itive passenger detec­
t ion system in the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger a irbag is turned off, and that the
airbag status is always correctly s ignaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light .
Many types and models of child restra ints have
been available over the years, new models are in ­
troduced regu larly incorporating new and im­
proved designs and older models a re take n out of
production. Child restra ints are no t standa rdized.
Child res tra ints of the same type typically have
different weights and sizes and different "foot­
prints", the size and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that sits on th e seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These d ifferences
make it virtually impossib le to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced a irbags w ith
each and every child restra int that has ever been ..,.
21 1

Child safet y
sold in the past or will be sold ove r the course of
the useful life of your vehicle.
F or this reason, the U nited States National High­
way Traffic Safety Adm inis tration has p ublished a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to certify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requ irements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A - Car bed child re straint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Angel Guard Angel September 25, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Subp art B -Rear-facing child restr aint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
E venflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
jus t Right 21 2
Evenflo First Cho ice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457
December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo V iag- September 25, 2007
gio SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward -facing and convertib le
child restraint s
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco S umm it Deluxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booste r
2 2-262
Cosco High Back Boos- September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
212
Model Manufactured on or
after
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
E venflo Meda llion 254 December 1, 1999
Evenflo Generat ions September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a ch ild re­
stra int is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ign ition is swi tched on.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear sea t positions i f the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG
OFF light does no t stay on .
-Have the ai rbag system in spec ted by y our
author ized Audi dealer immed iate ly.
(D Tips
The child seats listed in categor ies A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad­
van ced A irbag fun ction.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety sea ts substantially re ­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the dr iver, yo u are responsib le for the safety
of eve rybody in the veh icle, e speci ally childre n:
.,. Always use the right c hild safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
~ page 215.
.,. Always carefully follow t he chi ld safety seat
man ufac turer's ins truc tions on how to route
t he sa fety belt properly th ro ugh the ch ild safe ­
ty seat.
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child sa fety seat, yo u must first activate the
convertib le locking retracto r on the safety belt
Ill-

Child safety
-Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat o r carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore a nd aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be­
fore insta lling the child restraint.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenge r's seat from be ing
moved to the rearmost posit ion in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Always make sure that the back rest is in
the upr ight position.
- Never place or use any e lectr ica l device
(such as a laptop, CD player, e lectron ic
g ames device, power inve rter or sea t heat­
er for ch ild seats) on the front passenger
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 passenger
seat, never install any chi ld restraint sys­
tem on th is seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth­
er liqu ids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p layer, electron ic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measured by the capaci­ tive passenge r detection system and can
a lso fly around in an accident and cause
serio us personal in jury.
- Always bu ckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collisio n.
- Always re ad a nd heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢ page 176, Safety belts,
214
c::> page 184, Airbag system and
c::> page 209 , Child safety.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a ch ild re­
stra int is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ign ition is switched on.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does no t stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iate ly.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fi g. 173 Schema tic overv iew: keep unused safety belts
away from children in c hild safety seats.@· outer rear
safety belt,@· ce nter rear safety belt*
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
must be sec ured so
that the c hild in the child rest raint cannot reach
them
c::> _&. .
- Guide the safety belt webbings @and @* be­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restra int is installed
c::> fig. 173. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convert ible locking
ret ra ctor! You should not hear a "cl icking"
sound when winding up the sa fe ty belt.
- Let the belt ret racto r wind up the safety belt
webbing.

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_& WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or w ith the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
co uld cause the ch ild ser ious personal inj ury
and even death .
- Always se cure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of ch ildren in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convertible locking re ­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash .
Fig. 174 Schematic overv iew: rearwa rd-facing infant seat,
properly installed on the rear seat
• When using the vehicle safety be lt to install a
ch ild safety sea t, you must first activate the
co nve rtible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safe ty seat from moving
r=.> page 219 or install the seat using the LA TCH
attachments .
• Push the child safety seat down with your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt rea lly t ight so that
Child sa fety
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
• Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
r::;, page 214.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carr iers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restra ints in wh ich the
child faces the back of the vehicle . These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig . 174.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous place for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
c h ild in a forward-fac ing c hild seat.
It is a very
dange ro u s p lace for an infant or a la rger ch ild in
a rearward-facing sea t.
_& WARNING
-
No t usi ng a child sa fety seat, using t he wrong
chi ld safety seat or imprope rly installing a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat -even w ith an Advanced A irbag System .
A child will be serious ly injured and can be
killed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child agai nst the ba ckrest, center armrest,
door or roof
r::!.> page 185, Child restraints on
t he front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-fac ing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat .
- Never install a rear-fac ing ch ild restraint in
the forward-fac ing direction. Such restrain ts
are des igned for the special needs of infants
and ve ry small children and cannot protect
them proper ly if the seat is forward-facing.
- If you m ust install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BA G OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
215

Child safety
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CO player, electronic
games dev ice, power inverte r or s eat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­ erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any ch ild rest raint system on
this seat .
- Make s ure that there are no wet objects
(s uch 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 dev ice,
power inverter or seat hea ter for child
seats) . These may influence the e lectr ica l
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas­
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and ca use serio us per­
sonal injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a veh icle is
being used
¢ page 176, Safety belts,
i::> page 184 , Airbag system and
c:::;, page 209, Important information .
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safe ty sea ts con
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs . (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash.
F ig. 1 75 Schema tic overv iew : in stallat io n of the a ttac h­
m ents app lica ble to a LATCH seat
216
F ig. 17 6 Schem at ic ove rv iew: in stallat ion of t he seat usin g
t he vehicle's sa fety bel t system
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c:::;, poge 219 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.,. Push the chi ld safety sea t down with you r full
weigh t to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move fo rward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm)
¢ page 219.
.,. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether ancho rs
c:::;, poge225 .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c:::;, poge 214.
A toddler o r child is usually too large for an in­
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg).
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be
properly restrained in a child safety seat certified
for their size and we ight
c:::;, fig . 175 and
¢ fig. 176.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potent ially dangerous place for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
ch ild in a forward-fac ing ch ild safety seat .
It is a
very dangerous place for an infant or a large r
ch ild in a rea rward-faci ng seat .
& WARNING
Not using a child safe ty se at, us ing t he wrong
chi ld safety seat or improperly insta lling a
chi ld restraint increases the risk of serious

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., personal injury and death in a collision or oth­
er emergency situation.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the bac krest, center arm rest, door
or roo f.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGE R AIR B AG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos it ioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
- For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat with the head restra int in place ¢
page 60. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving w ithout head
restra ints or w ith head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is being used ¢
page 176, Safety belts,
¢ page 184, Airbag system
and
¢ page 209, Important information.
A WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restra int on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
Ch ild safety
well-being req uire that the following special
precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
des igned and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier .
- Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost pos ition of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and as
far away from the airbag as possible before
installing the ch ild rest raint .
- Always make sure that nothing prevents the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rea rmost pos ition in its fore and aft ad­
justment range .
- Always make sure the backrest is in an up­
right position .
- Never p lace or use any electr ica l device
(such as a laptop , CD player, e lectron ic
games device , power inve rter or sea t heater
for child sea ts) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12 -volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- I f a seat heater has been retrofi tted or o th­
erwise added to the front passenger seat, never install any child restra int 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 cush ion.
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p layer, electronic games device,
power inverter o r seat heater for ch ild
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas­
senger detect ion system and can also fly
aro und in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is swit ched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
no t come on and stay on, immediately in­
s tall the forward-fac ing ch ild seat at a sea t-
ing position on the rear seat and have the ...,
217