2016 AUDI A3 Owner´s Manual

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0 > co ,...., -If, in exceptiona l circumstances, you must
insta ll a forward-fac ing ch il d restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost pos ition in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possib le . The backrest
must be ad justed to an up right posit ion.
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 ad ult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adu lt is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seat ing pos itions .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transport ing anyone on
the front passenger seat .
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenge r
side w ill be tu rned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Pa rts of t he air bag system are i nstalled at many
d ifferen t places on your Aud i. Insta lling , remov­
ing, servi cing or repa iring a part in an area of the
ve hicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a co llision .
There are some important things you have to
know to mak e sure that the effectiveness of the
system wi ll not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or poll ute the
env ironment.
A WARNING
Improper care, serv icing and repa ir proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de-
-
Airb ag sys tem
ploying when needed or deploy ing an a irbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel ho rn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any ob jects s uch as c up ho lders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the a irbag un its.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instr ument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with p lain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cove r or change
the st iffness o r strength of the material so
that the ai rbag cannot deploy and p rotect
p rope rly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of
the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, inst rument
panel, front seats or e lectr ica l system ( in­
cludi ng the ins tall ation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular telephones and C B radios , etc.)
m ust be performed by a qualif ied techn ic ian
who has the t raining and spec ial equ ipment
necessary.
- For any wo rk on the airbag system, we
strong ly recommend that you see yo ur au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop .
- Never modify the front bumpe r or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the s ide a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholste ry ove r the front seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi .
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cove r the areas where the sid e airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an au thori ze d Aud i dealer .
- The airb ag system can deploy on ly once. Af­
ter an airb ag h as been deployed, i t must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approve d espec ially for your
Audi mo del version . Replacement of com­
p lete airbag systems or airbag components
199

Airbag syste m
must be performed by qualified workshops
only. Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Aud i Warranty
&
Maintena nce booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechn ic circuit
in terrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to
perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicab le safety precautions
must be followed .
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension ­
ers might be classified as Perch lorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­ rate . When the veh icle o r parts of the re­
stra int system including airbag modules and
safety belts w it h pretensioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regu lations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
m iliar with these requirements and we recom ­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
serv ice for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For e xamp le, using t ire -r im
comb inations no t approved by Audi, lowering t he
veh icle, chang ing the stiffness o f the suspe nsio n,
i n cluding the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic contro l unit . Some suspens ion changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in c rashes in w hich it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other ki nds of
200
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
i ng when it should .
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim comb inations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in­
crease the r isk of serious personal injury in a
crash .
- Never install suspension components that do not have the same performance charac­
ter istics as the components origina lly instal­
led on your vehicle.
- Never use tire-r im combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
Knee airbags
Description of knee airbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig . 16 7 D river 's knee a irbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
u nderneath the s teer ing whee l¢
fig. 167, the
airbag fo r the passenger is at about the same
height in the i nstr ument panel underneath the
glove compa rtment.
The knee airbag offers add itiona l protect ion to
the d river's and passenge r's knees and uppe r and
l ower thigh areas a nd sup plements the p rotec­
t ion prov ided by the safety belts .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee a irbags also
deploy in fron tal coll is ions when t he deployment ..,_

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threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 194, More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
posit ion in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can prov ide supplemental protection.
The airbag system is not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do so ¢
page 176, Gener­
al notes .
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain k inds of accidents -your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed, for
example when yo ur vehicle str ikes or is str uck by
anothe r after t he f irst collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
n ot a substi tute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts . Therefore , a lways wear your
safety be lts correct ly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemen tal knee a irb ag sys tem is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inf lates.
The kn ee airbag sy stem basically con sist s of :
- T he elec tronic contro l module
- Two inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera -
tor), one for the drive r and one fo r the front
passenge r
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag s ystem will not deploy:
- when the ign ition is switched off
Airb ag sys tem
-in frontal co llisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side co llisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warn ing/
ind icator light is on)
¢ page 21.
.&, WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect io n when occupants are i n
the proper seat ing position ¢
page 194.
- If the a irbag ind icator light¢ page 21
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­ posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
Applies to vehicles: wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fi g. 168 Inflated a irbags protect ing in a frontal coll is ion
The knee airbag system has been des igned so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal coll is io ns when the deployment
threshold stored in the cont rol un it is met .
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a compressed propellant gas, and inflate between
the lower part of the instrument panel and the driver and the lower part of the instrument panel
and the front passenger
¢ page 194, fig. 165 . .,.
201

Airbag syste m
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
tremities .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The a irbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they deploy .
Fully inflated airbags in comb ination with proper­
ly worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of inju ry.
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
App lies to veh icles : with knee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . Always
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper
seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags
to provide supplemental protection .
,&. WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in ­
jury. Wearing safety bel ts incorrectly and im­
proper seating positions increase the r isk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locat ions. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
min imum safe distances:
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­ ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
202
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy.
- Always make sure that the knee a irbag can
inflate w ithout interference. Objects be­
tween you and the airbag can increase the
r isk of injury in an accident by interfering
w ith the way the airbag deploys or by being
pushed i nto you as the a irbag deploys.
- Never let anybody, especia lly children or
anima ls ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in serious or fatal injuries .
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot ­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­ senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopp ing
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper dep loyment of the a irbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Ma ke sure there are no crac ks, deep scratch­
es o r other damage in the area of the i nst ru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo ­
cated .
- If children are incorrec tly seated, their risk
of injury increases in a coll is ion
c:::> page 209, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants .
Fig. 169 S ide a irbag locatio n in the driver 's seat

,....,
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0 > co ,...., The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 169 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors.
The s ide airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inflate, part icular ly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The s ide airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly insta lled child re­
stra ints . Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child rest raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts ¢
page 176,
Airbag system ¢page 184, Child s afety
¢ page 209.
The side airbag system basically con sists of:
-the e lectron ic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the a irbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter .
T he airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicato r light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver 's, front and rear passenger's upper tor ­
so on the side of the veh icle that is struck in a
side coll is ion . T he a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pacts and o nly when the vehi cle acceleration reg­
i stered by the cont rol un it is h igh enough .
If this
rate is below the refe rence value programmed in­
to the cont rol unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
triggered , even thoug h the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos ­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact, s ince
the circumsta nces wi ll vary considerably between
one collision and another . Important fac to rs in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impact ing object, the angle of impact, vehicle
Airb ag sys tem
speed, etc. ¢ page 204, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir no rm al safety funct io n, safety
belts work to he lp keep the dr iver o r front pas­
senger in posi tion in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protectio n.
T he airbag system is
not a substi tute for you r
sa fety belt. Ra ther, i t is par t of the ove rall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wear ing it properly . This is another rea ­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so ¢
page 176, General notes .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other i nju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents -your safety belts are always
there to offer p rotection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage a re not necess aril y an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled airbag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
only once and only in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
-when the ignit ion is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
curtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
togethe r. .,..
203

Airbag syste m
_& WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system w ill only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 204 .
-If the airbag indicator light r::!;> page 21
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly 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.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 170 Side impact protect ion : inflated s ide a irbags (ex ­
amp le)
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG" .
It ex­
pands between the s ide trim panel and the pas­
senger . In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very high speed and with
great fo rce. The supplementa l side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­ plies especially to children
¢ page 209, Child
safety .
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
coll is ion
r::!;> fig. 170.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
204
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine d ust may develop when the a irbag dep loys.
This is norma l and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the side
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 act according ly to he lp the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental protect ion.
_& WARNING
An inflating side a irbag can cause serious or
fata l injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always s it in an upr ight position and never
l ean against the area where the supple-
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplementa l side airbag
i nflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the side a irbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never ins tall sea t covers or replacement
u pholstery ove r the fron t seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de- ploy . ..,.

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-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.
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de­ ploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­
ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this position.
-Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may interfere with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
Q page 209, Child safety.
- Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly measure increasing air pressure inside the
Airbag system
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels
removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
othe r equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants.
Fig. 171 Sid e curta in airbags, driver's side : sid e curta in air­
bag locat ion (example)
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win­
dows
Q fig. 171 . They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame and the cen­
ter roof pillar.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi-
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle ..,.
205

Airbag syste m
interior in certain side impacts and vehicle
rollovers.
The s ide curta in a irbag system supplements the
safety belts and can he lp to reduce the r is k of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in a side co lli­
sion. The side curtain airbag inflates in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control un it, the side curta in a irbag w ill
not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision.
It is
not possib le to define an airbag trigger ing range
that will cover every poss ible angle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerab ly be ­
tween one collision and another . Important fac­
tors incl ude, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the ang le of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
q page 207, How side
curtain airbags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
membe r th at the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you a re wearing your safety belt
and wear ing it properly . T his is anothe r reason
why you should a lways wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
q page 176, General notes.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curtai n airbag system is des igned to he lp red uce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, b ruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents -your safety be lts are
always there to offer protection .
206
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of :
-The e lectronic cont ro l mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigat ion fea­
tures
- The ai rbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is mon itored e lectron ica lly to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each t ime you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system ind icator light will come on for a
few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is switched off,
- in side collisions whe n the accele ration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rea r-end co llisions .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the air bag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
q page 58,
Front seats.
- I f the airbag ind icator light q page 21
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.