2016 AUDI A3 airbag

Child safety
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size.
.&_ WARNING
-
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
- Always make sure that the safety belt re­
tractor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retrac­
tor cannot hold the child safety seat in place during normal driving or in a crash.
-Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it . A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always make sure that the rear seat back­
rest to which the center rear safety belt* is
attached is securely latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used to se­
cure a child restraint.
- If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
- It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
220
being used¢ page 209. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 185, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
.&_ WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re­
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep­
tional situations:
- Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described ¢
page 196, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System.
- Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
- Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection .
- An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere wi th the airbag as it deploys and
seriously injure or even kill the child.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier .
- After checking to make sure that the child
restraint is properly installed, make certain
that the child restraint is correctly recog­
nized by the capacitive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the correct front passenger frontal airbag
status.
_&. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
-

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., -Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possib le before installing the for­
ward-facing child restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an up right posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PASSEN GER AI R BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
_& WARNING
Rearwa rd-facing child restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rea rwa rd-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional c ir­
cumstances.
- Make sure that the
PA SSEN GER AIR BA G
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSEN GER A IR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
stall the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a
rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i deale r.
Ch ild safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufacturer's
instruct ions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle. To activate the convertible locking retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably
on the rear seat.
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the w ay out .
.. Route it around or through the child restra int
be lt path
¢ & .
.. Push the ch ild safety seat down with you r full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
.. You should hear a ''cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con ­
vert ible lock ing retractor by pull ing on the belt.
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertib le loc kin g re­
t ractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the c hild restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
_& WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild rest raint o r an improp­
e rly inst alled child restra int can cause se rious
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tr actor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An un locked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in p lace
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round during
a sudden stop or in a crash. .,.
221

Child safety
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig. 184 A3 Sedan : Tethe r strap : prope r rout ing and
m oun ting
F ig . 185 A3 Sportback: Tet her st rap: p roper rout ing an d
m oun ting. (!) cent er, @ outs ide
Inst all ing th e teth er strap
"' ' ~ I 0 :> gi
,... Release or deploy the tether strap on the child
restra int according to the child restraint manu­
facturer's instructions .
,... Guide the upper tether strap
unde r the rear
head restraint (raise the head restraint if neces­
sary) ¢
fig. 184 (A3 Sedan) ¢ fig. 185
(A3 Sportback) .
,... A3 Sedan: T ilt the recess flap up to expose the
anchor bracket .
,... A3 Sedan: Attach the tether st rap anchorage
hook into the opening of the tether anchorage.
226
,... A3 Sportback: Unlock the backrest and fold it
slightly forward ¢
page 65 and locate the teth­
er anchor behind the rear seat backrest .
..
,... Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages .
,... Tighten the tether strap f irmly following the
child restra int manufacturer's instructions .
Releasing the tether str ap
,... Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
,... Depress the spr ing catch on the hook and re ­
lease it from the anchorage .
(D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backres t in the area where
the tether s trap was installed . T he upholstery
would a lso be permanently stretc hed around
the tether strap. This applies especially to
l eather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear -facing child restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
ch ild rest raint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determi ne how to p roperly in­
stall the te ther.
_.6 WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing ch ild safety seat
installed on the front passe nger seat will be
serious ly injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest , center arm rest, or
door.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your A udi dealer.
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of addit ional in­
formation about child restraint selection, instal­ l ation and use:
NHTSA advises that the best child safety seat is
the one that fits your ch ild and f its in your vehi­
cle, and that you will use correctly and consis­
tently .
Try before you buy!
U .S National Highway Traffic Safety Administra­
tion
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
www.nhtsa.gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www .safekids.org
Safety BeltSafe U.S.A
Tel. : (800) 745-SAFE ( English)
Tel.: (800) 747 -SANO (Spanish)
www .carseat.org
Transport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or call 1-613-998-8616 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http ://www .tc.gc .ca/ eng/roadsafety/menu.htm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel. : (800) 822-2834
Child safety
227

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., right brake fluid and the know-how to do this for
you.
A WARNING
- Brake fluid is poisonous. It must be stored
only in the closed original container out of
the reach of chi ldren!
- Brake failure can resu lt from old or inappro­
priate brake fluid. Observe these precau­
t ions:
- Use only brake flu id that meets SA E speci­
fication
J 1703 and conforms to Federal
Motor Vehicle Standard 116. Always check
with your authorized Audi dealer to make
sure you are using the correct brake fluid.
The correct type of brake fluid is also indi­
cated on the brake flu id reservoir.
- The brake fluid must be new. Heavy use of
the brakes can cause a vapor lock if the
brake fluid is left in the system too long.
This can ser iously affect the efficiency of
the brakes as well as your safety. This
could result in an acc ident.
(D Note
Brake fluid w ill damage the pa int of your vehi­
cle.
For the sake of the environment
Because of the prob lem of proper disposal of
brake flu id as well as the special tools re­
quired and the necessary expertise, we rec­
ommend that you have the brake fluid
changed by your author ized Audi dealer.
Battery
General information
All work on the battery requires expert knowl­
edge.
Read and foll ow t he WARNING S before check­
ing anything in the engine compartment
¢ page 236, Working in the engine comport ­
ment.
Ch eck ing and Filling
Plug -in hybrid drive* : you can find important in ­
formation about the high -vo ltage battery under
¢ page 98.
The battery in yo ur Audi does not need any ma in­
tenance under
normal operating conditions . Audi
recommends having the electrolyte level check
by an authorized Audi dealer or author ized Audi
Service Facility when there are
high outside tem­
peratures or when dr iving all day. The e lectrolyte
level should also be checked each time the bat ­
tery is charged¢
page 249.
Have the battery checked when you bring your ve­
hicle in for an inspection. It is a good idea to re­
place the battery if it is more than 5 years old.
D uring certa in types of a irbag deployments, the
battery is d isconnected from the veh icle electri­
cal system for safety reasons¢
& in Repair, core
and disposal of the airbags on page 199.
Di sco nnecting the battery te rminal s
The battery should not be disconnected. Several
vehicle functions (power windows, for example)
will be lost when the battery is disconnected. The
funct ions must be reprogrammed after connect­
ing the battery. To avoid this, the battery should
only be disconnected from the vehicle electrical
system when it is absolutely necessary.
To reprogram the functions, proceed as follows:
Function Reprogramming
Power window one-¢ page 44, Correcting
touch up/down func-power window molfunc-
tion tions
Remote control key or
If the vehicle does not
Convenience key react to the key, it must
be synchronized
¢page 37
Dig ita l clock ¢page 10
ESC indicator light The indicator light goes
out after driving a few
meters
247

.... N
Fuses and bulbs
Electrical fuses
Replacing fuses
A fuse that has blown will have metal strips tha t
have burned through .
Fig. 224 Steer ing colu mn area : cove r
Fig. 225 Left side of the engin e com partment : fus e cover
Fuses in the interior
The fuses are behind the cover in the steering
column area
¢fig. 224.
• Switch the ign ition and all electr ical equipment
off .
• Check the following table to see which fuse be­
longs to the equipment
r::!.> page 292.
• Remove the cover ("AIRBAG" label)
¢ fig. 224.
Begin at the bottom right corner -arrow- .
• Remove the plastic clip from the fuse panel
cover in the engine compartment ¢
fig. 225.
• Remove the fuse using the plastic clamp.
• Replace the burned fuse with an identical new
one .
• Install the cover .
~ Fuses in the engine compartment CX)
rl
~ •Turnoff the ignition and the failed electrical
~ equipment . ....
Fuses and bulbs
• Check the following table to see which fuse be­
longs to the equipment¢
page 293.
• Remove the fuse panel cover r::!.> fig. 225.
• Remove the plastic clip from the fuse panel
cover¢
fig . 225 .
• Remove the fuse using the plastic clamp .
• Replace the burned fuse with an identical new
one .
• Reinstall the cover.
The individual circu its are protected by safety
fuses . The fuses are located under the steering
wheel beh ind a cover and in the left side of the
engine compartment .
Fuse color identification
Color Current rating
in amps
Black 1
Purple 3
Light brown 5
Brown 7.5
Red 10
Blue 15
Yellow 20
White or transparent 25
Green 30
orange 40
A WARNING
Do not repair fuses and never replace a blown
fuse with one that has a higher amp rating .
This can cause damage to the electr ical sys­
tem and a fire.
(D Note
If a new fuse burns out again shortly after you
have installed it, have the electrical system
checked as soon as possible by an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty.
(0 Tips
- Th e following table does not list fuse loca­
tions that are not used.
291

Consumer inf orm ation
@ For the sake of the env ironment
- Changing the engine settings wi ll adversely
affect emission levels. Th is is detrimental to
the environment and increases fuel con­
sumption.
- A lways observe environmental regu lations
when disposing of old engine o il, used brake
fl ui d, d irty engine coolant, spent batteries
or worn out tires.
- Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers mig ht be classified as Perchlorate Mate­
rial -special handl ing may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
r ate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modu les
safety be lts wi th pretensioners are scrap­
ped, all applicab le laws and regulations
must be observed. Your authorized Audi
dealer is familiar with these requirements
and we recommend that you have your deal­ er perform this service for you.
Accessories and technical changes
Additional accessories and parts replacement
Always consult an authorized Audi dealer before
purchasing accessories.
Your vehicle incorporates the latest safety design
features ensuring a high standard of active and passive safety.
This safety could be comp romised by non-ap­
proved changes to the vehicle . For this reason, if
parts have to be replaced, please observe the fo l­
lowing points when insta lling addit ional accesso­
ries:
Approved Audi accessories and genuine Audi parts are available from author ized Audi dealers.
These dealers also have the necessary facilities,
too ls and trained specialists to install the parts
and accessories properly.
308
A WARNING
-
Using the wrong spare parts or using non-ap-
proved accessories can cause damage to the
vehicle and serious personal injury.
- Use only accessories expressly approved by
Aud i and genuine Audi spare parts
- These parts and accessor ies have been spe­
cially designed to be used on your vehicle.
- Never install accessor ies such as telephone
cradles or beverage holders on airbag covers
or w ith in the airbag deployment zones. Do­
ing so will increase the risk of injury if a ir­
bags are triggered in an accident!
- Before you check anything in the eng ine
compartment, always read and heed all
WARN INGS
Qpage 236.
(D Note
-If items other than genu ine Audi spare
parts, add-on equipment and accessory
items are used or if repair wor k is not per­
formed a ccording to specified methods, this
c an resul t in severe damage to you r vehi­
cle's eng ine and body (such as corrosion)
and adve rsely af fect your vehicle's war ranty.
- I f emergency repai rs must be performed
elsewhere, have the vehicle exam ined by an
authorized A udi dealer as soon as possib le .
- T he manuf acture r ca nnot be held liable for
damage which occurs d ue to failure to com ­
ply with these stipulations.
Technical Modifications '
Our guidelines must be complied with when tech ­
nical modifications are made .
Always consult an a uthorized Audi de aler bef ore
sta rt ing work on any modifica tions.
This will help ensure that vehicle fu nction, per­
fo rmance and safety are not impaired
Q ,& .
Attempting to work on electronic components
and the software used with them can cause mal­
funct io ns. Because of the way elect ronic compo­
nen ts a re interconnected with each othe r, such
malfunc tions c an also have an adverse affect on
othe r systems that are not d irectl y involved. This ..,.

Index
A
A/C
refer to Climate control system (automatic) .7.2
r e fer to Climate control system (manual) . 71
A/C (automat ic climate control system) . . . . 72
A/C (manual climate control system) . . . . . . 71
Accessories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62, 308
Active lane assist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Activating vibrat ion warn ing . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Adjusting steering t ime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
Clean ing the camera area . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
switching on and off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
Adapt ive cruise control. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Automatic transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Cleaning the sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Driver messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Request for driver intervention . . . . . . . . . 138
Stop-and-go traffic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
Adaptive dampers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Adapt ive light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46, 148
I ndicator l ight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
AdBlue .... .. .. ................... ... 234
Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Adjusting air distribution (Climate contro l sys-
tem) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Adjusting air vents .. ... ........ .. .. .. .. 74
Adjusting air vents (manual climate control
system) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Adjusting automatic headlights . . . . . . . . . . 48
Adjusting the center console lighting . . . . . . 50
Adjusting the temperature manual climate control system . . . . . . . . . . 71
advanced key
refer to Convenience key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
A irbag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
I ndicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
Advanced Airbag-System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
Advanced Airbag System components . . . 191
Care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Ch ildr en . .. .. ............... .... ... 211
Ch ild restraints ... .............. .... 211
310
Components (front airbags) . . . . . . . . . . . 191
Danger of fitting a chi ld seat on the front
passenger seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Disposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Front airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188, 189
How do the front airbags work? . . . . . . . . 194
How many airbags does my vehicle have? 191
How the Advanced Airbag System compo-
nents work together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Important informat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Kne e airbags. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light . . . . . . . . . 196
Repairs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Safety instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
S id e curtain airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Warning/Indicator lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
When must the system be inspected? . . . 196
Air transport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Alarm system
refer to Anti-theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . 35
Al ignmen t pin (tire chang ing) . . . . . . . . . . . 280
All-weather lights (LED headlights) . . . . . . . 46
All season tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
All wheel drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Alternator
refer to Alternator (indicator light) . . . . . . 20
Alternator (indicator light) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Ambient lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Anti-freeze Windshield washer system . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Sl
also refer to Engine coolant . . . . . . . . . . . 244
Anti- lock b raking system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Ant i-slip regulat ion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Indicator light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Anti -theft alarm system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Anti-theft protection Electronic immobilizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Audi active lane assist
refer to Active lane ass ist . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
Audi adaptive cruise control
refer to Adaptive cruise control . . . . . . . . 132