2016 AUDI Q3 airbag off

Seats and storage
To switch the cooling off
.,. Turn the rotary switch @clockwise to switch
the cooling off.
The cooling box works only in the cooling mode.
If the climate control is in the heating mode, we
recommend switching the cooling box off.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of personal injury in an acci­
dent or sudden stop, always keep the glove
compartment closed while driving.
Additional storage
There are a variety of storage compartments and
fasteners in various places in the vehicle.
- In the front center console.
- At the front end of the front seats*. You can
store objects weighing up to 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) in
the drawer and objects weighing up to 2.2 lbs (1 kg) in the hinged compartment.
- In the door trim.
- Coat hooks next to and above the rear doors.
- Nets* on the backrests of the front seats.
- Coat hooks/retaining hooks in the luggage
compartment.
& WARNING
- When driving, do not leave any hard objects
on the rear window shelf or allow your pet
to sit on the shelf. They could become a haz­
ard for vehicle occupants in the event of
sudden braking or a crash.
- Always remove objects from the instrument
panel. Any items not stored could slide
around inside the vehicle while driving or
when accelerating or when applying the
brakes or when driving around a corner.
- When you are driving make sure that any­
thing you may have placed in the center con­
sole or other storage locations cannot fall
out into the footwells. In case of sudden
braking you would not be able to brake or
accelerate.
- Any articles of clothing that you have hung
up must not interfere with the driver's view.
56
The coat hooks are designed only for light­
weight clothing. Never hang any clothing
with hard, pointed or heavy objects in the pockets on the coat hooks. During sudden
braking or in an accident - especially if the
airbag is deployed - these objects could in­
jure any passengers inside the vehicle.
- To reduce the risk of personal injury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
glove compartment closed while driving.
- Read and follow all WARNINGS
~ page 128, Important safety instructions
on the side airbag system.
-Hang clothes in such a way that they do not
impair the driver's vision.
- The coat hooks must only be used for light­
weight clothing. Do not leave any heavy or
sharp edged objects in the pockets which
may interfere with the side curtain airbag
deployment and can cause personal injury in
a crash.
- Do not use coat hangers for hanging cloth­
ing on the coat hooks as this can interfere
with proper deployment of the side curtain airbags in an accident.
- Do not hang heavy objects on the coat
hooks, as they could cause personal injury in
a sudden stop.
- Always keep the compartment above the
rearview mirror closed while driving to re­
duce the risk of injury in the event of sudden
braking maneuvers or a collision.
(D Note
Objects located on the rear shelf that rub
against the rear window could damage the heating wires for the rear window defogger.
(D Tips
-A vent slot is located between the shelf and
the rear window. Do not block the vent with
any items you may place on the rear window
shelf.
- Do not place bulky items on the rear window shelf as they could restrict or block the driv­
er's vision in the rear view mirror.

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Driving
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
The steering wheel position is fully adjus table up
and down and forward and back .
Fig. 77 Lever under the ste ering column
Fi rst, ad just t he driver 's sea t correct ly.
• Pull the lever ~
fig. 77 ~ .&,.
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired posi­
t ion.
• Push the lever against the steeri ng column un-
ti l it locks .
There must be a t least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween your chest and the center of the stee rin g
wheel. If yo u cannot sit mo re than 10 inches (25
cm) from the steering whee l, see if adaptive
equipment is available to help you reach the ped­
als and increase the distance from the steering
wheel.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
~ page 50 .
.&_ WARNING
Improper use of steer ing whee l adjustment
and improper seating position can cause ser i­
ous pe rsonal injury.
- Adjust the steer ing whee l co lumn on ly w hen
the vehicle is not mov ing to prevent loss of
vehicle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel so
that there is a min imum of 10 inches (25
cm) betwee n your chest and t he s teer ing
wheel
~page 96, fig. 107 . If you cannot
-
Drivi ng
maintain t his minim um distance, the airbag
system cannot p rotect yo u proper ly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from sit­
ting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from the
steer ing whee l, check with your author ized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is
ava ilable.
- If the steer ing whee l is aligned w ith your
face, the supplementa l driver's a irbag can­
not provide as much protect io n in an acc i­
dent. Always make sure that the steer ing
wheel is aligned with you r chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o' clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of pe rso nal injur y if
the dr iver's a irbag dep loys .
- Never ho ld the stee ring wheel at the 12
o'cl ock position or wi th you r hands inside
the stee rin g wheel rim or on the s teer ing
wheel h ub. Holding the stee ring w heel the
wrong way can cause serious inj uries to the
hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag
deploys .
Starting and stopping
the engine (vehicles with
an ignition lock)
Starting the engine
Applies to veh icles: w it h ign ition lock
The ignition is switched on and the engine start­
ed with the key in the ignition.
Fig. 78 Ignit io n lock: positio n of th e ig ni tion key
Switching the ignition on /off
• To switch t he ignit ion on, t urn the igni tion key
to position
(D . ..,.
67

Driving sa fe ty
-Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument pane l, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
c rease the risk of injury in a crash .
- Never dr ive with the backrest reclined or
t il ted far bac k! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of in ju ry due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and imp roper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats r=;,
page 132 . Special pre caut ions ap­
ply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the
front passenger seat r=;,
page 112.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright wi th both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve ­
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an inco rrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow­
ing :
~ Make su re that the seatback is secu rely latched
in the upright pos ition r=;,
page 59.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing pos it ion, slide the center head restra int up­
ward at least to the next notch
c:> page 52 .
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell i n front of
the rear seat.
~ Fasten and wea r safety be lts p roperly
r:=;, page 107.
~ Make s ure that children are always properly re­
strained in a c hild rest raint t hat is appropriate
f or their size and age r=;,
page 132.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and wea r the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
98
- Safety belts only offer maximum protect ion
when the seatback is securely latched in the upright pos ition and the safety belts are
properly posit ioned on the body . By not sit­
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from imprope rly
posi tioned safety belts!
- Always ad just the head restra int properly so
that it can give maximum p rotection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor­
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fi g. 10 8 Head restra int: v iewed from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
~ Adjust the head res traints so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of you r head. If
that is not possible, t ry to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this pos it ion as
possible r=;,
fig. 108.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing position, slide the center head restraint up ­
wa rd at least to the nex t notch .
Adjust ing head restraints r=;,
page 51.
A WARNING -
All seats are equipped w ith head restraints.
Driving w ithout head restraints or w ith head
rest raints tha t are not prope rly adjusted in­
creases the r isk of se rious or fata l neck injury
d ra mat ic al ly. To help reduce t he risk of injury:
Ill-

-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as
even as possible with the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to th is position
as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea·
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at·
tempting to adjust the head restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a ch ild restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
qpoge 132.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in·
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body . Im·
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit·
ical areas of the body. Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu·
pants and especially for children . Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition when the vehicle is being used
¢ ,&. .
The following bulletins list only some sample po·
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating posit ions that
are dangerous.
Driving safety
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never s it sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occupants stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mot or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without in·
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners .
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav­
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop .
A WARNING
-
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri·
ous injury. ""
99

Safe ty belts
instrument panel, windshield, or whatever else is
in the way
r:!> fig. 113. This impact with the vehi­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be­
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection . Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
protection. A irbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the driver, must wear safety belts cor­
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protect ion in those accidents in wh ic h
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed . Unbel ted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the veh icle where eve n
mo re severe or fatal injuries can occur .
It is also important for the rear pass engers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passengers
i n t he re ar seats endanger no t on ly themse lves
but also the drive r and other passengers
~ fig . 114. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true!
F ig . 11 5 Driver is co rrectly restrai ned in a sudde n brak ing
m aneu ver
Safety belts used properly can make a b ig d iffer­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
106
plied to the body in an accident , and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri­
ous injuries. In add ition, sa fety belts red uce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and g ive
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" thro ugh the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety feat ures engi­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inet ic energy over a longer per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerab le" and less likely to cause inju ry .
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety be lts ca n also substantially re ­
duce the r isk o f injury in ot her kinds of crashes .
So, whethe r yo u're on a long trip or just goi ng to
the cor ne r store, a lways b uckle up and make s ure
othe rs do, too. Ac ciden t st at ist ics show that veh i­
cle o ccupants prope rly wearing safety bel ts have
a lowe r risk of being injured and a m uch better
chance of surviving an acc ident . Properly using
safety be lts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
li sion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags, for examp le, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i­
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear co l­
li sions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceler ation throug h impa ct to the front
of the vehicle . The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly rest rained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safe ty belts must always be correctly positioned
acros s the strongest bones of your body .
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de ­
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety be lts are always
ready fo r use a nd are not damaged .

Airbag syste m
Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints . For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop ­
er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
ge rs , before driving off, always :
"' Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 96,
"' Adjust the front passenge r's seat properly
¢ page 50,
"'Wear safety belts p roperly ¢ page 106 ,
"'Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children ¢
page 132.
In a coll is io n ai rbags must inflate wi thin the b link
of an eye and with cons iderable force . The sup ­
p lemental airbags can ca use injuries if the driver
or the front seat passenger is not seated proper·
Ly. T herefore in order to help the airbag to do its
job, it is important, both as a dr iver and as a pas­
senger to sit properly at all t imes .
By keeping room between yo ur body and the
steering whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the a irbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protect ion
in certain frontal collis ions ¢
page 96, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
¢ page SO.
It's especially important that children a re proper ­
ly restra ined
¢ page 132 .
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the ind iv idual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system .
Proper seating posit ion is important so that the
front airbag on the drive r side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or cond ition that
prevents you from s itting properly on the driver
seat with the safety be lt properly fastened and
112
reaching the peda ls, special modifications to
your vehicle may be necessary.
Contact yo ur autho rized Aud i dea le r, or call A udi
C u stomer Rela tions at 1-800 -82 2-2834.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, b reak open the padded cov­
ers, and inflate betwee n the steeri ng wheel and
the driver and between the inst rument panel and
the front passenger . The a irbags w ill deflate im­
mediate ly after dep loyment so t hat the front oc ­
cupants can see through the windsh ie ld again
without interruption.
A ll of th is takes p lace in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be i n the ir way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and lim it the occupant's forward move­
ment . T ogether they he lp to prevent the driver
a nd front seat passenger from h itti ng pa rts of
t h e inside the veh icle w hile reducing the fo rces
acti ng on the occupant dur ing the cras h. In th is
way they help to reduce the risk of inju ry to the
head and uppe r body i n the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions. The trigge ring of the airbag system de ­
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collis ion and registered by the electronic con­
tro l unit . If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the contro l unit, the airbags
will not be trigge red, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a resu lt of the co llision . Vehi­
cle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack of vehi­
cl e damage is not necessari ly an indica tion of
whethe r an a irbag should inflate o r not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cove r every possible k ind and an­
gle of impa ct that will always tr igger the airbags,
s ince the circumst ances w ill vary cons iderably be ­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the natu re (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angl e of
i mpact, vehicle speed, etc . The front airbags will ..,_

also not inflate in side or rear collisions, or in
ro ll-overs.
A lwa ys rememb er: Airbags will deploy only o nce,
and on ly in certain kinds of coll is ions. Your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have a lready deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most effect ively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
r:::;,page 104.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l or in­
st rument panel will decrease the effect ive­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
o f persona l injury in a co llision.
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit mo re than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the steering wheel, inves ti­
gate whethe r adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- All veh icle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restra ined child could be injured by stri king
the inte rior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle d uring a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or imp roperly restrained
child is also at greate r risk of inju ry or death
through contact with an inflating airbag .
-If you are unrest rained, leaning fo rwa rd, s it­
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is mu ch h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
c ou ld even be killed if you are up ag ainst the
airbag or too close to it w hen it inf lates -
even with an Advanced Ai rbag.
-
Airb ag sys tem
-To reduce the r is k of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear sa fety belts prope rly
r:::;, page 107, Safety belts.
-Always make certain that children age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­
dren are not properly restrained, they may be severely injured or killed when an airbag
inflates.
- Never let children r ide unrestrained or im­
p roperly restrained in the vehicle. Ad just the
front seats properly.
- Never ride with the back rest recl ined .
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
r:::;, page 96.
-Always sit upright w ith your back against
the backrest of your seat .
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on t he seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent ser ious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to
transpo rt objects , Items can also mo ve in to
the area of the s ide a irbag or the front air­
b ag d uring braking o r in a sudden maneu­
ver. Obje cts ne ar the airbags can be come
p roject iles and cause injury when an airbag
inflates .
A WARNING ,.___ -
Airbags that have deployed in a crash m ust be
replaced.
- Use on ly original equipment airbags ap­
proved by A udi and installed by a t rained
technician who has the necessary tools and
d iagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assure system
effect iveness in a crash .
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be s ure to read the impo rtan t in format ion and
he ad the WARN INGS for impo rtant deta ils
113

Airbag system
about children and Advanced Airbags
c:>page 132.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System, make certain that all chil­
dren, especially those 12 years and younger, al­
ways ride in the back seat proper ly restrained for
their age and size. The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride. 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 child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been cert ified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applica­
b le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
According to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger side has been
certified for "suppression" for infants of about
12 month old and younger and for "low risk de­
ployment" for children aged 3 to 6 years o ld (as
defined in the standard) .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru­
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you switch on the ignition, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
-will stay on if there is a small chi ld or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat
c:> page 122, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control unit detects a tota l we ight on
the front passenger seat that requires the front
airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year-old child but
114
less than the weight of a sma ll adult, the front
airbag on the passenger side can dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on). If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has not been turned off by the electron ic
control unit and can deploy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the conditions stor­
ed in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typica l 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed
c:> page 134), o r
- a child who has outgrown ch ild restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
i nstrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) even if a small adult
or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting up­
right with their back against a non-reclined back­
rest with the ir feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat
c:> page 96, Proper seating position for the driver.
If the front passenger a irbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to reduce the r isk of in­
jury through interact ion w ith the airbag. "Low
risk" deployment occurs in those crashes that
take place a t lower decelerations as defined in
the e lectronic control unit
c:> page 122, PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carrier installed on the front seat may be struck
and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflat­
i ng passenger's airbag in a frontal collision . The
airbag could greatly reduce the effectiveness of
the child restraint and even seriously injure the
ch ild during inflation.
For this reason, and because the back seat is the
safest place for children -when proper ly restrain­
ed according to their age and size -we strongly
Ill>