2016 AUDI Q3 Door

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for example, the nature (hard or soft) of the im­
pacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
¢ page 128, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a side collision
so that the side airbags can provide protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle. Always re­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wearing your safety
belt and wearing it properly . This is another rea ­
son why you should always wear your safety be lts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
¢ page 104, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lem ental side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries , fo r example, swell ing, bruising, and minor
abrasions can also be associated with deployed
side airbags. Remember too, side airbags wi ll de­
ploy only once and only in certain kinds of acci­
dents· your safety belts are always there to offer
protection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
ve hicl e damage are not necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation. In
some col lisions, both front and side a irbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags will deploy
only once and only in certain kinds of coll isions -
your safety belts are always there to offer protec ·
tion in those acc idents in which a irbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ign ition is turned off
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
Airbag system
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together.
A WARNING
=
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition¢
page 128.
- If the airbag ind icator light Q page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized 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. 126 Inflated side a irbags on left side of vehicle
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRB AG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas·
senger . In order to help provide this addit ional
protect ion, the side airbag must inflate w ith in a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force. Th e supplemental side airbag could
injure you if you r seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supp lemental side a irbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children¢
page 132, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
s ide of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
collision ¢
fig. 126. .,.
127

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 upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is normal 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 accordingly to help the safety belts
and a irbags do the ir job to provide supplemental
protection .
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause ser ious or
fatal injury. Improperly wea ring safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
r is k of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to red uce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates :
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean aga inst the area where the supple-
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a chi ld or anyone else rest the ir
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental s ide a irbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of t he ir
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers o r rep lacemen t
upho lstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Aud i.
128
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­
ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an autho rized Aud i dealer .
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the r isk of injury in an acc ident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
ob jects (s uch as c upholders, telephone
brackets, or even large, b ulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangero us projecti les 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 passe n­
gers to trave l in this position .
- Always use the b uilt-in coat hooks only fo r
lightweight clo thing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objec ts in the po ckets that
may i nterfere wi th s ide airb ag deployment
and can cause persona l injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side ai rbags from being
damaged by heavy objec ts knocking against
or hit ting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The a irb ag sys tem can only be triggere d
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an authorized
Audi dea lership .
- 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
Aud i dea ler .
- If ch ildren are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
c::;, page 132, Child safety.
- Never attempt to mod ify any components of
the airbag system in any way.

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-In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing a ir pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter ior door trim pane ls
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 un less the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or fi lled if additional speakers or
other eq uipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
author ized Audi dealer or qualif ied 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.
F ig . 127 S ide curtain sys te m , dr iver's side: s ide c urta in air­
bag locat ion
The s ide curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear s ide win­
dows
Q fig. 127 . They are iden tified by the wo rd
"AIRBAG" on the w indshield frame and the ce n­
ter roof pillar.
The s ide curta in airbags contain features that
p rovide ejec tion mi tiga tion to help p reve nt veh i-
Airb ag sys tem
cle occupants or par ts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle
i nterior in certain side impacts and veh icle roll­
overs .
T he side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
j ury for occupants' heads and upper torso on the
s ide of the vehicle that is struck in a side colli­
sion. The s ide curtain airbag inflates in side im­
pacts and only when the vehicle acce leration reg­
istered by t he control unit is high enough . If this
rate is be low the reference va lue programmed in­
to the control unit, the side cu rtain airbag will
not be t riggered, even though the ca r may be
badly damaged as a resu lt of the co llision . It is
not possible to define an airbag triggering range
that wi ll cover every possible angle of impact,
s ince the circumstances will vary considerably be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impact ing object, the angle of im ­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
Q page 130, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the drive r or front pas ­
senger in position in the event of a coll is ion so
that the s ide curtain a irbags can prov ide p rotec­
t ion.
The airbag system is not a substit ute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member tha t the ai rbag system can on ly help to
pro tec t you if you are wear ing you r sa fety be lt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you shou ld always wear yo ur safety belts,
not just because the law req uires you to do so
Q page 104, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
cu rtain airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serio us injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bru ising, and minor abra­
s ions can also be assoc iated with these airbags .
Remember too, these airbags will deploy only
once and on ly in ce rtain k inds of accidents -your
safety belts are always there to offer protec tion. ..,.
129

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 105, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, weight, and body struc­
ture. Many countries and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds (120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an acc ident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right for
your child's size¢
page 135, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the impo rtant in­
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restraints in this chapter.
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are
on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important information, we cannot re-
132
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS - they are
extremely importa nt for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especia lly infants and
small chi ldren.
.&_ WARNING
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by striking
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater r isk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inf lating airbag.
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of pro tect ion
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent sit uations.
.&_ WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing chi ld safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child
aga inst the backrest , center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat in

Child safety
-Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush­
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
lean to either side . Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro­
vide adequate contact with the seat.
-Always heed all legal requirements per­
taining to the installation and use of child
safety seats and carefully follow the in­
structions provided by the manufacturer
of the seat you are using.
- Never allow children under 57 inches
(1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
They must always be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
neck areas during sudden braking maneu­
vers or accidents.
- Never let more than one child occupy a child safety seat.
- Never let babies or older children ride in a
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
passenger.
- Holding a child in your arms is never a sub­
stitute for a child restraint system.
- The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci­
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
- The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident.
- 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 -even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
- 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 installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
136
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install for ­
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
- 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 that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
-Always move the front passenger seat into
the rearmost position of the passenger
seat's fore and aft adjustment range, and
as far away from the airbag as possible be­
fore installing the child restraint.
- 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.
-Always make sure that the backrest is in
the upright position.
-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 read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used~
page 104, Safety belts,
~ page 112, Airbag system and
~ page 132, Child safety.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
- 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. ~

Child safety
child in a forward -facing child seat. It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improper ly installing a
child restra int increases the r isk of serious
personal injury and death in a crash .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carr iers on the front passenger
seat -even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A ch ild w ill be seriously injured and ca n be
k illed when the infla ting airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carr ier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and
child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
Q page 113, Child restraints on
the front seat- some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carr iers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in
the forward-facing direction. Such restraints are designed for the spec ial needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward -facing .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
ca use of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
c ome on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fa cing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- Always read a nd heed all WARN INGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 104, Safety belts,
¢ page 112, Airbag system
and
¢ page 132 , Important information.
138
Convertible child safety seats
Properly used convertible child safety seats can
help protect toddlers and children over age one
who weigh between 20 and 40 lbs. (9 and 18 kg)
in a crash .
Fig. 131 Sc hem at ic overv iew : installat ion of t he attach ­
ment s applicable to a LA TCH seat
Fig. 132 Sc hemat ic overv iew : installat ion of t he seat using
the 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
¢page 141 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the chi ld safety seat down wi th your full
we igh t to get the safe ty belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .S cm)
<=> page 141 .
.. If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
¢ page 147 .
.. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Q page 137.
A toddler or 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).
ll>-

Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years o ld and weigh more than
20 lbs. (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always
be properly restrained in a child safety seat certi­
fied for their size and weight¢
fig. 131 and
¢fig. 132.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a child to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing child safety seat .
It is a
very dangerous place for an infa nt or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat .
A WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
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 inf lates.
A ch ild 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 w ill 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 armrest, door
or roof.
- 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
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 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. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat with the head
Ch ild safety
restraint in place¢ page 52. Install the
head restraint again immed iately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head restraints or with head restra ints that are
not properly adjusted increases the r isk of
serious or fatal neck inju ry dramatically.
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­ ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing used ¢
page 104, Safety belts,
¢page 112, Airbag system
and
¢ page 132, Impor tant information.
A WARNING
If exceptional c ircumstances req uire the use
of a forward -facing ch ild restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and
well-being require 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 possib le befo re
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.
- 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 switched on.
- I f the light does not stay on, perfo rm the
checks ¢
page 122, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- 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 not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
139

-Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and a ft
adjustment range , as fa r away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child r estra int. T he backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit io n.
- Make sure tha t th e
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the tim e
w henever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearwa rd-facing child restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-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 a irbag w ill 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.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
we ight-mat in the seat and register a heavi­
er we ight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier we ight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it m ust be suppressed c ausing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure tha t 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, immedia tely in ­
stall the rear-facing child safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Aud i dealer .
Child 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 sea t down with you r full
weigh t to ge t the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tong ue into the b uck le 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 ib le lock ing retractor by pull ing on the belt .
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the re tractor. 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 rest raint 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) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild rest raint o r an improp­
e rly inst alled child restra int can cause se rious
person al 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 c rash. .,.
143