2016 AUDI S3 airbag off

,....,
N
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 ..,_

.... N
0 > CX)
.... I.Cl U"I
.... I.Cl ....
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

,....,
N
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
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.

Child safety
exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi dealer .
A WARNING
-Forward-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require the following special
precautions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the forward-facing seat has been designed and certified by its
manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the top tether strap to be used.
- Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
-Always set the safety belt upper anchor­
age to the adjustment position that per­
mits proper installation in accordance
with the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible before installing the
child restraint. The backrest must be ad ­
justed to an upright position .
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range .
210
-Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measured by the capaci­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an accident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or
otherwise added to the front passenger seat, never install any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion.
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on
all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­ ly install the forward-facing child seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ¢
page 176, Safety belts, ¢ page 184,
Airbag system
and ¢ page 209, Impor­
tant information.
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause
it to fail in another collision situation.

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

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