2017 AUDI A3 SEDAN light

Airbag syste m
How side curtain airbags work
Applies to: ve hicles w ith s ide curta in a irbags
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re­
strained.
F ig. 251 Illustration of principle: Inflated side curta in air ­
bags on the left s ide (examp le}
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi­
cle that is struck in a side collision
c::;, fig. 251.
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force.
The side curta in a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supp le­
mental side curtain a irbag inflates. This applies
especially to children
c::;, page 292.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, side curtain
ai rbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to red uce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the veh icle.
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Important safety instructions on the side
curtain airbag system
Appl ies to : vehicles wi th side curtain airbags
Airbags ore 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 do to help the safety belts and airbags
do their job to p rovide supplementa l protection .
A WARNING
-Improperly wearing safety be lts and improper
seating positions increase the risk of serious personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate without interference.
- Use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only for light ­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere with a irbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
- On ly use factory-insta lled sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use on ly genu ine Audi su n shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the side
w indows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at­
tached to the sun v isors. They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cu r­
tain airbag infla tes.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fract ion of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at al l t imes. Make sure there are no
objects, pets, o r othe r persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time.
- Do not attach any accesso ries to the doors.

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A WARNING
Child ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child 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 in ­
flates .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door .
- 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 in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­
sition and have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Forward-facing chi ld safety 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 safety
seat or infant carr ier.
- 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 .
Child safety
-Never put the forward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Applies to: vehicles with safety be lt height
adjustment: Always set the safety belt up­
per anchorage to the adjustment pos ition
that permits proper installation in accord ­
ance with the child restraint manufactur­
er's instructions.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the highest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmos t position in the seat's fore and
aft ad justment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the chi ld restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- 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.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CO player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for ch ild safety seats). These may influence
the e lectrical capacitance measured by the
capacit ive passenger detec tion system and
can a lso fly aro und in an accident and
cause serio us pe rsonal injury.
- Never place or use any elect rical device
(such as a laptop, CO player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat ­
er for child safety seats) on the front pas­
senger seat if the dev ice is connected to
the 12-volt socket or the cigarette lighter
socket.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or otherw ise 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 cush ion.
293

Child safety
-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 safety
seat in a rear seating position and have
the airbag system inspected by your au­
thorized Audi dealer.
- 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 dur­
ing a sudden stop or in a collision .
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ¢
page 258, Safety belts,~ page 267,
Airbag system and ~ page 292, 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.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle 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
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on the front pas-
294
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
Even 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 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
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­ pacitive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis ­
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint , and a baby blanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket 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
ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and model.
The electrical capacitance of the various types, makes, and models of child restraints specified
by the U.S.National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys ­
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
child restraint is used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con­
trol unit .

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Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the child restra int that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu­
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure
that the child restraint is properly installed at
one of the rear seating positions. If in exception­
al c ircumstances you must use it on the front
passenger seat, carefully read all of the informa­
tion on child safety and Advanced Airbags and
heed all of the applicable WARNINGS. Make cer­
tain that the child and child restraint are correct­
l y recognized by the capacitive passenger detec­
tion system in the front passenger seat, that the
front passenger airbag is turned off, and that the
airbag status is always correctly signaled by the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
Many types and models of child restraints have
been available over the years, new models are in­
troduced regularly incorporat ing new and im­
proved designs and older models are taken out of
product ion. Child restraints are not standardized.
Ch ild restraints of the same type typically have
d ifferent weights and s izes and different "foot­
p rints", the siz e and shape of the bottom of the
chi ld restraint that sits on the seat, when they
are installed on a vehicle seat. These differences
make it virtually impossible to certify compliance
with the requirements for advanced airbags with
each and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past or will be sold over the course of
the useful life of your veh icle.
For this reason, the United States National High­
way Traffic Safety Administration has published a
list of specific type, makes and models of child
restraints that must be used to cert ify compli­
ance of the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi­
cle with the suppression requirements of Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. These child
restraints are:
Subpart A -Car bed child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Ange l Guard Angel September 2S, 2007
Ride AA2403FOF
Child safety
Subpart B - Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit 4543 December 1, 1999
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-013PAW and base
22-999WHO
Evenflo Discovery Ad- December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Grace Infant 8457 Decembe r 1, 1999
Grace Snugride September 25, 2007
Peg Perego Primo Viag- September 25, 2007
g io SIP IMUNOOUS
Subpart C - Forward-facing and convertible
child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Britax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
Cosco Touriva 02519 December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit De luxe September 25, 2007
High Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos- September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
Evenflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Meda llion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Grace ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Grace Todd le r Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Grace Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
..,.
295

Child safety
-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.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The child safety seats listed in categories A to
C have been statically tested by Audi only for
the Advanced Airbag function.
Important safety instructions for using
child safety seats
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re­
duces the risk of injury in an accident!
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety
of everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
.,. Always use the right child safety seat for each
child and always use it properly
c::> page 298.
.,. Always carefully follow the child safety seat
manufacturer's instructions on how to route
the safety belt properly through the child safe­
ty seat .
.,. When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat , you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
c::> page 303.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm).
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 298 .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size.
.&, WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
296
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact .
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
- Commercially available child safety seats
are required to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restraint, select one
that fits your child and the vehicle .
- 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.

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-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.
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the child in the child safety seat.
If necessa­
ry, adjust the angle and position of the seat
in front of the child safety seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
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 to
the highest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint.
- Always make sure that the safety belt
up­
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re-
Child safety
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly positioned.
- 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.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child safety seats) on the front pas­
senger 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.
-Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
child safety seats). These may influence
the electrical capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection system and
can also fly around in an accident and
cause serious personal injury .
- 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
r::!> page 258, Safety belts,
r:::!> page 267, Airbag system and
r:::!> page 292, 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.
Ill>
297

Child safety
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­ger seat and install it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSEN GER AIR
BA G OF F
light does not stay on.
-Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
l8
,h- --lJ ;g
---0
Fig . 252 Schematic overv iew: keep unused safety be lts
away from chi ld ren i n chil d safety seats. @-oute r rear
safety belt, @ - center rear safety be lt*
~
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LA TCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety be lts
mu st be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them¢,& .
-Gu ide the safety belt webbings @and ®* be­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
¢fig. 252. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when w inding up the safety be lt .
-Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webb ing .
_& WARNING
A ch ild in a child safety seat installed with the
LATC H lower anchorages or w ith the standard
safety belt or a child in a booste r seat on the
rear seat could p lay with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause t he chi ld ser ious personal injury
and even death.
-Always sec ure unused rear seat safety belts
o ut of reach of ch ild ren in child safety seats
s u ch as by properly routing them around the
298
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
-Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
-Never let anyone s it at the center rear seat­
ing position * if the center rear safety be lt
has been routed around a rear head re­
straint.
Child safety seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs . or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 253 Sc hema tic ove rv iew : rearward -facing in fant seat ,
prope rly installed on th e rea r seat
.,. When usi ng the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, yo u must first act ivate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
¢page 303 or install the seat using the LA TCH
attachments.
.,. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move fo rward or sideways
more than one inch (2.5 cm) .
.,. Secu re unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 298 .
Infants up to about one yea r (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carr iers and c hild
safety se ats designed for the ir age group . Many
expe rts be lieve that infants and small c hildren
shou ld r ide on ly in special restraints in which the
ch ild faces the back of the vehicle . These infant
.,.

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seats support the baby 's back, neck and head in a
crash
¢ fig . 253.
The a irbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentia lly dangerous p lace for a child to
ride . The front seat is not the safest place for a
child in a forward-facing chi ld safety s eat . 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 improperly 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 carriers on the front passenger
seat
-even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A ch ild will be seriously injured and can be
killed when the inflating airbag hits the
child safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest,
door or roof
c> page 268, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the forward-facing direct ion. 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
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-fac ing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
- Never place or use any electrical device (such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games dev ice, power inverter or seat heater
for child safety seats) on the front passen­
ger seat if the dev ice is connected to the 12-
volt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
Ch ild safety
-If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restra int system on
this seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the front passenger seat cush ion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p layer, electronic games device,
power inverter o r seat heater fo r ch ild safe­
ty seats) . These may influence the e lectrical
capacitance measu red by the capacitive pas­
senger de tect io n system and can also fly
aro und in an accident and cause serious per­
sonal injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
u sed ¢ page 258, Safety belts,
c::!;> page 267, Airbag system and
c::!;> page 292, Important information.
299