2017 AUDI A3 SEDAN seats

Airbag syste m
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
Make sure that the
PA SSEN GER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
,& WARNING
- If the PA SSENGER 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 positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the fronta l airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
P ASSE NGER
A IR BAG OFF light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
d ifferent places on your Aud i. Install ing, remov­
ing, servic ing or repa iring a part in an area of the
veh icle can damage a pa rt 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 make sure that the effectiveness of the
system w ill not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment .
,& WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the r isk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
282
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­
ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the a irbag un its.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened w ith plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the st iffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect properly.
- 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
cluding the instal lation of a udio eq uipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
m ust be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and specia l equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strong ly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specif ica lly approved by
A udi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
module mus t always be repai red immedi ­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The a irbag sys tem can deploy on ly once. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it m ust be
replaced with new replacement parts de ­
signed and approved especia lly for your
Audi model version . Replacement of com­
plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qua lified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service

interior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll­
overs .
The s ide curtain a irbag system supplements the
safety be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk 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 only 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
n ot poss ib le to define an airbag triggering r ange
that will cover every possible angle of impa ct,
since the circums tances will vary considerab ly be­
tween one collision and another. Important fac­
tors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the impacting object, the angle of im­ pact, vehicle speed, etc .
c::> page 290, 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 position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
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 veh icle . Always re ­
membe r th at the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wea ring your safety belt
and wear ing it properly. This is another reason
why you should always wea r your safety belts ,
not just because the law requires you to do so
c::> page 258, General notes.
It is important to remember that whi le the s ide
curt ain a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inj uries,
for example, swelling, bruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents -your safety belts are
~ always there to offer protection .
.... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
Airbag sys tem
The side curtain airbag syst em basically
cons ists of :
-The e lectronic control module and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea ­
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lectron ica lly to
make certain it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (se lf d iagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
-if the ignition is switched off,
- in side co llisions whe n the ac celeration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear -end co llisions.
_&. WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position
c::> page 61,
Front seats.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light c::>page 29
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 w ill not inflate when it should.
289

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 259, 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 .
In 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.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restraint on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢ page 268. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re­
straint that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental side air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes .
For more information please see information
provided by the:
292
-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http :/ /www.safe­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
-Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www.tc.gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right fo r
your chi ld's
size ¢ page 296, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restra ints 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 informat ion , we cannot re­
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation 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 important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children .
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing pos ition. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
-All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined prope rly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An un restrained 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 a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acc i­
dent situat ions.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
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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
-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.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
-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
.,.

CXl CXl .... N ,.__
N .... 0 N > 00
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