2017 AUDI Q3 ABS

Trailer towing
Sp eed
The higher the speed, the more d ifficult it be­
comes for the driver to contro l the rig. Do not
dr ive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, w eather or wind
conditions are unfavorable -particularly when
going downhill.
Red uce vehicle speed
immediatel y if the trai le r
shows the s lightest sign of swaying .
Do not try
to stop the swayin g by ac cele rating.
Observe speed limits . In some areas, speeds for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for reg ular
ve hicles.
A lways apply b rakes early . When dr iving down­
hi ll, shi ft into a lower gear to use the engine
braking effect to slow the vehicle. Use of the
brakes a lone can cause them to overheat and fail.
Coolant temperature
The coolant temperatu re gauge ¢ page 8 must
be observed ca refully . If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im ­
mediately and/or turn off the air conditioner .
I f t he coolan t temperature warn ing light i n the
instr ument cluster s tarts flashing ., pull off
the road, stop and let the engine
idle for about
two minutes to prevent heat bu ild-up .
A WARNING
Anyone not properly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent . Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wearing the restraints provided
by Audi .
Trailer towing
information
Important to know
Your veh icle hand les different ly when tow ing a
tra iler because of the additional weight and dif ­
fe rent weight d istr ibut ion . Safety, performance
and economy w ill great ly depend on how careful­
ly you load you r trailer and operate your rig .
76
Before you actually tow your trailer, practice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract icing unt il yo u h ave be ­
come comp lete ly familiar w ith the way your vehi­
cle-tra iler combination behaves and responds.
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up w ith a trailer generally req uires steer ­
i ng action opposite to that when backing up your
vehicle without a trailer.
Maintain a greater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you . You will need more
room to stop. To compensate for the trailer, you
will need a larger than normal turning radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel­ erate as fast as you normally wou ld because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow p lenty of room for
your trailer before changing lanes again.
Avo id jerky starts, sharp turns or rapid lane
changes.
(D Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break-in peri­
od of your veh icle.
- If you tow a trai ler, your Audi may requi re
more frequent maintenance due to the ex­
tra load
¢ page 218.
' Parking on a slope
Do not park on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only after doing the following:
When parking:
.,. App ly the foot bra ke .
.,. Have someone place cho cks under bot h the ve­
hicle and the trailer wheels .
.,. With choc ks in place, slowly release the brakes
until the wheel chocks absorb the load.
.,. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.,. App ly the parking brake .
.,. Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after parking :
.,. App ly the foot brake .
.,. Start the eng ine .
.,. Move the se lector lever to D/S.

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic Stabilization Control (ESC) suppo rts
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves dr iving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit­
uations such as the veh icle oversteering and un­
dersteering or the wheels are sp inning. The vehi­
cle is stabilized by app lying the brakes or reduc ­
ing engine torque. When ESC engages, the
G1 i n­
d icator light blinks in the inst rument cluste r.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock b raking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from loc king when brak­
i n g . The vehicle can sti ll be steered even d uring
hard brak ing. Apply steady press ure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stabilize the vehicle .
Brake assi st sy stem
The brake assist system can dec rease braking dis­
tance. It increases brak ing power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold the brake pedal
until the dangerous situat io n is over .
Anti- s lip regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive w heels
begin spinning and adapts the force to the road
conditions. This makes it easier to start, acceler­
ate and dr ive up h ills .
Electron ic differential lock (EDL)
The ED L bra kes wheels that a re spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or wheels if the ve hicle is equipped with a ll
wheel drive*) . This funct ion is not ava ilable at
h igher speeds.
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to keep the brake on the braked wheel from over­ heating. The vehicle is still work ing correctly. EDL
92
will switch on again au tomatically when condi ­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering recommendation
The ESC he lps to s tabili ze the vehicle by cha ng ing
t h e s teer ing torque .
Selective wheel torque control
Selective wheel to rque cont rol is used when d riv­
i ng o n curves . The front whee l on the inside of
t h e curve or both wheels on the i nside of th e
cu rve are braked se lective ly as needed. This al­
l ows mo re pre cise driving in curves .
Automatic post -collision braking system
The "automat ic post -coll is io n braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sl iding and of addi­
tiona l co llisions after an acc ident. If the a irbag
c ontro l modu le detects a collision above a cert ain
vehicle speed, the veh icle is braked by the ESC.
The veh icle does n ot brake automatically if:
- the drive r presses the accelerator pedal, or
- the bra king force generate d by the pressed
brake pedal is greater than the b raking force
that would be in itiated by the system, or
- the ESC, the bra ke system or the vehicle elect ri­
cal system are not functioning.
A WARNING
- The ESC and its integ rated systems can not
overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
p hys ica l laws. This is es pec ially impo rtan t
on sl ippery or wet roads. If the systems be­
gi n a cting to stabili ze yo ur vehicle, you
s hould immedi ately alte r your speed to
match the road and tra ffic conditions . Do
not let t he in creased safety provi ded tempt
you into taking risks . This could increase
your r is k of a coll is ion.
- Please note the r is k of a coll is ion increases
when dr iv ing fast, especially th rough c urves
and on slippery or wet roa ds, and when dr iv­
ing too close to objects ahead. The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always pre­
ve nt co llisions - there is st ill a risk of acci­
dents!

a:,
a:,
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-Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on smooth, slippery surfaces
such as ice and snow. The drive wheels can
spin even when these control systems are
installed and this can affect driving stability
and increase the risk of a collision.
(D Tips
- The ABS and ASR only function correctly
when all four wheels have a similar wear
Switching on/off
Intelligent Technology
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working .
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 99 Center console: OFF~ button
The following examples are unusual situations
where it may make sense to switch offroad mode
on to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving on rough terrain when much of the car's
weight is lifted off the wheels (axle articula­
tion)
- Dr iving downh ill wh ile braking on loose ground
The ESC is designed to function in levels. Depend­
ing on the level selected , the ESC stabilization
function is limited or switched off. The amount of
stabilization control will differ depending on the
level. For your safety, switch the offroad mode off in
advance.
ESC
levels
Offroad mode on ESC/ASRoff Offroad mode off or
ESC/ASRon
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza- The stabilization function is The full stabilization func-
tion functions are limited not available
~ A. ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
q_,& _ ASR are switched off. avai lable again.
Operation Press the 00 button briefly. Press and hold the 00 button Press the 00 button again.
l onger than three seconds.
Indicator II turns on. II and lf'tii•Ui turn on. ltl turns off or II and
lights lfilf•l~i turn off.
Messages Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization
control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC):
Offroad Warning! Reduced Off Warning! Reduced
sta-
On
stability bility
93

Driving safety
-Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 100.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
106
A WARNING
,--
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof* and the
rear lid are securely closed and locked to re­
duce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not
being used .
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fog­
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these slots free and open .
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capacity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­
ter
¢ page 181.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
¢page 105, Loading the luggage compartment . ..,_

Safe ty belts
-Failure to pay attention to the warn ing light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles.
F ig . 10 5 Unbe lted occupants in a ve hicle headi ng for a wall
Fig . 1 06 The ve hicle c ras hes into the wall
The physical principles are simple . Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy wh ich var­
ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi­
neers call this energy "kinet ic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle's we ight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significant fac tor. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because t he passengers of th is veh icle are not us­
ing safety belts<=>
fig. 105, they will keep mov ing
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
befo re the crash , u nti l something stops them -
here, the wall
r=> fig. 106.
110
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
veh icle that is invo lved in a frontal collision . Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h) ,
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs . or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher .
People who do not use safety belts are a lso not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collis ion
they will also keep mov ing fo rward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash .
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens
i n a ll kinds of accide nts and co llisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbel ted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in ­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
F ig. 107 A drive r not wea ring a safety belt is vio lent ly
t h row n forward
Fig. 108 A rea r passe nge r not wea ring a safety be lt will fly
forwa rd an d str ike t he drive r
Unbelted occ upants are not ab le to res ist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holdi ng tight or
braci ng themselves. Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the stee ring wheel ,
Ill>

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a:,
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instrument panel, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the way
r=) fig. 107. This impact with the vehi­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be ­
fore the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even
when they deploy, airbags provide on ly additional
protection. Airbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the dr iver, must wear safety belts cor ­
rectly in order to minimize the risk of severe in­
jury or death in a crash .
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always there
to offer protect ion i n those acc idents in w hich
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the vehi cle where even
more severe or fatal injur ies can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety bel ts correctly . Unbelted passengers
in the rear seats endanger not on ly themse lves
but also the driver and other passengers
¢ fig . 108. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
in jure the driver and/or front seat passenger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It 's simply
not true!
Fi g. 1 09 Driver is correctly restra ined in a sudde n braking
maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
Safet y bel ts
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri­
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of be ing thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and give
t h em the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "softly" th rough the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi ­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
kinetic ene rgy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more "tolerab le" and less likely to ca use injury .
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision, safety belts can also substantially re ­
duce the r isk of injury in ot her k inds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just go ing to
the corner store, a lways buckle up and make sure
others do, too. Acc iden t statist ics show that veh i­
cle occupants properly wea ring safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident . Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most count ries including much
of the United States and Canada .
Although your Aud i is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front airbags, for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i­
vated in a ll frontal collisions, in side and rear col­
l is ions, in roll overs or i n cases where the re is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other a irbag
systems in your Audi . So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned
across the strongest bones of your body.
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de­
scribed in this chapter .
.,. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
111

-Never place additional items on the seat
that can increase the total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can cause in­
jury in a crash .
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants.
Fig. 1 15 Location of driver airbag: i n stee ring wheel
Fig. 116 Location of front passenger's airbag: in the in­
st rument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in compliance with United States
F edera l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(FMVSS) 208 , as well as Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at
the time your vehicle was manufactured . The
safety belts for the seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the belt system.
The pretensioners are also activated by the elec ­
tron ic control unit for the airbag system .
~ The front safety belts also have load limiters to ......
~ help reduce the forces applied to the body in a N
8 crash .
0 ::, (X)
Airb ag sys tem
The airbag for the drive r is in the steering wheel
hub ~
fig. 115 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel
~ fig. 116. The
general locat ion of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
i n your vehicle . We urge you to read the deta iled
information about airbags, safety belts and child
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the owner's literature . Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS -they are extremely important
for you r safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infan ts and small children .
_&. WARNING
-
Never rely on ai rbags alone fo r protect ion.
- E ven w hen they deploy, airbags provide only
supp lemental protection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used
with p roperly worn safety belts .
- Therefore, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your ve hicle is
p roperly restrained.
_&. WARNING
A pe rson on the front passenger seat, espe ­
cia lly infants and small ch ildren, wi ll receive
serious injuries and can even be ki lled by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inf lates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag ifan infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these specia l conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of yo ur vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "low risk" option under
the U .S . Fede ral Standa rd if a ch ild that is
heavier than the typica l one-year old ch ild is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions fo r airbag deployment are met.
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safe r in the rear sea t area t han
in the front seating pos ition .
Ill-
121

00
00
......
"' ,....
"' ...... 0 0 :::,
00
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of
the instrument panel will come on and stay on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) if:
- a small adult or teenager is on the front pas­
senger seat
- a passenger who is not sitting upright with
their back against a non-reclined backrest with
their feet on the vehicle floor in front of the
seat is on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to help reduce the risk
of injury through interaction with the airbag.
"Low risk" deployment occurs in those crashes
that take place at lower decelerations as defined
in the electronic control unit.
c::;, page 12 7
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for childre n is properly restrained on the back
seat. Please be sure to read the important infor­
mation in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed all of the WARNINGS.
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
- You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
¢ page 117.
A WARNING
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 inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re-
Airbag system
straint has been installed on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in all con­
ceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle .
- 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 rearward-facing child re­
straints in the back seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of 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 by your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
-If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in-
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
-Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas ­
senger front and side airbag .
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or very near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible, before installing the for­
ward-facing child restraint.
-Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
tioned.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
123