2017 AUDI Q3 light

Airbag syste m
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig. 11 7 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated position so
that airbags can unfold properly and provide sup­
p lemental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi­
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated as far as possible
from the airbag,
- and the head restra ints have bee n properly ad-
justed.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
placed on the seat could become dangerous pro­
jectiles , and be pushed into you if the airbag in­
flates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
veh icle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy . It
could irritate sk in.
It is important to remember that while the sup ­
plemental a irbag system is designed to reduce
the likel ihood of serious injur ies, other injuries,
for example swel ling, b ruising and m inor abra­
sions, can a lso happen when airbags inflate. Air­
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags only supplement the
three po int safety belts in some frontal co llisions
126
in which the vehicle decele ration is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
-if the igni tion is sw itched off when a crash oc-
curs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end co llisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh­
old needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control un it .
Th e front pa ssenge r ai rb ag w ill also n ot
deploy:
- when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
- when the weight on the front passenger seat as
sensed by the Advanced Airbag System indi­
cates that the front a irbag on the passenger
side has to be turned off by the electron ic con­
trol unit (the
PASS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light
comes on and stays on).
A WARNING
Sitt ing in the wrong posit ion can increase the
risk of serious injury i n crashes .
- To reduce the r isk of injury w hen the ai rbags
inflate, the drive r and passengers must al­
ways sit in an upright posit ion, must not
lean against or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
- Occupants who are unbe lted, out of posit ion
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an eye
Q page 118.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously inju red and can be k illed if the front
airbag inflates -even with an Advanced Airbag
Sys tem.
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat o r infant ca rr ie r with great force and
w ill smash the child safety seat and child

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against the backrest, cen ter armrest, door
or r oof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN GER A IR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by you r authorized Audi dea le r.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the a irbag will in­
crease the risk of in jury in a crash by inte rfer­
ing w ith the way the airbag unfolds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on o r in the area of
the fron t passenger seat . Objec ts could
move into the area of the front airbags dur ­
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
cause serious pe rsonal injury if the airbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat bac krests or between
those areas and you rself. These objects
cou ld cause injury in a c rash, especially
when the airbags infla te.
- Never recline the front passenge r's seat to
transport objects . Items can also move into
the area o f the side airbag or the front air ­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause in ju ry, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing problems for peop le w ith a
Airb ag sys tem
history of asthma or othe r breath ing cond i­
tions .
- To reduce the r is k of breathing problems,
those with asthma or other respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh a ir right away by
getting out of the vehicle or open ing win­
dows or doors .
-If you are in a co llision in wh ich airbags de­
p loy, wash your hands and face w ith m ild
soap and water be fore eating .
- Be carefu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches .
- If the residue sho uld get into your eyes,
f lush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
!I.' Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
T he Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con ­
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all monitored cont inuously to make sure that they
are functioning properly w henever the ignition is
on . Each t ime you turn on t he ignition, the airbag
monitoring indicator light
El will come on fo r a
few seconds (se lf d iagnost ics) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light
E,I:
- does not come on when the ignition is sw itched
on,
- does not go out a few seconds afte r you have
sw itched on the ignition, or
- comes on while driv ing .
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
indicator light will come on to serve as a constant
rem inder to have the system inspected immedi­
ately.
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front air-
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER IJl,
127

Airbag system
AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­ er ly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c::> page 14
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig . 118 Sect ion from the inst rument panel: PASSENGER
AIR BAG O FF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel
c::>fig. 118.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Ai rba g on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit. Each time you turn
on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
-will stay on if there is a small child or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as reg istered by the weight­
sensing mat.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on
if the igni tion is on and
- a car bed has been installed on the front seat,
or
128
- a rearward-facing child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been instal­
led on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passenger
seat is equal to or less than the combined
weight of a typical 1 year-old restrained in one
of the rear -facing or forward-facing infant re­
straints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard
208 with which the Advanced Airbag
System in your vehicle was cert ified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a ch ild in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po­
s itions on the rear seat
c::> page 118, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and c::> page 13 7, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
tain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear and not stay on all the time, stop as
soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the chi ld restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly instal­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senger seat has been correctly routed around
the child restraint as described in the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions;
- make sure that the convertible locking retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight. The belt must not be
loose or have loops of slack so that the sensor
below the safety belt latch on the seat can do
its job
c::> page 147 .
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and child safety seat are not
be ing transported on the front passenger seat; .,.

-make sure that the safety belt tension sensor is
not blocked. Shake the safety be lt latch on the
front passenger seatback and forth;
- If a strap or tether is being used to tie the child
safety seat to the front passenger seat, make
sure that it is not so tight that it causes the
weight-sensing mat to measure more weight
than is actually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF li ght still d oes
not come on
and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­
ed by your authori zed Audi dealer immediately.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restra ined in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The
PAS SENGER AIR BAG O FF light shou ld NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circ umstan­
ces, make su re that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the backrest and the
back rest is not recl ined
<=? page 101, Correct
passenger seating positions,
- the adult is not taking weig ht off the seat by
hold ing on to the passenger assist handle
above the fron t passenger door o r su pporting
their weight on the armres t,
- the safety be lt is be ing p roperly wo rn and that
there is not a lo t of slack in the safe ty be lt web ­
bing,
- accessory seat cove rs or cushions or othe r
t h ings t hat may cause an inco rrect read ing or
impression on the weight-sensing mat under
the upho lstery of the seat have been removed
from the front passenger seat,
~ - a safety be lt extender has not been left in the ......
~ safety belt latch for the front passenger seat . N ...... 0 0
:::,
00
Airb ag sys tem
In add ition to the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
li ght in the center of the instrument panel, the
message
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OF F or PASSEN ·
G ER AIR BAG ON
will briefly appear in the instru­
ment cluster d isp lay. This is to inform the driver
of the current front passenger airbag status.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
-An a irbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot prov ide supplemental protect ion
i n a fronta l crash.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light
c:> page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate w hen it should.
A WARNING
If the fron t airbag i nflates, a chi ld without a
chi ld restraint, in a rearward-facing ch ild safe­
ty seat or in a forward-facing chi ld restraint
that has not been properly installed will be
seriously in jured and can be ki lled .
- Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, especia lly 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop­
erly restrained for the ir age and s ize .
- Always install fo rward or rear-facing child
safety seats on the rear seat -even with an
Advanced Airbag System.
- 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
appear and stay on, immediately install the rear-facing chi ld safety seat in a rea r seat ing
position and have the a irbag sys tem in­
spected by your autho rized Aud i dea ler.
- A t igh t tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing chi ld restraint attached to the front
passenger sea t can put too much pressure
129

Airbag system
on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and
register more weight than is actually on the
seat. The heavier weight registered can
make the system work as though an adult
were on the seat and deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be suppressed causing
serious or even fatal injury to the child.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
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
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 adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
{D) Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front passen­
ger seat detects an empty seat, the front air­
bag on the passenger side will be turned off,
and
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly in a collision .
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
130
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­ ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
-
- 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 cupholders
or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners
could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness 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, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
who has the training and special equipment
necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we strongly 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 specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags in­
flate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag

Airbag syste m
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c:> fig . 119 facing the doors.
They are identif ied by the word "AIRBAG".
T he s ide a irbag syste m basicall y consis ts of:
-the electronic control modu le and external side
impact senso rs
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests
- the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument clus -
ter .
The airb ag sys tem is monitored electronically to
make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you turn on the ign it ion, the air ­
bag system ind icator light will come on for a few
seconds (self d iagnost ics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's and front passenger's upper torso on
the s ide of the veh icle that is struck in a s ide col­
lision . The airbag deploys on ly in s ide impacts
and only when the veh icle acce leration registered
by the contro l unit is high enough. If this rate is
be low the reference value programmed into the
control unit, th e sid e airbags wi ll not be trig ­
gered, even though the car may be badly dam­
aged as a result of the collision. It is not possible
to define an airbag triggering range that w ill cov ­
er every poss ible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances w ill vary cons iderably between one
coll is ion and another. Important factors include,
for example, the nat ure (hard or soft) of the im­
pacting object, the ang le of impact , vehicle
speed, etc.
c:> page 133, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system.
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 side collision
so that th e sid e airbags can provide protection.
The a irbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
m ember that the side airbag system can only
he lp to protect you if you are wearing your safety
be lt and wearing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should always wear your safety
132
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
c:> pag e 109, General information .
It is impo rtan t to remembe r that w hile the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising , and minor
abras ions can also be associated w ith deployed
s ide a irbags. Remember too, s ide airbags will de­
ploy only once and only in certain k inds of acci­
dents - your safety belts are always there to offer
protect ion .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle d amage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over -sens itive or fa iled airbag activat ion. In
some collisions , both front and side airbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts are always there to offe r protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front ai rbags, side
curtain airbags and sid e airbags may be trigg ered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition
c:> page 133.
-If the airbag ind icator light c:> page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will i nflate when i t is not sup ­
posed to, or will not inflate when it sho uld.

Airbag syste m
by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cupho lders, te lephone
brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause in ju ry
when the supplemental side airbag de­ ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­ ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this posit ion.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w it h side airbag deployment
and can cause personal i njury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an author ized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
orig inal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side a irbag mod ule m ust always
be repa ired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- If children are sea ted improperly, their r is k
of injury increases in the ca se of an ac ciden t
~ page 13 7, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag sys tem in any way.
- In a side collision, side a irbags w il l not fu nc­
t ion properly if sensors cannot correct ly
measure increasi ng air pressure ins ide the
doo rs when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r door tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside doo r panel and the
open ings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
134
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional speakers or
other equipment is installed i n the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Aud i dealer or q ualified work­
shop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants.
Fig. 121 S id e curt ain system, drive r's s ide : side curtain air­
bag locatio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the fro nt and rear side win­
dows~
fig. 121. T hey are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshie ld frame and the cen­
ter roof p illar .
The side curtain airbags contain features that provide ejection mitigation to help prevent veh i­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or part ially ejected from the vehicle
interior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll­
overs .
The side c urtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help 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 coll i­
sion. The side curta in a irbag inflates in side im-
pacts and only whe n the vehicle acce lerat ion .,.

a:,
a:,
...... N r--. N
'"' 0 0 ::, a:,
registered by the control unit is high enough . If
this rate is below the referenc e va lue program­
med into the contro l unit, the side curtain airbag
will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. It is
not possible to define an airbag triggering range
that will cover every poss ible a ngle of impact,
since the circumstances will vary considerab ly be­
tween one coll is ion and another. Impo rtant fac­
tors incl ude , fo r example , the nature (ha rd or
soft) of the impacting object , the ang le of im­
pact, vehicle speed, etc .
¢ page 135, How side
curtain airbags work.
Aside from their normal s afety function, safe ty
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 s ubstitute for yo ur
safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the overa ll 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 . Th is is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts ,
n ot j ust because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 109, General information .
It is important to remember that while the s ide
curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp reduce
the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other i njuries,
for example, swel ling, b ruising, and m ino r abra­
sions can a lso be associated w ith these airbags.
Remember too, these a irbags w ill dep loy only
once and only in certa in kinds of acc iden ts -your
safety be lts are always there to offer protection .
The side curtain airbag system basically
con sists of:
- T he elec tronic contro l module and external side
impact sensors
- T he side c urtain airbags above the front and
rea r side windows with ejection mitigation fea ­
tures
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain it is f unct ion ing properly at all
Airb ag sys tem
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air­
bag system indicato r light wi ll come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated :
- if the ignition is turned off,
- in side co ll isions when the accele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions.
A WARNING
- Safety belts an d the airbag system will only
p rovide protec tion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing position
¢ page 44,
Front seats.
- If the ai rbag ind ic a tor light~ page 14
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 inf late when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
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 .
Fig. 122 Illust ration of pr incip le: Inflated s ide curta in air­
bags o n the le ft s ide
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i-
cle that is struck in a side collision
¢ fig . 122.
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
liJ,
135