2017 AUDI S3 SEDAN warning light

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

Airbag syste m
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. 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 wearing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do
so ¢ page 258, Gener­
al notes.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain k inds of accidents
-your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in wh ich airbags a re not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substi tute for the safety belt. The a irbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, a lways wear your
safety belts correct ly.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental knee a irbag system is des igned to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swe lling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates .
The kn ee airba g system bas ically consi sts of :
-The electronic control module
- T wo inflatab le airbags (airbag and gas genera-
t or), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicato r ligh t in the ins trument
pane l
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-whe n the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control un it is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear -end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system ma lf u nction (wa rning/
indicator light is on)
¢ page 29 .
284
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seat ing pos ition
¢ page 2 77 .
- If the a irbag ind icator light ¢
page 29
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer.
It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when i t is no t sup ­
posed to , or wi ll not inflate when it should.
How knee airbags work
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
F ig . 246 Inflated a irbags protec ting in a fro nta l co llis io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all frontal collisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the a irbags f ill with a
compressed propellant gas, and inf late between
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
driver and the lower part of the instrument panel
and the front
passenger¢ page 2 77, fig. 243 .
Althoug h they are not a soft p illow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
trem ities.
A ll of th is takes p lace in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don 't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
..,.

Airbag syste m
can be used with properly insta lled child re­
straints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a child
restraint in a veh icle: Safety
belts ¢ page 258,
Airbag system ¢ page 267, Child safety
¢page 292 .
Th e si de a ir b ag sy stem ba sic ally con sists of:
- the e lectronic control modu le and externa l side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- the a irbag warn ing light in the inst rument cl us-
ter.
The airbag system is monito red elect ronically to
make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide a irba g system supplements the safety
be lts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver's, front and rear* passenger 's upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side co llision . The airbag dep loys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is h igh enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control un it, the side airbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not pos­
sib le to define an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible ang le of impact , since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in ­
clude, for example , the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc.
¢ page 287, Important safety in­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protection .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the s ide airbag system can only
286
help to protect you i f you are wear ing your safety
belt and wearing it properly. This is another rea­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so
¢ page 258, General no tes.
It is important to remember that w hile the sup­
plemental s ide airbag system is designed to re ­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other in ju­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, s ide
a irbags w ill dep loy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents
-you r safety belts are a lways
t h ere to offer pro tection.
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over-se nsitive or fa iled a irbag act ivat ion. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
i nfla te. Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
on ly once and only in certain kinds of collisions
-
your safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side ai rbag system will n ot deploy:
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the a ccele ration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in fro nt-end coll is io ns
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags, side
curtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the prope r seat ing
pos ition ¢ page 287.
-If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 29
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immedia tely by your
author ized A udi dealer. It is possib le th at
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup ­
posed to, or will not inf late when it should .

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

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.
290
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.

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

CXl CXl .... N r--­N .... 0 N > 00
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