2018 AUDI A3 SEDAN airbag

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
A WARNING
-The airbag system can deploy only once. If
the a irbag has been tr iggered, the system
must be replaced by an authorized Aud i
dealer or qua lif ied workshop .
- Always have work involving the side curtain airbag system, removal and installation of
the a irbag components, or other repa irs
perfo rmed by a qualified dealersh ip. Othe r­
wise the airbag system may not wor k co r­
rectly .
- Never a ttempt to modify any components of
the a irbag system in any way .
Airbag syste m
293

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 261, 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
designed 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 .
I n 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 restraints, 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 accident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat properly re­
strained for their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restra int on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢ page 270. Infants and other chi ldren 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:
294
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http://www.safe ­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Tr ansport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http ://www.tc .gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in o rder to be sure the seat is right fo r
your c hild's
size ¢ page 298, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
format ion and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child
restraints in this chapter .
T here is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your veh icle and how they work
when infants and children in child res traints are
on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion, we cannot re­
peat it all he re . We urge you to read the detailed
info rmat ion 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.
P lease 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 seating position. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
- 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 a lso at greater r isk 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 protection
for infants and small children in most acci­
dent situat ions.

u. 00 ... N l'­ N ... 0 N > 00
A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
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 serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag i n­
flat es.
- The inflating a irbag w ill 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
doo r.
- 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
PASSEN­
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-fac ing ch ild seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the
deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If except ional 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
prec autions to be taken:
- Always make sure that the fo rward-facing
seat has been designed and cert ified by its
manufacturer fo r use on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
proper ly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used .
Child saf ety
- Never put the forward-fac ing 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 insta llation in accord­
ance with the child restrain t manufactur­
er's instr uctions .
- Always move the fron t passenger seat to
the h ighes t position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
re armos t position in the se at's fore a nd
a ft a dju stmen t range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, befo re installing
the forward-facing child restra int .
- Always make sure tha t the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the ch ild 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 p revents
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 , CD player , electronic games de­
vice, power inverter o r seat heater fo r
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive p assenger detec tion system an d can
also fly around in an a ccid en t a nd c ause
serious person al injury .
- Never pla ce or use any ele ct rical devi ce
(s uch as a laptop, CD player, ele ctroni c
games device, powe r inverter or seat heat ­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to the front passenger
seat, never insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush io n.
295

Child safety
-Always make sure that the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on
all the time whenever the ignit ion is
sw itched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­
ly install the forward-facing child seat in a
rear seating posit ion and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Aud i
dea le r.
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop o r in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
wheneve r using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ~ page 260, Safety belts, ~ page 269,
Airbag system
and ~ page 294, 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 visib le could cause
it to fail in another collision situation .
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your veh icle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance w ith 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 ve hicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your veh icle has
been cert ified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas­
senger s ide and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment cr iteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for examp le, by being
too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppress ion" requ irements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas-
296
senger seat in child restraints t hat are listed in
the Standard.
Even though your vehicle is eq uipped w it h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all childr en, especially
those 12 years and younger, shou ld always ride
in the back seat properly restrained for their age
and s ize. The airbag on the passenger side makes
the front seat a potentially dangerous p lace for a
ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a ch ild in a forward -facing ch ild 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 pacit ive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres­
ence of a baby or a ch ild 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 chi ld restra int, and a baby b lanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a chi ld, 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
i es 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
typ ica l of infants and a 1-year old ch ild. 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 e lectronic con­
tro l unit .

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the child restraint 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 mode ls 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
different weights and size s and different "foot­
prints", the size and sh ape 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 virtua lly 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.
F or 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 certify 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 25, 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
E venflo First Choice December 1, 1999
204
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
Graco Snug ride 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
Hi gh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back Boos- September 25, 2007
ter 22-209
E venflo Tribute V September 25, 2007
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion 254 December 1, 1999
E venflo Generations September 25, 2007
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25 , 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Plat inum Cargo September 25, 2007
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on .
~
297

Child sa fety
- Take the chi ld restraint off the front passen ­
ger seat and insta ll it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PA SSEN GER AIR
BA G OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Aud i dealer immediately.
(D Tips
The chi ld seats listed in categories A to C have
been statica lly tested by Aud i only for the Ad­
vanced 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 chi ldren:
~ A lways use the right chi ld safety seat for each
c h ild and a lways use it properly
c::> page 300.
~ 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 be lt to insta ll a
c hi ld safety seat , you must first activate the
conve rtible locking retractor on the safety be lt
to prevent the child safety seat from mov ing
c::> page 305 .
~ Push the child safety seat down wit h your fu ll
weight to get the safety be lt 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 300 .
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equ ipped w ith an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always r ide in the back seat prope rly re­
stra ined fo r th eir age and size.
_& WARNING
N ot using a c hild safety seat, usi ng the w rong
c hild safety seat or imp roper ly installing a
298
chi ld restraint increases t he risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- All vehicle occ upants and especially children
must be restra ined properly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child cou ld be injured by strik ing
the inter ior or by being ejected from the ve­
h icle dur ing a sudden maneuve r o r i mpact.
An unrest rained or imprope rly rest rai ned
child is a lso at g rea ter r is k of inj ury o r death
through con ta ct w it h an infl ati ng a irbag.
- Commerc ia lly availab le child safety seats
a re requ ired to comply with U.S. Federal
Motor Vehicle S afety Standard ( FMVSS) 2 13
(in Canada CMVSS 213).
- When buying a child restra int, select one
that fits your chi ld and the vehicle .
- Only use child restra int systems that fully
contact the flat port ion of the seat cush­
i o n. The ch ild restraint must not tip or
lean to e ither side . Audi does not recom­
mend using child safety seats that rest on
l egs or tube -like frames. They do not p ro­
v ide adequate cont act wi th t he seat.
- Always heed all lega l req uirements per­
ta in ing to the inst allation and use of child
sa fe ty seats and caref ully follow the in ­
str uctions provided by the manufact urer
of the seat you are using .
- Never a llow children under 5 7 inc hes
( 1. 45 meters) to wear a normal safety be lt.
They must a lways be restrained by a proper
child restraint system. Otherwise, they
could sustain injuries to t he abdomen and
neck areas dur ing sudden brak ing maneu­
vers or accidents .
- Never let more than one c hild occupy a chi ld
safety seat.
- Never let babies or o lder ch ildren ride in a
ve hicle w hile sitting on the lap of a nother
passenger.
- Holding a c hild in your a rms is never a s ub­
stitute fo r a ch ild restraint system .
- The s tronges t person cou ld no t hold the
c hil d with the forces tha t exist in an acc i­
dent. The c hild will strike the inte rior of
the ve hicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.

u. 00 .-< N l'­ N .-< 0 N > 00
-The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing chi ld safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be serious ly injured and
can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
o r roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the ch ild in the child seat.
If necessary, ad­
just the angle and posit ion of the seat in
front of the child sea t.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety sea ts installed
on the front passenger's seat can inte rfe re
with the airb ag when i t inflates and cause
serious injury to the child . Always insta ll 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 passenge r's seat, the child's safety
and well-being require that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-fa cing seat h as
been designed an d certif ied by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas ­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child safety
seat o r ca rr ier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the highest posit ion in the up and down
ad justment range and move it back to the
rearmost posit ion in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-fac ing ch ild restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety be lt up­
pe r anchorage is behind the child restra int
and not next to or in front of the child re-
Ch ild saf ety
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
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 posit ion.
- Never place or use any elect rical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connec ted to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter soc ket .
- If a seat heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise added to the front passenger
seat, neve r insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger sea t
cush ion .
- Never pla ce obje cts on the sea t (such as a
laptop, CD player, ele ct ronic games de­
vice, power inverter o r seat heater for
child seats). These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measu red by the capac i­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an acc ident and cause
serious personal injury .
- Always buckle the child safety seat firm ly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around dur ing
a sudden stop or in a co llision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever us ing a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
used ~ page 260, Safety belts,
~ page 269, Airbag system and
~ page 294, Child safety.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, ma ke sure
t hat 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 ign it ion is switched on.
~
299

Child safety
-Take the child restraint off the front passen­ger 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.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
l8 , ,.,_ _ g
---0
Fig. 247 Schematic overv iew: keep unu sed safety belts
away from chi ldren in chil d safety seats. @-outer rear
safety belt,@- center rear safety belt*
~
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,&. .
-Guide the safety belt webbings @and ®* be­
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
c hild restraint is installed
c::>fig. 247. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "clicking"
sound when winding up the safety belt .
-Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
-Always secure unused rear seat safety belts out of reach of children in child seats such
as by properly routing them around the
300 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 sit at the center rear seat­
ing position* if the center rear safety belt
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. 248 Sc hema tic ove rview : re arward -facing infan t seat ,
prope rly installed on th e rear 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 305 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 forward or sideways more than one inch (2.5 cm) .
.,. Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 300 .
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small ch ildren
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
Ill-