2018 AUDI Q3 ABS

Intelligent Technology
-Press the accelerator pedal carefully when
accelerating on even, slippery surfaces such
as ice and snow. The drive wheels can spin
even when these control systems are instal­
led 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
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working .
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 96 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
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driv ing on rough terrain when much of the car's
we ight is lifted off the wheels (axle artic ula­
tion)
- Dr iv ing downh ill wh ile braking on loose g round
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 wi ll differ depending on the
level. For your safety, sw
itch the offroad mode off in
advance.
ESC levels
Offroad mode on ESC/ASR off
Offroad mode off or
ESC/ASR on
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stabiliza-
The stabilization function is The
full stabilization func-
tion functions are limited not
available
¢ .&.. ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ .&. . ASR are switched off. availab le again.
Operation Press the C; button briefly. Press and hold the C; button Press the C; button again.
longer than three seconds.
Indicator II turns on. II and lfil•U~ turn on. II turns off or II and
lights lfil•l~i turn off.
Messages Stabilization control (ESC):
Stabilization control (ESC): Stabilization control (ESC):
offroad. Warning! Reduced Off
. Warning! Reduced sta-
On
stability bility
90
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- Please observe information on safe driving
~page 97.
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 w indows,
- 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 .
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, a lways make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A chi ld
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.
Driving safety
-The tire pressure must co rrespond 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 capac ity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­ ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load conditions, p lease see chap­
ter ~
page 176.
' 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 102, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
smaller items that are loose in the veh icle w ill
become heavy m issiles that can cause serious in­
jury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary w ith vehicle speed and the weight of the
item. Vehicle speed is the most significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10- lb
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item. This means that the weight
of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
lision like th is.
A WARNING
-Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail dur ing hard
braking or in a collision and cause serious per­
sona l injury.
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan­
gerous missiles .
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
103

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-Failure to pay attention to the warn ing light
that come on, could lead to persona l injury.
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 102 Unbelted occupants in a vehicle heading for a wall
Fig. 103 The vehicle crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­ ies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engi­
neers call this energy "kinetic 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.
Veh icle speed is the most significant factor. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 t imes!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety belts
¢fig. 102, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the wall¢
fig. 103 .
Safety belts
The same p rinciples apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is invo lved in a fronta l co llision. 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 the ir vehicle. In a frontal collis ion
they will also keep moving forward 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 in all kinds of accidents and collisions .
What happens to occupants not wea ring
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 104 A driver not wearing a safety belt is violently
th row n forwar d
Fig. 10S A rear passe nger not wearing a safety belt will fly
forward a nd strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves . Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant
will slam viol ently into th e steering wheel, .,.
107

Safe ty belts
instrument panel, windshield, or whatever else is
in the way
r:!> fig. 104. 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 only additional
protection. A irbags are not supposed to dep loy in
all kinds of accidents. A lthough your Audi is
equipped w ith airbags, all vehicle occupants, in­
cluding the driver, 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 in those accidents in wh ic h
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have a lready deployed . Unbel ted occupants can
also be thrown o ut of the veh icle where eve n
mo re severe or fatal injuries can occur .
It is also important for the rear pass engers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passengers
i n t he re ar seats endanger no t on ly themse lves
but also the drive r and other passengers
~ fig . 1 OS. 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!
F ig . 10 6 Driver is co rrectly restrai ned in a sudde n brak ing
m aneu ver
Safety belts used properly can make a b ig d iffer­
ence. Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap-
108
plied to the body in an accident , and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri­
ous injuries. In add ition, sa fety belts red uce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety be lts attach passengers to the car and g ive
them the benefit of being s lowed down more
gently or "soft ly" thro ugh the "give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety feat ures engi­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
k inet ic energy over a longer per iod of t ime, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tole rab le" and less likely to cause inju ry .
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety be lts ca n also substantially re ­
duce the r isk o f injury in ot her kinds of crashes .
So, whethe r yo u're on a long trip or just goi ng to
the cor ne r store, a lways b uckle up and make s ure
othe rs do, too. Ac ciden t st at ist ics show that veh i­
cle o ccupants prope rly wearing safety bel ts have
a lowe r risk of being injured and a m uch better
chance of surviving an acc ident . Properly using
safety be lts also great ly increases the ability of
the supp lemental airbags to do their job in a col­
li sion. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most countries 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 examp le, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not act i­
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear co l­
li sions, in roll overs or in cases where the re is not
eno ugh deceler ation throug h impa ct 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 rest rained!
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safe ty belts must always be correctly positioned
acros s the strongest bones of your body .
.,. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and de ­
scribed in this chapter.
.,. Make sure that your safety be lts are always
ready fo r use a nd are not damaged .

Airbag system
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants.
Fig. 112 Location of driver airbag: in steering whee l
Fig. 113 Location of front passenger's airbag: in th e in­
strument panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System " in compliance with Un ited 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 airbag for the driver is in the steer ing whee l
hub~
fig. 112 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel
~fig. 113. Th e
general location of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG" .
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags
in your vehicle . We urge you to read the detailed
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 extreme ly important
118
for your safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infants and small children.
A WARNING -
Never rely on airbags alone for protection.
- Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
supplemental protection.
- Airbag work most effectively when used with proper ly worn safety belts.
- Therefore, always wear your safety be lts and
make sure that everybody in your veh icle is
proper ly restrained.
A WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­
cially infants and small chi ldren, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­ ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
- Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your veh icle is designed to turn off the front
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle.
- The Advanced Airbag System can dep loy in
accordance with the "lo w risk" option under
the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that is
heavier than the typical one-year old chi ld is
on the front passenger seat and the other
conditions for airbag deployment are met.
-Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing position.
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age and size.
Advanced front airbag system -
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd
(CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi­
cle was manufactured .

Airbag syste m
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 . ~
page 124
Alway s rem ember: Even though you r veh icle is
equipped with Advanced Airbags, the safest place
for children is properly restrained on the back
seat. Please be sure to read the important infor­
mat io n in the sections that follow and be sure to
heed a ll of the WARN INGS .
_& WARNING
To reduce the risk of inj ury when an airbag in­
flates, a lways wear safety belts properly .
-If you are unrestrained, leaning forwa rd, s it­
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of injury is much higher .
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag r:!> page 114.
_& WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced Airbag
System .
- Although the Advanced A irbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rea rward-facing child re­
straint has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran­
tee that deployment is impossible in all con­
ceivable s ituations that may happen during
the useful life o f you r vehicle .
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door,
or roof.
- Always install rearward-facing chi ld re­
straints in the back seat.
120
- If you must install a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be ­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PA SS EN GER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by your authori zed Aud i dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional ci rcums tances , you must in­
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-facing sea t
has been des igned 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 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 a ir­
bag as poss ible, before installing the for ­
ward-facing chi ld restrain t.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to o r in front of the child rest raint
so that the safety be lt will be p roperly posi­
tioned.
- Always move the passenge r seat into its
rearmost posit ion i n the seat's fo re and aft
ad justmen t range, as far away from the a ir ­
bag as poss ible, before install ing the for ­
ward-facing chi ld restraint. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Ma ke sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ign it ion is switched on.
' Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot
of very impo rtant parts of the Advanced A irbag
System in it . These parts include the weight-
sensing mat, sensors , wir ing, brackets, and .,.

Airbag system
service action is entered in your Audi War­
ranty
& Maintenance book let under AIRBAG
REPLACEMENT RECORD.
@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules safe­
ty belts with pretens ioners are scrapped, al l
applicable laws and regulat ions must be ob­
served. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar
with these requ irements and we recommend
that you have your dealer perform this service
for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For examp le, using t ire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lower ing the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspens ion,
including the springs , suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of serious personal in jury in a
crash.
- Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your veh icle .
128
.
-Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Aud i.
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle
and the center conso le can cause the sensors
in the buckle to send the wrong information
to the electronic control module and prevent
the Advanced A irbag System from wo rking
p roperly.
-Always make sure that nothing can interfere
w ith the safety belt buckles and that they
are not obstructed.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 116 Sid e a irbag locatio n in the dr ive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests
~ fig . 116 facing the doors .
They are identified by the word "AIRBAG ".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests
- the airbag warning light in the instrument clus-
ter.
The airbag system is mon itored electron ically to
make certain that it is functioni ng properly at a ll
times. Each time you turn on the ignition, the air ­
bag system indicator light will come on for a few
seconds (self diagnostics). .,,_

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use the safety belt height adjustment to help
adjust the shoulder portion properly .
~ Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
¢ page 139.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 lbs. or
18 kg) are best protect ed in child safety s eats de­
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of
these children is not fully developed, and they
must not use the vehicle safety belts without a
suitable child restra int .
It is usually best to put these children in appro­ priate booster seats . Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards .
Booster se ats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the child's body in the right places. The rout ing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. Chi ld ren age 12 and unde r must
a lways ride in the rear seat .
Ch ildren who are at least 4 ft . 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 mete rs) tall ca n genera lly use the veh icle's
three po int lap and shoulder be lts. Neve r use the
l ap belt po rtion of the vehicle 's safety belt alone
to restrain any child, regardless of how big the
chi ld is. A lways remember that children do not
hav e the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap belt port ion of the ve­
h icle 's three point lap and shoulder be lt s. The
chi ld 's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
port ion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis . Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety belt pass over
the child's stomach or abdomen.
In a crash, a irbags must inflate within a blink of
an eye and wit h considerable force . In order to do
its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to p rotect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forward into the a irbag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of position and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
ai rbag. When an occ upant is too close, he o r she
will be struck v iolently and will receive ser ious or
possibly even fatal injury.
Ch ild safety
In order for the a irbag to offer protection, it is
important that a ll vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who m ust be in the front seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances, be properly
res tra ined and as far away from the airbag as
poss ible. By keeping room between the child 's
body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the a irbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide s upplementa l protec tion in certain frontal
collisions.
A WARNING
-
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrect ly installing a boos ­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
i njury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situation. To help reduce the risk of se­ rious personal injury and/or death:
- The shou lder belt must lie as close to the
center of the ch ild's collar bone as possible
and must lie flat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie ac ross the pelvis
and never across the stomach o r abdomen.
Make sure the bel t lies flat and sn ug. Pu ll on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Fail ure to properly route safety bel ts over a
child's body w ill cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢ page 106.
- The rear side of the chi ld safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re ­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif­
f icult to insta ll the ch ild seat with the head
restraint in place¢
page 44 . Install the
head restraint again immed iately once the
child seat is removed . Driving without head
rest raints or with head restra ints that a re
not properly adj usted increases the r is k of
serio us or fatal ne ck in jury dramatically .
- Never let a chi ld put the shoulder belt under
the arm or behind the ba ck, because i t could
cause severe inj uries in a crash .
- Ch ild ren on the fron t seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in-
jured or even ki lled when an airbag inflates .
Ill>
143