2018 AUDI Q3 Steering Wheel Warning

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Electromechanical
steering
The ele ctromechanical steering supports th e
driver's steering movements.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the veh icle speed .
Indicat or lights and me ssages
• Steering fault! Do not dr ive vehi cle!
If th is ind icator lig ht tu rns on and stays o n and
this message appears, the power steer ing may
have failed.
Do
not c ont in u e d riving. See an authorized Aud i
dea ler o r autho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r as ­
sis tance.
If the indicator light turns on, the steering wheel may be more diff icult to move or more sensitive
than usual. The steering wheel may also be at an
angle when dr iving straight .
Drive s low ly to an author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Se rvice Fac ility to have the mal­
function co rrected.
kr-ij Steering lock: System fault ! Please contact
dealer.
There is a malfunction in the electronic steering
l ock.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler o r aut horized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
-
Have the system malfunction corrected as
soon as possible by an author ized Audi dealer
or authorized Aud i Service Fac ility, as this in­
creases the risk of a n accident .
(D Tips
If the . or i1:.ij indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue dr iv ing.
Intellig ent Technology
All wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to: vehicles with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered.
General information
In all whee l drive, the dr iving power is div ided be­
tween all fou r wheels . This happens automatical­
ly depending on yo ur driving behavior as we ll as
the cur rent road conditions . A lso see ¢
page 89 .
The all whee l dr ive concept is des igned for high
engine power. Yo ur vehicle is except iona lly pow­
erfu l and has excellent driving characteristics
both under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice. Always read and follow safety pre­ cautions
q .&, .
Winter ti res
By using all whee l drive, your veh icle has good
forward motion w ith standard tires in winter con­
ditions . However, using winter or all season tires
on
all four wheels in the winter is recommended,
because th is w ill improve the
braking effect.
Snow chains
If there a re snow chain laws, snow cha ins m ust
also be used on ve hicles with all wheel drive
¢ page 181, Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicle s wi th a ll wheel d rive, o nly wheels wi th
the same roll ing ci rcumfe rence sho uld be used.
Avoid using tires with di fferen t tread depths
¢ page 173, New tires or wheels.
A WARNING
- Also, in vehicles with all whee l drive, adapt
your driving style to the current road and traffic cond itions. Do not let the increased
safety prov ided tempt you into taking r isks,
because this increases the risk of an acc i­
dent.
- The braking ab ility of your vehicle is limited
to the trac tion of the wheels. I n this way, it
is not different from a two w heel d rive vehi ­
cle. Do no t be tempte d to accelerate to a
h igh speed when the ro ad is s lippery, be -
cause t his increases t he risk of an acci den t. ...,
93

Driving sa fety
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
• Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch.
• Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
sure or whe n you are stressed .
A WARNING
Impaired driv ing safety inc reases t he risk of
ser ious persona l inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 9 8 Correct seating pos it io n
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver 's seat to the following
position :
• Adjus t the dr iver's seat so tha t you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor whi le
keeping your knee(s) s light ly bent ~
,A.
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact with it when you drive.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
stee ring wheel and your breast bone~
fig. 98 .
If no t possib le, see you r authorized Aud i dea le r
about adapt ive eq uipment.
98
• Ad just the steering wheel so that the steer ing
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at yo ur face .
• Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
• Adjust the head restraint so the uppe r edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of your head .
If
that is not possib le, try to adjust the head re­
strai nt so that it is as close to this pos it io n as
possible.
• Fasten and wear sa fe ty belts correctly
r=>page 109.
• Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the veh icle at all t imes .
Fo r de tailed informa tion on how to ad just the
dr ive r's seat,
see r=!) page 42 .
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfo lds. To help
re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always ad just the driver 's seat and the
steering whee l so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between yo ur breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out­
side of the steering wheel r im with yo ur
hands at t he 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal i n­
jury if the driver's airbag in flates.
- Never hold the stee ring wheel at the
1 2 o'cl ock position o r wi th you r hands at
o ther posi tion s in side the steer ing whee l
rim o r on the steeri ng wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause serious inju ries to the hands, arms and head
if the drive r's airbag dep loys.
- Pointing the steering wheel towa rd your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal d river 's airbag to protect you in a coll i­
sion.
- Always sit in an upright pos ition and never
lean aga inst or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
-

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also not inflate in side or rear coll isions, or in
ro ll-overs.
A lwa ys rememb er: Airbags will deploy only o nce,
and on ly in certain kinds of coll is ions. Your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have a lready deployed; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most effect ively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
r:::;,page 106.
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steer ing whee l or in­
st rument panel will decrease the effect ive­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
o f persona l injury in a co llision.
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot sit mo re than 10 inches
( 2 5 cm) from the steering wheel, inves ti­
gate whethe r adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- All veh icle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restra ined child could be injured by stri king
the inte rior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle d uring a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or imp roperly restrained
child is also at greate r risk of inju ry or death
through contact with an inflating airbag .
-If you are unrest rained, leaning fo rwa rd, s it­
t ing s ideways or o ut of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of in jury is mu ch h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injur ies and
c ou ld even be killed if you are up ag ainst the
airbag or too close to it w hen it inf lates -
even with an Advanced Ai rbag.
-
Airb ag sys tem
-To reduce the r is k of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear sa fety belts prope rly
r:::;, page 109, Safety belts.
-Always make certain that children age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­
dren are not properly restrained, they may be severely injured or killed when an airbag
inflates.
- Never let children r ide unrestrained or im­
p roperly restrained in the vehicle. Ad just the
front seats properly.
- Never ride with the back rest recl ined .
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
r:::;, page 98.
-Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat .
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on t he seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre­
vent ser ious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to
transpo rt objects , Items can also mo ve in to
the area of the s ide a irbag or the front air­
b ag d uring braking o r in a sudden maneu­
ver. Obje cts ne ar the airbags can be come
p roject iles and cause injury when an airbag
inflates .
A WARNING ,.___ -
Airbags that have deployed in a crash m ust be
replaced.
- Use on ly original equipment airbags ap­
proved by A udi and installed by a t rained
technician who has the necessary tools and
d iagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in yo ur vehicle and assure system
effect iveness in a crash .
- Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be s ure to read the impo rtan t in format ion and
he ad the WARN INGS for impo rtant deta ils
115

more. The function of the system in the front
passenger seat is checked by the electronic con­
trol unit when the ignition is on . The control unit
monitors the Advanced Airbag System and turns
the airbag indicator light on when a malfunct ion
i n the system components is detected . The func ­
tion of the airbag indicator light is descr ibed in
greater detail below . Because the front passen­
ge r seat contains important parts of the Ad­
vanced A irbag System, you m ust take care to p re­
vent it from being damage d. Damage to the seat
may prevent the Advanced Airbag for the front
passenger seat from doing its job in a crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of the following :
-Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle t hat
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System a bout the severity of the crash.
- An electronic control un it, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
contro l unit "decides" whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit a lso "de ­
c ides " whether the safety be lt pretens ione rs
sho uld be activated .
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve for the d river ins ide the s teer ing
whee l hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
contro l valve inside the instrument pa ne l for
the fron t passenger.
- A weig ht-sensing mat unde r the upho lstery
padding of the front passenge r seat c ushion
that meas ures the to tal weight on the sea t. The
informa tion registered is sen t continuously to
the e lectronic cont ro l unit to reg ulate dep loy ­
ment of the front Adv a need Ai rbag on the pas­
senger side.
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
¢ page 124.
-A sensor in each front seat reg isters the dis ­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument pane l. The infor­
o co mation reg istered is sent continuously to the ......
~ electronic control unit to regulate deployment N
8 of the fro nt Advanced A irbags . 0
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Airb ag sys tem
-The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
pane l¢
page 125, fig . 115 and te lls yo u when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.
- A sensor below the safety be lt latch for the
front seat passenger to measure the tension on the safety belt. The tension on the safety belt
and the we igh t registered by the weight -sens­
ing mat help the contro l unit "decide" whethe r
the front airbag fo r th e fron t passe nger seat
should be tu rned off o r not ¢
page 115, Child
restrain ts on the front seat -some impor tant
things to know.
- A sensor in the s afety be lt latch for the drive r
an d for the front seat passenger that senses
whether tha t safety be lt is la tched o r not and
transmits this information to the e lectronic
control un it.
A WARNING ,-
Damage to the front passenge r seat can pre-
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from f unct ion ing
properly .
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and p roper ly trained
wo rkshop personne l.
- Never remove the front passenger or d river
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never d isassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect w ires from it.
- Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
p lace them on the seat . If the weight-sens­
ing mat in the passenger seat is punctu red
it cannot work p roper ly .
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the passenge r seat . S uch items can
increase the weight reg istered by the
weight-sensing mat and s end the wrong in­
formation to the a irbag control unit.
- Never store i tems unde r the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
un der t he passenger se at could be
~
121

Airbag syste m
-Never h old things i n your hands or on your
lap whe n the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags dur­
ing brak ing or other sudden maneuver and
become dangerous projectiles that can
ca use serious personal injury if the a irbags
inflate.
- Never place or attach accessor ies or other
objects (such as cupholders, telephone
brackets, large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or nea r the area marked
"AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects could cause injury in a c rash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front a ir­
bag dur ing braking or in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can
cause breathing p roblems for people w ith a
his to ry of asthma or o ther b reathing condi­
tions .
- T o reduce the risk of brea thing problems,
those w ith asthma or o ther respiratory con­
ditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or o pening win­
dows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags de ­
ploy, wash your hands and face with mild
soap and water before eat ing.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the resid ue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water .
124
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
!f 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.
The Adva nced A irbag System as well as the side
airbags and s ide curta in a irbags w ith ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con ­
tro l unit, sensors and system wiring) a re all
monitored cont inuo usly to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is on. Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the airbag
monitoring i ndicator light
m w ill come on for a
few seconds (self d iagnostics) .
The system mu st 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 after you have
sw itched on the ignit ion, or
- comes on while driv ing.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
i ndicato r light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi­
ate ly.
If a ma lfunction occurs that turns the front air­
bag on the passenger side off, the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
A n airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide sup plemental pro tect ion
i n a fro nta l crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light ¢
page 14
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer. It is possib le that
t he air bag will i nflate when i t is no t sup ­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should .

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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 th e
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
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.
Airbag system
-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
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
- The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it must
be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the technical
information, training and special equipment
necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only
once. After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially for
your Audi model version. Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag compo ­
nents must be performed by qualified work-
shops only. Make sure that any airbag
Ill-
127

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A WARNING
Chi ld 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 ­
G ER 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
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in­
stall a forward-facing chi ld restraint on the
front passenger's seat :
- Always make sure the forward-fac ing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag .
- Always follow the manufacturer's instruc­
tions prov ided with the ch ild safety seat or
carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in the up and down ad­
justment range and move it back to the
rea rmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as fa r away from the air­
bag as possib le, before insta lling the for­
ward-facing child restraint .
- Always ma ke sure that the safety bel t upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the chi ld restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi­
t ioned.
Ch ild safety
-Always make sure that the PA SSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on all the
time whenever the ignition is switched on.
@ Tips
A lways replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash. Damage to
a child restraint that is not v is ible could cause
i t to fai l in another collision situat ion.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with Un ited States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standa rd (FMVSS)
208, as we ll as Canada Moto r Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
T he Advanced A irbag system in you r vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low- risk" require­
ments fo r 3- and 6-year old ch ildren on the pas­
senger side and sma ll adu lts on the driver side.
T he low risk deployment criter ia are intended to
reduce the risk of injury t hrough 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 cert ified to comply with the
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front a irbag fo r infants up to
12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in c hild rest raints t hat are lis ted in
the Standard.
E ven though your veh icle is eq uipped wit h an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all ch ild ren, especially
those 12 yea rs and younger, should a lways ride
in the back seat proper ly 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-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger ch ild in a rearward-facing seat .
135

Wheels
The tire pressures must be stored in the Infotain­
ment system again each time the pressures
change (switch ing between partial and full load
pressure) or after changing or replacing a tire on
your vehicle
c:::> page 184. The tire pressure moni­
toring system only monitors the tire pressure you have stored . Refer to the tire pressure label for
the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle
c:::> page 176, fig. 147.
Tire tread circumference and vibration character­ istics can change and cause a t ire pressure warn­
ing if:
- the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low
- the tire has structural damage
- the tire was replaced or the tire pressure was
changed and it was not stored
c:::> page 184
- the spare tire* is installed
Indicator lights
ti] -Loss of pressure in at least one tire c:::> & .
Check the tires and replace or repair if necessary.
Check/correct the p ressures of all four tires and
store the pressure again in the menu display
c:::> page 184.
@m (Ti re Pressure Monitoring System) Tire
pressure : System malfunction!. If@m
appears
after switching the ignit ion on or whi le driving
and the
ti] indicator light in the instrument clus­
ter blinks for approximately one minute and then
stays on, there is system malfunction. Try to
store the correct tire pressures
c:::> page 184. If
the indicator light does turn off or turns on again
after a short period of time, dr ive to an author­
ized Audi dealer or authorized Aud i Service Facili­
ty immediately to have th e malfunct ion correct­
ed.
_& WARNING
- If the tire pressure indicator appea rs in the
display, reduce your speed immediate ly and
avoid any hard steering or braking maneu­
vers. Stop as soon as possib le and check the
t ir es and their pressure.
- The driver is responsible for maintaining the
correct tire pressure. You must check the
tire pressure regularly.
184
'
-Under certain conditions (such as a sporty
driving style, w inter conditions or unpaved
roads), the tire pressure monitoring system
ind icator may be delayed .
- Do not use run-flat tires on your vehicle. Us­
ing them when not permitted can lead to
veh icle damage or accidents.
(D Tips
- The tire pressure monitor ing system can al­
so stop working when there is an ESC mal­
function.
- Using snow chains may result in a system
malfunction.
- The tire pressure monitor ing system in your
Audi was calibrated with "Audi Or iginal
Tires"
c:::> page 173. Using these tires is rec­
ommended.
Storing tire pressures
App lies to: vehicles wit h Tire Pressure Monito rin g Syste m in­
dic ator
.. Make sure before storing that the tire pressures
of all four tires meet the specified values and
are adapted to the load <=:>page
175 .
.. Switch the ignition on.
.. Select: the
I CARI funct ion button > (Car) Sys­
tems *
control button > Servicing & checks >
Tire pressure monitoring > Store tire pressures
> Yes, store now.
(D Tips
Do not store the tire pressures if snow chains
are installed.