2018 AUDI Q3 seats

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 .

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A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death. Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly be­ fore driving off and make sure all passen­
gers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven.
- Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed.
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing , such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat hard­
ware.
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may inter­
fere with correct positioning of belts and re­
duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that cre­
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe­
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci­
dent. Inspect belts regularly.
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
Safety belts
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary even if damage cannot be clearly
seen. Anchorages that were loaded must al­
so be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself.
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impair the func­
tion of the inertia reel~
table Interior
cleaning on page 187.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 107 Belt buckle and tongue on t he driver 's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear­
er's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper­
ly ¢
page 42, Front seats.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt¢,&. .
.. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis¢ ,&. .
.. Ins ert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle .
IIJ,,
109

Safe ty belts
Autom ati c s afet y belt retr actors
Every safety belt is equ ipped with an automa tic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. This feature
locks the belt when the belt is pulled out fast,
during hard braking and in a n accident . The belt
may a lso lock when you drive up or down a steep
hill or through a sharp curve. Dur ing normal driv­
ing the belt lets you
move freely .
Safety belt p ret en sion ers
Safety belts w ith pretensioners he lp to tighten
the safety belt and remove s lack when the pre­
tensioners are activated ¢
page 112. The func­
tion of the pretensioner is monitored by a warn­ ing light
¢ page 14.
Con vertib le loc king retract or
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
m ust be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child safety seat. Be sure to read
the impo rtant information about this feature
¢ page 144.
.&_ WARNING
Improperly pos itioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious injury in an accident
¢page 110,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upright and belts are
properly positioned on the body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat bac k­
rest to which the center rea r safety belt is
attached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen­
ger will move forward with the backrest dur­
ing sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle wi ll reduce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious persona l in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrained can be seriously in ju red by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger parts
110
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­ men.
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when you are securing a child safety seat in
the vehicle ¢
page 146.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi­
mum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 108 Safety belt pos it ion
-"' .... 9 I ... a,
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust
the position of the safety belt to match your body
s ize.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- height-adjustab le front seats .
.&_ WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause
serious personal injury in an acc ident .
- The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body. Hold the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it s its as low as pos­
sib le on the pe lvis and there is no p ressure
on the a bdomen . The belt sho uld a lways f it
snug ly ¢
fig. 108. Pull on the belt to tig hten
if necessary .
- The lap be lt portion of the safety belt must
be positioned as low as possible across pel­
vis and never
over the abdomen. Make sure
the belt lies flat and snug ¢
fig. 108. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can ca use serious
injuries by sh ifting its position on your body ..,_

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from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
9 page 108.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
T he best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
tha t expec tan t mothers always wear safe ty bel ts
correctly -throughou t the pregnancy .
Fig. 10 9 Safety be lt pos itio n durin g p reg nancy
To p rov ide max imum p rotection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear­
e r's body
c::> page 110 .
• Adjus t the front seat and head restra int cor­
rec tly
c::> page 42 , Front seats .
• Make s ure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in a n upright position and secure ly latched in
place before using th e belt.
• Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest so
that it sits a s low as possible on the pelv is and
there is no pressure on the abdomen
c::> fig . 109, c::> .&_ .
• Inse rt the to ngue into the cor rec t buckle of
you r seat until you hea r it latch secure ly .
• Pullon the belt to m ake sure that it is secu rely
latched in the bu ckle.
_& WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
serious personal inj ury in an accident .
- E xpec tant mot hers mus t always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos­
sible across the pelvis and below the ro und­
ing of the abdomen .
Safety bel ts
-Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c::> A in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page 110.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only o~er the vehicle has stopped.
Fig. 1 10 Releasi ng t he to ngue from t he bu ckle
.,. Push the red re lease but ton on the buck le
c::> fig. 110 . The belt tongue w ill spr ing out of
t he buck le
c::> _&. .
• Let the belt wind up on the retra ctor as yo u
guide the belt tongue to its stowed posit ion.
_& WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt whi le the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be­
i ng injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strap rout ing
can be fi tted to the shoulder area, according to
body size .
Fig. 11 1 Safety belt height a dju stm ent fo r th e fro nt seat s
... 0 0
0
6 ... a,
-loop -a ro und fitt ings Ill>
111

Safety belts
The shou lder belt should lie as close to the center
of th e collar bone as possib le and should fit well
on the body
c::> A in Safety belt position on
page 110.
"' Push
the loop -a round fittings up c::> fig. 111 @ ,
or
"'squeez e together the (D button, and push the
loop-around fittings down@.
"'Pull the belt to m ake sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­ er important informat ion
c::> page 108.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also be used to adjust the po ­
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se ­
vere injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly positioned on the body.
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
ness of safety belts and will even inc rease the
risk of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Improper seating
positions a lso increase the risk of serious injury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occupant who is not in the correct seating pos i­
tion . A drive r is responsible for the safety of all
veh icle occupants and especially for children.
Therefore :
"' Never permit anyon e to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
c>_& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
112
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
are correctly restrained and stay in a correct
seating position whenever the vehicle is be­
ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c::> page 108 .
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
Seat belts with pyrotechnic safety be lt preten­
sioners are tensioned automatically in severe col­
lisions, depending on the circumstances . This
helps to reduce the forward motion of the occu­
pants.
A WARNING
- It is possible for the pretensioners to deploy
incorrectly .
- Any work on the tensioner system or remov­
al and installation of system components
for other repairs must be performed by a qualified workshop .
- The pyrotechnic system can only provide
protection for one collision.
If the pyrotech­
nic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be replaced.
(D Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seatback
that has been folded forward.
(D Tips
- A fine dust is released when the pyrotechnic
safety belt pretensioners deploy . This is nor­
mal and is not caused by a fire in the veh i­
cle.
- The relevant safety requirements must be
observed when the vehicle or components
of the system are scrapped . A qualified
dealership is familiar with these regulations
and will be pleased to pass on the informa­
tion to you.

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00
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

Airbag system
about children and Advanced Airbags
c:>page 134.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System, make certain that all chil­
dren, especially those 12 years and younger, al­
ways 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-facing child
safety seat . It can be a very dangerous place for
an infant or a child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been cert ified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applica­
b le at the time your vehicle was manufactured.
According to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger side has been
certified for "suppression" for infants of about
12 month old and younger and for "low risk de­
ployment" for children aged 3 to 6 years o ld (as
defined in the standard) .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instru­
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you switch on the ignition, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
-will stay on if there is a small chi ld or child re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go off if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by the weight­
sensing mat
c:> page 124, Monitoring the Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when the control unit detects a tota l we ight on
the front passenger seat that requires the front
airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is
more than that of a typical 1 year-old child but
116
less than the weight of a sma ll adult, the front
airbag on the passenger side can dep loy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come
on). If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passenger
s ide has not been turned off by the electron ic
control unit and can deploy if the control unit
senses an impact that meets the conditions stor­
ed in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
-a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typica l 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one of the
child safety seats listed
c:> page 136), o r
- a child who has outgrown ch ild restraints is on
the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
i nstrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not
deploy (the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not illuminate and stay lit) even if a small adult
or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting up­
right with their back against a non-reclined back­
rest with the ir feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat
c:> page 98, Proper seating position for the driver.
If the front passenger a irbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the "low
risk" deployment criteria to reduce the r isk of in­
jury through interact ion w ith the airbag. "Low
risk" deployment occurs in those crashes that
take place a t lower decelerations as defined in
the e lectronic control unit
c:> page 125, PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
Always remember, a child safety seat or infant
carrier installed on the front seat may be struck
and knocked out of position by the rapidly inflat­
i ng passenger's airbag in a frontal collision . The
airbag could greatly reduce the effectiveness of
the child restraint and even seriously injure the
ch ild during inflation.
For this reason, and because the back seat is the
safest place for children -when proper ly restrain­
ed according to their age and size -we strongly
Ill>

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00
re commend that children a lway s sit in t he b ack
seat ~
page 134, Child safety .
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-faci ng chi ld safety seat
installed on the front passen ger seat w ill be
seriously injured and can be killed if the front airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced A irbag
System .
- 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, door
o r roof.
- 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 be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating posit ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your authorized Audi dea ler.
- Forward-fac ing ch ild safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat may interfere
with the deployment of the airbag and cause serious personal injury to the child.
A WARNING
If, in except ional 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 ce rtified by its man­
ufacturer fo r use on a fron t seat with a pas­
senger front and s ide a irbag.
- Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up against or ve ry near the instrument pan­
el.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the highest position in t he up an d down ad­
justment range and move it b ack to the
re ar most position in the se at's fore and a ft
adjustment range, as far away from the air ­
bag as possib le, before insta llin g the for­
ward-facing child restraint .
Airbag sys tem
-Always make sure that the safety be lt upper
anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety be lt will be properly posi­
tioned .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on a ll the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
-To reduce the risk of serious injury, ma ke sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF ligh t will
be d isplayed whenever a c hild rest raint is i n­
st alle d on the front passenger seat and the
i gni tion is switched on.
- I f the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, perform the checks de scribe d
q page 124, Monitoring the Advanced Air ­
bag System .
- Take the child restra int off the front passen ­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG O FF
light does not stay on.
- Have the ai rbag system inspected by your
author ized Audi dealer immed iate ly .
- Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacturers when instal­
ling child restra ints.
A WARNING
-If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you must in­
stall a forward or rearward-facing child re­
stra int on the front passenger's seat :
- Improper installat ion of child restraints can
reduce the ir effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protect ion.
- An improperly installed child restra int can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
serio usly injure or even ki ll the chi ld -even
with an Advanced A irbag Sys tem.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instr uctions provided with the child safe ty
seat o r ca rr ie r.
- Never p lace add itiona l items on the seat
that can increase t he total weight registered
by the weight-sensing mat and can caus e in­
jury in a crash .
117