2018 AUDI S3 SEDAN Owners Manual

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Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart ­
ment.
Fig . 219 Safe load pos itio ning : place heavy objects as low
an d as far forward as poss ible.
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Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, chang ing vehicle handling charac­
ter istics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serio us personal inj ury in a sudden vehicle ma­
ne uver or in a coll ision.
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
• Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as far forward as
poss ible.
• Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
¢ page 63.
• Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serio us per­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, fo r example, luggage o r
other heavy items in the luggage compart­ ment.
- Always sec ure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
s u itable straps .
Driving safety
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control lead ing to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in m ind when transport ing
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can a lso cause changes in vehicle
handling :
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible .
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Ax le Weight Rating
or the G ross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible we ight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 249 .
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 fu lly closed.
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Close the power top*,
- Open alt a ir outlets i n the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion ,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
--
Always make sure that the doors , all win­
dows, the power roof*, the power top* and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked to
r educe the risk of injury when the vehicle is
n ot being used.
255

Drivin g saf ety
- After closing the rear lid, a lways make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave yo ur vehicle unattended espe­
c ia lly w ith the rear lid left open. A ch ild
could crawl into the ve hicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be­
ing t rapped in a veh icle can lead to se rious
persona l injury.
- Never let children play in or around the veh i­
cle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Ve hicle occupants m ust al­
ways be prope rly rest ra ined in one of the ve­
hicle's seating posi tions.
(D Tips
- A ir c irculat io n helps to reduce window fog­
g ing . Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents i n the t rim panel. Be s ure to
k eep these slots free and open.
- The t ire pressu re must correspond to the
l oad. The tire p ressure is shown on the tire
p ressure labe l. Th e tire pressu re labe l is lo ­
ca ted on t he driver 's s ide B-p illar. The tir e
p ressure labe l lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its max imum capacity weig ht and the t ires t hat
were on your vehicle at the t ime it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load cond itions, please see chap­
ter
¢ page 341.
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 proper ly
¢ page 255, Loading the luggage compartment.
In a col lision, the laws of p hysics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause ser ious in­
jury. Items in t he ve hicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item . Veh icle speed is the most s ignificant factor .
For examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing o n a 10-lb
256
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item . This means that the weight
of the item would s udden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imag ine the in juries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment could cause in a col­
l is ion like t his.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or imp roper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fa il dur ing hard
b raking or in a coll is ion and cause ser io us pe r­
sona l injury .
- Always use s uitable mo unt ing st raps and
p roper ly sec ure i tems to the t ie -downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to help preven t
items from shifting or flying forward as dan ­
ge rous missi les .
- W hen the rear seat backrest is fo lded down,
a lways use s uitable mo unting straps and
properly sec ure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying forward as dangerous
m iss iles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether strap
to a t ie-down.
-

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Active rollover protection system
Function
Applies to: vehicles wit h power top
The rollover protection system protects vehicle
occupants in the event of a rollov er.
........ ..._____ ----
F ig. 220 Re ar seats: rol lb ar deploy men t ran ge
----
Fig. 221 Rear seats: deployed rollbar
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The ac tive rollover prote ction sys tem consists of :
- two ro llbars
- the safety belts with belt tensioners
- the windshie ld frame
- the rollover sensors
The active rollover prote ction system provides
additional sa fety in the event of a rollover . With­
in m illiseconds, sensors deploy two rollbars lo ­
cated behind the head restraints in the rear seats
¢ fig. 221 .
The rollbars, re inforced windshield frame and
belt tensioners help protect front and rear pas ­
sengers in the event of a rollover .
The rollover protec tion system functions when
t he power top is both open and closed .
Dri ving safety
A WARNING
Do not use the area behind the rear seat head
restraints
¢ fig . 220 as a seat or storage area .
This is the area where the rollbars deploy . If
the rollover protection system is t riggered,
objects placed there can be p ropelled th rough
the veh icle and ma ke it more diffic ult for the
r ollbars to deploy. This increases the risk for
serious or life -threatening injuries.
When is rollover protection deployed?
Applies to: veh icles w ith power top
Rollover protection deploys in a collision or roll­
over.
Depend ing on the co llision, senso rs thro ughout
the vehicle and the co ntro l modu le trigger the
rollove r system to deploy.
For safety reasons, rollover protection also de­
ploys during front, s ide and rear collisions above
a certain level of severity.
Retracting rollover protection
Applies to: veh icles w ith power top
Fig . 222 De ployed ro llbar wi th release loo p.
-
~
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Fig. 223 De ployed ro llbar w ith powe r to p frame facing up·
-~-~
257

Drivin g saf ety
If the ro llover protection has triggered but the
vehicle was not invo lved in an accident, you can
retract the rollover protection yourself in an
emergency. Drive to an authori zed Aud i dea ler or
author ized Audi Service Facility immed iate ly to
have the malfunction corrected .
With the power top open
~ Pu ll the loop upward in the direction of the ar­
row and hold it in place
¢ fig . 222.
~ Slide the rollbar down.
~ Release the loop just before the rollbar reaches
its end position ( 1-2 in ./ 3 -S cm) .
~ Press the rollbar down until it stops .
~ Make su re the rollba r is secure befo re re leas ing
i t.
~ Close the cove r@ ¢ fig. 223.
~ Repeat t he p rocedure on t he other ro llba r.
With the power top closed
~ Switch the ign ition on .
~ Press t he power top switc h to ad just the power
top frame until it is
ve rtical ¢ fig. 223.
~ Pull t he loop upwa rd in the d irection of the ar­
row and hold it in place
¢ fig. 222 .
~ Slide the rollbar down.
~ Release the loop just before the rollbar r eaches
its end position (1 -2 in./ 3-5 cm).
~ Press the ro llbar down until it stops.
~ Make sure the rollbar is secure before releas ing
i t .
~ Close the cover @¢ fig. 223 .
~ Repeat t he p rocedure on t he other ro llba r.
~ Yo u can now close the power top again.
A WARNING
- Make s ure your head or other parts o f your
body are not located in the area above the
rollbar when pressing the rollbar down. If
the ro llbar is not secured correctly, it cou ld
deploy again as soon as you re lease it and
cause i njuries.
- Have the rollover protect ion system checked
by and authorized Aud i dea ler or authorized
Audi Service Facility if it malfunctions . Oth ­
erwise the system may not deploy correctly
in a coll is io n.
25 8
-Modifying the rollover protection system o r
ind ividual components is not perm itted.
- Work on the ro llover protection system
should on ly be performed by an authorized
Aud i dea ler or authorized Audi Serv ice Facili­
ty. Otherwise the system may not function
correct ly in a collis ion or it could dep loy un­
expectedly.
- Have the system inspected at service inter­
vals . This ensures the system will a lways be
ready fo r use . H ave an autho rized Aud i dea l­
er or author ized Audi Se rvice Facility check
the rollove r protect ion system eve ry two
ye ars at the latest.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u beli eve th at your vehicle
ha s a def ect w hi ch could cau se a
c ras h or co uld cause inju ry or
d ea th, you sh ould imm edi ate ly in­
form the N atio nal Highway Traffi c
Sa fet y Admini stration (NHT SA) in
a dditi on t o notif yin g Au di of
A m er ica, Inc.
If NHTSA rece ives s imilar com ­
plaints, it ma y ope n an in ve stiga­
tion , and if it find s that a safet y
defect s exis ts in a group of
v ehicle s, it ma y order a recall and
rem edy campaign. H owev er,
NHT SA cann ot become in vol ved in
indi vidual probl em s bet ween you,
y our dealer, or Audi of America,
In c.
T o co nt ac t the NHTSA , you ma y
either call :

u. a, ... N
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Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1 -800-424-9153) or
1- 800-424-9393
or you may write to :
NHTSA
U .S . Department of Transporta­
tion 1 200 New Jersey Ave ., S.E .
West Building
Washington, DC 20590
You can also obta in other infor­
mation about motor vehicle safe­
ty from :
http:/ /www .safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you be­
lieve that your vehicle has a de­
fect that could cause a crash, in­
jury or death, you should immedi­ ately inform Transport Canada,
Defect Investigations and Recalls.
You should also notify Audi Cana ­
da .
Canadian customers who wish to
report a safety-related defect to
Transport Canada , Defect Investi­
gations and Recalls, may either
call Transport Canada toll -free at :
Driving saf ety
Tel.: 1-800-333-0510 or
T el.: 1-819-994-3328 (Ottawa re­
gion and from other countries)
TTY for hearing impaired: Tel. :
1-888 -67 5 -6863
or contact Transport Canada by mail at :
T ranspo rt Canada
Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga­
tions Laboratory
80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J 8 Z 0A l
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http :/ /www.tc.gc.ca/eng/
roadsafety/menu .htm
259

Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
"'Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother
-throughout
the entire pregnancy .
Number of seats
Applies to: vehicles without power top: Your Audi
has a total of five seating positions: two in the
front and three in the rear . Each seating position
has a safety belt .
Applies to: vehicles with power top: Your Audi
has a total of four seating positions: two in the
front and two in the rear. Each seating position
has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
260
-Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt. It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap .
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
- Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint .
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Fig. 224 Safety belt warning ligh t in the instrument clus ­
ter
-enlarged
Before driving off, always:
"' Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
U) N Ill 0 ..:. "'Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
"' Protect children with a child restraint system
appropriate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition , you will hear
a warning tone for a certain period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING -
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
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injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protect ion and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warn ing light
that come on, could lead to personal 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 . 225 Unbe lted occupants in a veh icle head ing fo r a wall
Fig . 2 26 The ve hicle c rashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple . Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­
ies w ith veh icle speed and body we ight. Engi­
neers call this energy "k inetic 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.
Vehicle speed is the most signif icant facto r. If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to
SO km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of t his veh icle are not us­
ing safety
belts ~ fig. 225, they will keep mov ing
Safet y bel ts
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, until something stops them -
here, the
wall ~ fig. 226 .
The same p rinciples apply to people s itting in a
vehicle that is invo lved in a fronta l co llision. Even
at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to SO km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000 lbs, o r 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 col lis ion
they will also keep mov ing 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 wha t happens
in a ll kinds of accidents and co llisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted oc cupants cannot stop
them selves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed. Always wear your safety belts!
Fi g. 227 A driver not wear ing a safe ty belt is violen tly
throw n forward
Fig. 228 A rea r passe nge r not we aring a safety be lt w ill fly
forwa rd a nd strike t he drive r
Ill-
261

Safety belts
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 violently into the steering wheel, in­
strument panel, windshield, or whatever else is
in the
way ¢ fig. 227. 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 add itional
protection . Airbags are not supposed to deploy in
all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with 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 protection in those accidents in which
airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they
have already deployed. Unbelted occupants can
also be thrown out of the vehicle where even
more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passengers
in the rear seats endanger not only themselves
but also the driver and other passengers
c> fig . 228 . In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit a nd
injure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
262
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!
Fig. 229 Driver is correctly res trained in a sudde n braking
maneuver
Safety belts used properly can make a big differ­
ence . Safety belts help to keep passengers in
their seats, gradually reduce energy levels ap­
plied to the body in an accident, and help prevent
the uncontrolled movement that can cause seri­
ous injuries. In addition, safety belts reduce the
danger of being thrown out of the vehicle.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and give
them the benefit of being slowed down more gently or "softly" through the
"give" in the safety
belts, crush zones and other safety features engi­
neered into today's vehicles. By "absorbing" the
kinetic energy over a longer period of time, the
safety belts make the forces on the body more
"tolerable" and less likely to cause injury .
Although these examples are based on a frontal
collision, safety belts can also substantially re­
duce the risk of injury in other kinds of crashes.
So, whether you're on a long trip or just going to
the corner store, always buckle up and make sure
others do, too . Accident statistics show that vehi­
cle occupants properly wearing safety belts have
a lower risk of being injured and a much better
chance of surviving an accident. Properly using
safety belts also greatly increases the ability of
the supplemental airbags to do their job in a col­ lision. For this reason, wearing a safety belt is le­
gally required in most countries including much
of the United States and Canada.
.,.