2020 AUDI A3 airbag

Driving safety


— Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi-
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri-
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
— Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas-
senger‘s breastbone and the instrument
panel.
— Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen-
ger‘s knees and the lower part of the instru-
ment panel.
— Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
— Before driving, always adjust the front pas-
senger seat properly.
— For adjustable head restraints: before driv-
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly.
— Always keep your feet on the floor in front of
the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in-
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in-
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
— Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilt-
ed far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted
back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
— Children must always ride in child seats
= page 278. Special precautions apply when
installing a child seat on the front passenger
seat > page 253.

Proper seating positions for passengers in
israel -r- 1}
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve-
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow-
ing:
240
> For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi-
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos-
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
=> page 57.
> Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
> Fasten and wear safety belts properly
=> page 248.
> Make sure that children are always properly re-
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age > page 278.

ZA WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
— Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
— Safety belts only offer maximum protection
when the safety belts are properly posi-
tioned on the body and securely latched. By
not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger in-
creases the risk of personal injury from im-
properly positioned safety belts!
— For adjustable head restraints: always adjust
the head restraint properly so that it can

give maximum protection.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated.

Improper seating positions can cause serious in-
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body. Im-
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit-
ical areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu-
pants and especially for children. Therefore: >

8V2012721BK
Driving safety

> Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
>.
The following bulletins list only some sample po-
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
— never stand up in the vehicle
— never stand on the seats
— never kneel on the seats
— never ride with the seatback reclined
— never lie down on the seats
— never lean up against the instrument panel
— never sit on the edge of the seat
— never sit sideways
— never lean out the window
— never put your feet out the window
— never put your feet on the instrument panel
— never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
— never ride in the footwell
— never ride in the cargo area

ZA WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
— Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.

Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
eae mesa
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags

ZA WARNING
Always make sure that the knee airbag can in-
flate without interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the

way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in-
to you as the airbag deploys.
— No persons or animals should ride in the
footwell in front of the passenger seat. If
the airbag deploys, this can result in serious
or fatal injuries.
— No objects of any kind should be carried in
the footwell area in front of the driver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping
bags, for example) can hamper or prevent
proper deployment of the airbag. Small ob-
jects can be thrown through the vehicle if
the airbag deploys and injure you or your
passengers.


Pedal area
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without in-
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions.
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav-
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop.

ZA WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri-
ous injury.
— Never place any objects in the driver's foot-
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would
not be able to brake or accelerate!
— Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver's footwell.

241

8V2012721BK
Safety belts

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. 206. This impact with the vehi-
cle interior has all the energy they had just before
the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even
when they deploy, airbags provide only additional
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 of-
fer protection in those accidents in which airbags
are not supposed to deploy or when they have al-
ready 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
=> fig. 207. In a frontal collision they will be
thrown forward violently, where they can hit and
injure the driver and/or front seat passenger.
1-1 al LheM ogo) alas
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision. It's simply
not true!

“=
a
8
x % 8

Fig. 208 Driver is correctly restrained in a sudden 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.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you
still have to wear the safety belts provided. Front
airbags,
for example, are activated only in some
frontal collisions. The front airbags are not acti-
vated in all frontal collisions, in side and rear col-
lisions, in roll overs or in cases where there is not
enough deceleration through impact to the front
of the vehicle. The same goes for the other airbag
systems in your Audi. So, always wear your safety
belt and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
247

8V2012721BK
Safety belts

Adjusting the safety belt latch tongue
Applies to: vehicles with adjustable latch tongue
& Ss
g = & 3

Fig. 213 Safety belt: latch tongue clip (example)
> Slide the clip so that you can easily reach the
belt latch when putting the safety belt on.
ONT Leia aia tell
Applies to: vehicles with safety belt height adjustment
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust-
ment, the three point safety belt strap routing
can be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size.

B4G-0004)



Fig. 214 Safety belt height adjustment for the front seats
- loop-around fittings
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the center
of the collar bone as possible and should fit well
on the body > A\ in Safety belt position on
page 249.
> Push the loop-around fittings up > fig. 214@,
or
> squeeze together the (@) button, and push the
loop-around fittings down (2).
> Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at-
tachment is properly engaged.

ZA WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth-
er important information > page 248.
(i) 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 effective-
ness of safety belts and will even increase the risk
of injury and death by moving the safety belt to
critical areas of the body. Improper seating posi-
tions also increase the risk of serious injury and
death when an airbag deploys and strikes an oc-
cupant who is not in the correct seating position.
A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
> Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sit-
ting position in the vehicle while traveling
of.

ZA\ WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
— 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 information > page 248.

251

8V2012721BK
Airbag system

Airbag system
Important information
area e eo MIT a a Lee)
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop-
er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen-
gers, before driving off, always:
> Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly > page 238,
> Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
=> page 239,
> Wear safety belts properly > page 248,
> Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children > page 278.
Ina collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force. The
supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated
properly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to
do its job, it is important, both as a driver and as
a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection
in certain frontal collisions > page 238, Correct
passenger seating positions. For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
=> page 54.
It's especially important that children are proper-
ly restrained > page 278.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea-
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system.
Proper seating position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or condition that
prevents you from sitting properly on the driver
seat with the safety belt properly fastened and
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operation of the Ad-
vanced Airbag System, please contact your au-
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834
for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov-
ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags will deflate im-
mediately after deployment so that the front oc-
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be
in their way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward move-
ment. Together they help to prevent the driver
and front seat passenger from hitting parts of
the inside of the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash. In this
way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions. The triggering of the airbag system de-
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collision and registered by the electronic con-
trol unit. If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehi-
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi-
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably
between one collision and another, it is not possi-
ble to define a range of vehicle speeds that will
cover every possible kind and angle of impact
that will always trigger the airbags. Important
factors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front airbags will >
253

Airbag system

also not inflate in side or rear collisions, or in roll-
overs.
Always remember: Airbags will deploy only once,
and only in certain kinds of collisions. Your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy, or when they have already deployed; for
example, when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another vehicle after the first collision.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supplementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The airbag system works most
effectively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
=> page 245.


ZA WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or in-
strument panel will decrease the effective-
ness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
— Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
— If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, investi-
gate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
— All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve-
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or improperly restrained
child is also at greater risk of injury or death
through contact with an inflating airbag.
— If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sit-
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your risk of injury is much higher.
— You will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up against the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
—To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
=> page 248, 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 ride unrestrained or im-
properly restrained in the vehicle. Adjust the
front seats properly.
— Never ride with the backrest reclined.
— Always sit as far as possible from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
> page 238.
— Always sit upright with your back against
the backrest of your seat.
— Never place your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat. Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre-
vent serious injuries to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
— Never recline the front passenger's seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the area of the side airbag or the front air-
bag during braking or in a sudden maneuver.
Objects near the airbags can become projec-
tiles and cause injury when an airbag in-
flates.

ZA WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be
replaced.
— Use only original equipment airbags ap-
proved by Audi and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in your vehicle and assure system
effectiveness ina crash.
— Never permit salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.



even with an Advanced Airbag.

254
Child restraints on the front seat - some

important things to know
> Be sure to read the important information and
heed the WARNINGS for important details >

8V2012721BK
Airbag system

about children and Advanced Airbags
=> page 278.
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 properly 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
seat.
It can be a very dangerous place for an in-
fant or a child in a rearward-facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has
been certified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applica-
ble 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 old (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 the electrical capacitance meas-
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys-
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed-
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehi-
cle was certified. For a listing of the child re-
straints that were used to certify your vehicle's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
=> page 280.
— will stay on if there is a small child 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 capacitive
passenger detection system > page 265, Moni-
toring the Advanced Airbag System.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when electrical capacitance registered on the
front passenger seat is equal to or less than the
combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-old in-
fant and one of the rearward-facing or forward-
facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Ve-
hicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad-
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certi-
fied.
If the total electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is more than that of a
typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight
of a small adult, the front airbag on the passen-
ger side can deploy (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 side
has not been turned off by the electronic control
unit and can deploy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
—asmall child that is heavier than a typical 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat (re-
gardless of whether the child is in one of the
child seats listed > page 280), or
—a child who has outgrown child 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
instrument cluster and stays on.
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal
Standard requires the airbag to meet the “low
risk” deployment criteria to reduce the risk of in-
jury 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 265, PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
255
>

Airbag system

Always remember, a child seat or infant carrier
installed on the front seat may be struck and
knocked out of position by the rapidly inflating
passenger's airbag in a frontal collision. The air-
bag could greatly reduce the effectiveness of the
child restraint and even seriously injure the child
during inflation.
For this reason, and because the back seat is the
safest place for children - when properly restrain-
ed according to their age and size - we strongly
recommend that children always sit in the back
seat > page 278, Child safety.


Z\ WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child seat instal-
led on the front passenger seat will be seri-
ously injured and can be killed if the front air-
bag inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag
System.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child seat or
infant carrier with great force and will
smash the child seat and child against the
backrest, center armrest, door or roof.
— Always install rear-facing child seats on the
rear seat.
— If you must install a rearward facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
exceptional circumstances and the PASSEN-
GER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on
and stay on, immediately install the rear-
facing child seat in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
— Forward-facing child seats installed on the
front passenger's seat may interfere with
the deployment of the airbag and cause seri-
ous personal injury to the child.
— 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 position in the up and down adjust-
ment range and move it back to the rear-
most position in the seat's fore and aft ad-
justment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible, before installing the forward-
facing child restraint.
— Always make sure that the safety belt upper
anchorage is behind the child restraint and
not next to or in front of the child restraint
so that the safety belt will be properly posi-
tioned.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.



ZA WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in-
stall a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat:
— Always make sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its manu-
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas-
senger front and side airbag.

ZA\ WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will
be displayed whenever a child restraint is in-
stalled on the front passenger seat and the ig-
nition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not stay on, perform the checks described
= page 265, Monitoring the Advanced Air-
bag System.
— Take the child restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on.
— Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer immediately.
— Always carefully follow instructions from
child restraint manufacturers when instal-
ling child restraints.


ZA, WARNING
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must in-
stall a forward or rearward-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger's seat:
— Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.

256