2020 AUDI A3 belt

Airbag system


— 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 -
even with an Advanced Airbag > page 253.

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.
— Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
airbag when a rearward-facing child re-
straint has been installed on the front pas-
senger seat, nobody can absolutely guaran-
tee that deployment is impossible in all con-
ceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
— 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 rearward-facing child re-
straints 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.

Z\ 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.

260
— 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.
— Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will cause the
capacitive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some-
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitting on the seat. The presence of addi-
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it should
be off, or could cause the airbag to work ina
way that is different from the way it would
have worked without the object on the seat.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot
of very important parts of the Advanced Airbag
System in it. These parts include the capacitive
passenger detection system, wiring, brackets,
and more. The control unit monitors the system
on the front passenger seat when the ignition is
switched on and turns the airbag indicator light
on
when a malfunction in the one of the system
components is detected > page 265. Because the
front passenger seat contains important parts of
the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care
to prevent it from being damaged. Damage to

>

8V2012721BK
Airbag system

the seat may prevent the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem for the front passenger seat from doing its
job ina crash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists
of the following:
— Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that
measure vehicle acceleration/deceleration to
provide information to the Advanced Airbag
System about the severity of the crash.
— An electronic control unit, with integrated
crash sensors for front and side impacts. The
control unit “decides” whether to fire the front
airbags based on the information received from
the crash sensors. The control unit also “de-
cides” whether the safety belt pretensioners
should be activated.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the
driver inside the steering wheel hub.
— An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside
the instrument panel for the front passenger.
— A capacitive passenger detection system under-
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys-
tem measures the electrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad-
vanced Airbag on the passenger side.
— An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster > page 265.
—Asensor in each front seat registers the dis-
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor-
mation registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
— The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel > page 304 and tells you when the front
Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has
been turned off.
—Asensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the electronic
control unit.


ZA WARNING
Damage to the front passenger 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 functioning
properly.
— Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personnel.
— Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
— Never remove the upholstery from the front
Passenger Seat.
— Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
— Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacitive passen-
ger detection mat in the front passenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc-
tured.
— Never carry things on your lap or carry ob-
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob-
jects can
influence the capacitance regis-
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro-
vided to the airbag control unit.
— Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam-
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys-
tem from working properly.
— Never place seat covers or replacement up-
holstery that have not been specifically ap-
proved by Audi on the front seats.
— Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag
System from recognizing child restraints or
occupants on the front passenger seat and
prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest
from deploying properly.
—If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth-
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
— Never use cushions, pillows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional layers prevent the capacitive

261

Airbag system


passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capacitance of the child safe-
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
— Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can influence the capacitance regis-
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro-
vided to the airbag control unit.
— If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint man-
ufacturer's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to
properly position the child restraint, make
certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the
child restraint is installed on the front pas-
senger seat.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in-
stall child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.


Z\ WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im-
mediately.
— If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work-
ing properly and may, for instance, deacti-
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the airbag indicator light Ea in the instru-
ment cluster.
— If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not
soaked in, this may also keep the airbag sys-
tem from working properly and cause the
passenger frontal airbag to be enabled
(turned on), even though there is a properly
installed child restraint system on the seat.
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat

cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger frontal airbag is turned on,
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will turn
off.

How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
airbags supplement the protection offered by the
front three-point safety belts and the adjustable
head restraints* to help reduce the risk of injury
in a wide range of accident and crash situations.
Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapter.
Deployment of the Advanced Airbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de-
pend on the deceleration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic control
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel-
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt
use, the front passenger frontal airbag will be
turned off if the electrical capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount
programmed in the electronic control unit. The
front passenger frontal airbag will also be turned
off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the child seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys-
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on to tell you when the front Ad-
vanced Airbag System on the passenger side has
been turned off > page 265.

ZA WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag in-
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
— 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


262

8V2012721BK
Airbag system


airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag > page 253.
TCM tee MoM dalla iol tLs
airbags



B4H-0271





Fig. 217 Inflated front airbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front seat
occupants in the proper seated position so that
airbags can unfold properly and provide supple-
mental protection in a frontal collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide addi-
tional protection for the chest and face of the
driver and the front seat passenger when:
— safety belts are worn properly,
— the seats have been positioned so that the oc-
cupant is properly seated
—and for adjustable head restraints: the head re-
straints have been properly adjusted.
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with
great force, things you have on your lap or have
placed on the seat could become dangerous pro-
jectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag in-
flates.
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released.
This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle. This dust is made up mostly of a powder
used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It
could irritate skin.
It is important to remember that while the sup-
plemental airbag system is designed to reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example swelling, bruising and minor abra-
sions, can also happen when airbags inflate. Air-
bags do not protect the arms or the lower parts
of the body. Front airbags supplement the three-
point safety belts only in some frontal collisions
in which the vehicle deceleration is high enough
to deploy the airbags.
Front airbags will not deploy:
— if the ignition is switched off when a crash oc-
curs,
— in side collisions,
—in rear-end collisions,
—in rollovers,
— when the crash deceleration measured by the
airbag system is less than the minimum thresh-
old needed for airbag deployment as registered
by the electronic control unit.
The front passenger airbag also will not
deploy:
— when the front passenger seat is not occupied,
— when the electrical capacitance measured by
the capacitive passenger detection system for
the front passenger seat indicates that the pas-
senger side frontal airbag must be switched off
by the electronic control unit (the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light > page 265 and how they
work comes on and stays on).

ZA\ WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the
risk of serious injury in crashes.
—To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags
inflate, the driver and passengers must al-
ways sit in an upright position, must not
lean against or place any part of their body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located.
— Occupants who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously in-
jured by an airbag as it unfolds with great
force in the blink of an eye > page 254.

ZA\ 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


263

8V2012721BK
Airbag system

Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System

‘oring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the ka light and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System as well as the side
airbags and side curtain airbags with ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con-
trol unit, sensors and system wiring) are all
monitored continuously to make sure that they
are functioning properly whenever the ignition is
on. Every time you turn on the ignition, the air-
bag system indicator light ka will come on fora
few seconds (function check).
The system must be inspected when the
indicator light Ba:
— does not come on when the ignition is switched
on,
— does not go out a few seconds after you have
switched on the ignition, or
— comes on while driving.
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the
indicator light will come on to serve as a constant
reminder to have the system inspected immedi-
ately.
If a malfunction 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.

ZA\ WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light > page 238
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup-
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.

PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light


B8V-0215

Fig. 218 Center console: passenger airbag off warning
light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in
the center of the instrument panel > fig. 218.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on
and stay on to tell you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off
by the electronic control unit. If the bulb for the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light burns out, the
airbag indicator light 2 will come on to signal a
malfunction in the Advanced Airbag System. Al-
though the burned-out bulb will not change the
way the front passenger's frontal airbag works, it
will no longer be possible to use the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light to make sure that the airbag
on/off status is correct for the occupant on the
front passenger seat. Have the airbag system in-
spected immediately by your authorized Audi
dealer.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will blink
for about 5 seconds when:
— the ignition is switched on and
— the capacitive passenger detection system,
which switches the front seat passenger's fron-
tal Advanced Airbag on and off, detects a
change in the status of the front passenger
seat.
As soon as the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stops blinking, always make sure that the airbag
status
(on or off) as shown by the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light is proper for the age, size and
electrical capacitance of the person occupying
the front passenger seat. Always make sure that
the safety belt for the front passenger seat is
properly fastened.
265

Airbag system

The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni-
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
— 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 go out if the front passenger seat is occu-
pied by an adult as registered by the capacitive
passenger detection system.
— The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and...
—a car bed has been installed on the front pas-
senger seat, or
—arearward-facing child restraint has been in-
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
—a forward-facing child restraint has been instal-
led on the front passenger seat,
—and if the electrical capacitance registered on
the front passenger seat is equal to or less than
the combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-
old infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag will not deploy, and the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF light will stay on. Never installa
rearward-facing child restraint on the front pas-
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po-
sitions on the rear seat > page 254, Child re-
266
straints on the front seat - some important
things to know and > page 278, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer-
tain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
— reactivate the system by turning the ignition off
for more than 4 seconds and then turning it on
again;
— remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make
sure that the child restraint is properly installed
and that the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been correctly routed through the
child restraint as described in the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions;
— make sure that the convertible locking retractor
on the safety belt for the front passenger seat
has been activated and that the safety belt has
been pulled tight.
— make sure that no electrical device (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
— make sure that no seat heater has been retrofit-
ted or otherwise added to the front passenger
seat;
— make sure that nothing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and that they are not ob-
structed;
— make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light still does
not come on...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),

8V2012721BK
Airbag system

— take the child restraint off the front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect-
ed by your Audi dealer immediately.
— move the child to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restrained ina
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on...
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT
come on when the ignition is on and an adult is
sitting in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat. If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
5 seconds while driving, under these circumstan-
ces, make sure that:
— the adult on the front passenger seat is proper-
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up against the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined,
— the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their weight on the armrest,
— the safety belt is being properly worn and that
there is not a lot of slack in the safety belt web-
bing,
— there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush-
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca-
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal-
culate electrical capacitance.
Mu elas see)
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System

— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small 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 posi-
tions. Have the airbag system inspected by
your authorized Audi dealer before trans-
porting anyone on the front passenger seat.

ZA WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop-
erly cannot provide supplemental protection
in a frontal crash.
—If the airbag indicator light > page 238
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup-
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.


Z\ WARNING
— If the status of the Advanced Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
about 5 seconds to catch the driver's atten-
tion. If this happens, always stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri-


bed above.


Z\ WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a
child restraint, or in a rearward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-facing child re-
straint that has not been properly installed
will be seriously injured and can be killed.
— Even though your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced Airbag System, make certain
that all children, especially 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop-
erly restrained for their age and size.
— Always install forward or rear-facing child
seats on the rear seat — even with an Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
— 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 appear 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.
— If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's

267

8V2012721BK
Airbag system


entered in your Audi Warranty & Mainte-
nance booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD.
— Applies to plug-in hybrid* vehicles: In the
event of a collision where the airbags de-
ploy, the electrical connection to the high
voltage battery is automatically disconnect-
ed. This prevents a short circuit.
Other things that can affect Advanced
ONY em ace lie
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the suspension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc. can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
electronic control unit. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas-
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made. Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy-
ing when it should.

ZX, WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury ina
crash.
— Never install suspension components that
do not have the same performance charac-
teristics as the components originally instal-
led on your vehicle.
— Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.


Knee airbags
Pregl) aCe ola ACLs eh)
Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen-
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants.

Fig. 219 Driver's knee airbag
The driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel > fig. 219, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec-
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
=> page 263, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function, safe-
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu-
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re-
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. This is why you should al-
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requires you to do so > page 245, General
notes.
269