2020 AUDI A3 ECU

8V2012721BK
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the knee bags, for example) can interfere with or
airbag system prevent proper deployment of the airbag.


Applies to: vehicles with knee airbags Small objects can be thrown through the
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
wear safety belts correctly and ride in a proper or your passengers.
seating position. — Make sure there are no cracks, deep scratch-
es or other damage in the area of the instru-
There is a lot that you and your passengers must ment panel where the knee airbags are lo-
know and do to help the safety belts and airbags cated.
to provide supplemental protection. —If children are incorrectly seated, their risk



A WARNING of injury increases in a collision > page 278,
Child safety.
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in-
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im- Side ai rbags
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a Description of side airbags
hicle is bei .
weteleis beingiuced The airbag system can provide supplemental
—Thek i . .
Boao eau otecuy cu protection to properly restrained occupants.
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the airbag locations. When adjusting their
seat positions, it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bodies and knees at the following
minimum safe distances:
i KR R
Ry 2 eS oO
—at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument

panel.
—at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru- Fig. 221 Side airbag location in the driver's seat
ment panel.
—The risk of personal injury increases if you The side airbags are located in the sides of the
lean forward or to the side, or if the seat is front seat backrests > fig. 221 and the rear back-
improperly positioned and you are not wear- rest* facing the doors.
ing your safety belt. The risk increases even The side airbags installed for the front seating
more should the airbag deploy. positions have been designed and certified to
— Always make sure that the knee airbag can help reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
inflate without interference. Objects be- by airbags when they inflate, particularly when
tween you and the airbag can increase the the occupant sitting next to it is not seated prop-
risk of injury in an accident by interfering erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
with the way the airbag deploys or by being can be used with properly installed child re-
pushed into you as the airbag deploys. straints. Please be sure to read the important in-
— Never let anybody, especially children or formation and warnings whenever using a child
animals ride in the footwell in front of the restraint in a vehicle: Safety belts > page 245,
passenger seat. If the airbag deploys, this Airbag system > page 253, Child safety
can result in serious or fatal injuries. => page 278.
5 vetcary ables el any Ar einite jeer The side airbag system basically consists of: >
well area in front of the driver's or pas-
senger's seat. Bulky objects (shopping

271

Child safety




— Take the child restraint off the front passen- child restraint increases the risk of serious
ger seat and install it properly at one of the personal injury and death.
rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR — All vehicle occupants and especially children
BAG OFF light does not stay on. must be restrained properly whenever riding
— Have the airbag system inspected by your in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
authorized Audi dealer immediately. restrained child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve-
@ Tips 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.
The child seats listed in categories A to C have
been statically tested by Audi only for the Ad-
vanced Airbag function.
— Commercially available child safety seats are
oe required to comply with U.S. Federal Motor
mae ee Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 213 (in
Canada CMVSS 213).
Correct use of child safety seats substantially re- —When buying a child restraint, select one
duces the risk of injury in an accident! that fits your child and the vehicle.
— Only use child restraint systems that fully
contact the flat portion of the seat cush-
ion. The child restraint must not tip or
As the driver, you are responsible for the safety of
everybody in the vehicle, especially children:
> Always use the right child safety seat for each lean to either side. Audi does not recom-
child and always use it properly page 284. mend using child safety seats that rest on
> Always carefully follow the child safety seat legs or tube-like frames. They do not pro-
manufacturer's instructions on how to route vide adequate contact with the seat.
the safety belt properly through the child safe- — Always heed all legal requirements per-
ty seat. taining to the installation and use of child
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install a safety seats and carefully follow the in-
child safety seat, you must first activate the structions provided by the manufacturer
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt of the seat you are using.
to prevent the child safety seat from moving mi evenallowchildrentundensi. niches
page 289. (1.45 meters) to wear a normal safety belt.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full They must always be restrained by a proper
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that child restraint system. Otherwise, they
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more could sustain injuries to the abdomen and
than one inch (2.5 cm). neck areas during sudden braking maneu-
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat Werstionaccicental
> page 284. — Never let more than one child occupy a child
safety seat.
— Never let babies or older children ride ina
vehicle while sitting on the lap of another
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,

should always ride in the back seat properly re- paecegel
strained for their age and size. — Holding a child in your arms is never a sub-
stitute for a child restraint system.
A WARNING — The strongest person could not hold the
child with the forces that exist in an acci-
dent. The child will strike the interior of
the vehicle and can also be struck by the
passenger.
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a



282

Child safety


— Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
STM emt Camel heel ae Lees



B4G-0466


Fig. 226 Schematic overview: keep unused safety belts
away from children in child safety seats. @) - outer rear
safety belt, (@) - center rear safety belt*
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especially with LATCH universal lower anchorag-
es, the unused safety belts must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them>A.
— Guide the safety belt webbings @ and ()* be-
hind the head restraint of the seat where the
child restraint is installed > fig. 226. When do-
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a “clicking”
sound when winding up the safety belt.
— Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing.


ZA WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booster seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
could cause the child serious personal injury
and even death.
— Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such as
by properly routing them around the head
restraint of the seat where the child re-
straint is installed.
— Never activate the convertible locking re-
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.

284
— Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat-
ing position* if the center rear safety belt
has been routed around a rear head re-
straint.


Child safety seats
Maer h cy
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or 9 kg need special rearward-facing child
restraints that support the back, neck and head
inacrash.

B4l-1424


Fig. 227 Schematic overview: rearward-facing infant seat,
properly installed on the rear seat
> When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
=> page 289 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the
seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm).
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
=> page 284.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs. or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for their age group. Many
experts believe that infants and small children
should ride only in special restraints in which the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant
seats support the baby's back, neck and head ina
crash © fig. 227.
The airbag on the passenger side makes the front
seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to >

Child safety

convertible locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the child safety seat from moving
=> page 289 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments.
> Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways more
than one inch (2.5 cm) > page 289.
> If the child safety seat is equipped with a tether
strap, attach it to the tether anchors
=> page 294.
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
=> page 284.
A toddler or child is usually too large for an in-
fant restraint if it is more than one year old and
weighs more than 20 lbs. (9 kg).
Toddlers and children who are older than one
year up to about 4 years old and weigh more than
20 lbs (9 kg) up to 40 lbs. (18 kg) must always be
properly restrained in a child safety seat certified
for their size and weight > fig. 228 and
> fig. 229.
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. Itisa
very dangerous place for an infant or a larger
child in a rearward-facing seat.

against the backrest, center arm rest, door
or roof.
— Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
— If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be-
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
—The rear side of the child safety seat should
be positioned as close as possible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat.
— For adjustable head restraints: adjust or re-
move the rear seat head restraint if it is dif-
ficult to install the child seat with the head
restraint in place > page 57. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 245, Safety belts,
= page 253, Airbag system and > page 278,
Important information.


ZA WARNING
Not using a child safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restraint increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision or oth-
er emergency situation.
— Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in-
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates —- even with an Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child

286

ZA, WARNING
If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-
being require that the following special pre-
cautions be taken:
— Make sure the forward-facing seat has been
designed and certified by its manufacturer
for use on a front seat with a passenger
front and side airbag.
— Always follow the manufacturer's instruc-
tions provided with the child safety seat or
infant carrier.
— 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

8V2012721BK
Child safety



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 nothing prevents the
front passenger's seat from being moved to
the rearmost position in its fore and aft ad-
justment range.
— Always make sure the backrest is in an up-
right position.
— 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.
— 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.
— 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.
— Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats). These may influence the electrical
capacitance measured by the capacitive pas-
senger detection system and can also fly
around in an accident and cause serious per-
sonal injury.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in-
stall the forward-facing child seat at a seat-
ing position on the rear seat and have the
airbag system inspected by your authorized
Audi dealer.
— 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 whenever
the ignition is switched on.

Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who are less than 4 ft. 9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.

B4H-0275



Fig. 230 Rear seat: child properly restrained in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 in-
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protect them in a crash.
> Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
> The shoulder belt must lie as close to the cen-
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight-
en if necessary.
> Applies to: vehicles with safety belt height ad-
justment: If you must transport an older child
in a booster seat on the front passenger seat,
you can use the safety belt height adjustment
to help adjust the shoulder portion properly.
> Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
=> page 284.
Children up to at least 8 years old (over 40 Lbs or
18 kg) are best protected in child safety seats de-
signed for their age and weight. Experts say that
the skeletal structure, particularly the pelvis, of >
287

8V2012721BK
Child safety


OFF light must come on and stay on, when-
ever the ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described > page 265, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag 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 whenever
the ignition is switched on.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 245, Safety belts,
=> page 253, Airbag system and > page 278,
Important information.

Securing child safety
seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
ert
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas-
senger can be locked with the convertible locking
retractor to properly secure child safety seats.
The safety belts emergency locking retractors for
the rear seats safety belts and for the front pas-
senger’s seat safety belt have a convertible lock-
ing retractor for child restraints. The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot un-
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up during normal driving. A child
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the child and
child safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember: Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
children, especially those 12 years and younger,
should always ride in the back seat properly re-
strained for their age and size.

ZA\ WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.


— Always make sure that the safety belt retrac-
tor is locked when installing a child safety
seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor can-
not hold the child safety seat in place during
normal driving or in a crash.
— Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting init. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision.
— Always make sure that the rear seat backrest
to which the center rear safety belt* is at-
tached is securely latched whenever the rear
center safety belt is being used to secure a
child restraint.
—If the backrest is not securely latched, the
child and the child restraint will be thrown
forward together with the backrest and will
strike parts of the vehicle interior. The child
can be seriously injured or killed.
— Never install rear-facing child safety seats or
infant carriers on the front passenger seat.
A child will be seriously injured and can be
killed when the passenger airbag inflates.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
— Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
— Forward-facing child safety seats or infant
carriers installed on the front passenger's
seat may interfere with the deployment of
the airbag and cause serious injury to the
child.
—It is safer to install a forward-facing child
safety seat on the rear seat.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 278. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat > page 254, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.

289

Child safety


ZA WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must
install a forward or rearward-facing child re-
straint on the front passenger's seat in excep-
tional situations:
— Whenever a forward or rearward-facing
child restraint is installed on the front pas-
senger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light must come on and stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, perform the
checks described > page 265, Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag 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 whenever
the ignition is switched on.
— Improper installation of child restraints can
reduce their effectiveness or even prevent
them from providing any protection.
— An improperly installed child restraint can
interfere with the airbag as it deploys and
seriously
injure or even kill the child.
— Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
— After checking to make sure that the child
restraint is properly installed, make certain
that the child restraint is correctly recog-
nized by the capacitive passenger detection
system in the front passenger seat and that
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light signals
the correct front passenger frontal airbag
status.

ZA\ WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
— 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.
— Never put the forward-facing child restraint
up, against or very near the instrument pan-
el

290
— 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
Rearward-facing child restraints:
-Achild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad-
vanced Airbag System.
— The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
— Always be especially careful if you must in-
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir-
cumstances.
— Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
— If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in-
stall the rear-facing child safety seat ina
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Audi dealer.

Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint.
Always heed the child safety seat manufacturer's
instructions when installing a child restraint in

8V2012721BK
Child safety

your vehicle. To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
> Place the child restraint on a seat, preferably on
the rear seat.
> Slowly pull the belt all the way out.
> Route it around or through the child restraint
belt path > A\.
» Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight.
> Insert the belt tongue into the buckle for that
seating position.
> Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un-
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat.
> You should hear a “clicking” noise as the belt
winds back into the inertia reel. Test the con-
vertible locking retractor by pulling on the belt.
You should no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the retractor. The convertible locking re-
tractor is now activated.
> Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the child restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly.
> Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2.5 cm).

ZA WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improp-
erly installed child restraint can cause serious
personal injury or death in a crash.
— Always make sure that the safety belt retrac-
tor is locked when installing a child safety
seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor can-
not hold the child safety seat in place during
normal driving or in a crash.
— Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or ina crash.
— Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up-
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at-


tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 278. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat > page 254, Child
restraints on the front seat - some impor-
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re-
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way back into the re-
tractor.


>» Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
The belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
> Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position.
Always let the safety belt retract completely into
its stowed position. The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con-
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac-
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un-
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deactivate this feature. If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.

ZA WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death ina collision.
— Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re-
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
would not be restrained and could be seri-
ously injured in an accident.
— Always read and heed all WARNINGS when-
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used > page 278. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seaton |>


291