ECU AUDI S3 2010 Owner's Manual

Driving Safely -
----------------
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 properly~ page 131,
"Loading the luggage compartment".
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even smaller items that
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which vary with
vehicle speed and the weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h),
the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that the weight of the item
would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the inju­
ries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through the passenger
compartment could cause in a collision like this.
& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure items to tie ­
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
• Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure
items to the tie-downs in the luggage compartment to help
prevent items from shifting or flying forward as dangerous
missiles.
• When the rear seat backrest is folded down, always use suit­
able mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs
in the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying
forward as dangerous missiles into the passenger compartment.
• Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie-down. •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A. If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform
the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminis­
tration (NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you, your dealer,
or Audi of America, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hot
Ii ne to I I-free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or write to:
Administrator NHTSA 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNING !continued)
• Never let any person ride with their feet on the instrument
panel or sticking out the window or on the seat.
• Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being injured or killed.
• Never wear belts twisted.
• Never wear belts over rigid or breakable objects in or on your
clothing, such as eye glasses, pens, keys, etc. , as these may cause
injury .
• Never allow safety belts to become damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position.
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere with correct posi­
tioning of belts and reduce the overall effectiveness of the system.
• Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the
buckle from latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear , and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident . Inspect belts regularly . If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop .
• Safety belts that have been worn and loaded in an accident
must be replaced with the correct replacement safety belt by an
authorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be necessary even if
damage cannot be clearly seen. Anchorages that were loaded
must also be inspected.
• Never remove, modify, disassemble, or try to repair the safety
belts yourself.
Safety first
Safety belts
& WARNING !continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel
~ page 215, "Safety
belts" .•
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 134 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=> page 72, "General recommendations" .
Make sure the seat back of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before
using the belt
=> & .
Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis
=> &. _,.
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

___ S_a_ f_ e_ t-= y_ b_e_ l_ t _s _______________________________________________ _
-Insert t he tongue into the correct b uckle of y our seat
unt il you h ea r it la tc h securely~ fig. 134.
Pull on t he belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
Aut om ati c sa fe ty belt re tra cto rs
Eve ry safety be lt is equipped with an automatic belt retractor on the
shoulder belt. This feature locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may a lso lock
when you drive up or down a steep hill or through a sharp curve .
During normal driving the belt lets you move free ly.
Safety belt prete nsi oners
The safety belts are equipped with a be lt pretensioner that he lps to
tighten the sa fety be lt and remove slack when the pretensioner is
activated. The function of the pretensioner is monitored by a
warning light=>
page 14 .
Swit chable locking fe ature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver sea t is equipped with
a switchab le locking feature that
must be used when the safety belt
is used to a ttach a chi ld safe ty sea t. Be sure to read the important
information about this feature=>
page 177.
& WARNING
Improper ly positioned safet y belts can cause seriou s inj ury in an
accident =>
page 140 , "Safety belt po sitio n".
• Safet y belts offer opt imum protection on ly when the seat back
i s upright and belt s are properly po sition ed on t he bod y.
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to whi ch the
c enter r ear sa fet y belt i s atta ched i s sec ure ly lat ched whe nev er
the rear center saf ety belt i s being us ed. If the ba ckrest is not
s ecu rely lat ched, the pas senge r will mo ve fo rward with the back ­
rest dur ing sudden braking , in a sudden maneu ver and e spec iall y
in a cra sh.
& W AR N ING (continu ed )
• Never attach the safety belt to the buck le for anothe r seat .
Atta ch ing th e be lt to the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
e ffe cti venes s and can ca use seriou s per son al injur y.
• A p assenger who i s not prope rly re str ained can be s eriousl y
injured by the saf ety belt it self wh en it m ove s from the stronger
p art s of the body into criti ca l area s like the abd omen .
• Alway s lock the convert ible lo ck ing retractor when you are
s ecu ring a ch ild safety se at in the ve hi cle =>
page 179. •
Safety belt position
Correc t belt posi ti o n is the key to getting maximum
protecti on f rom safety be lts.
Fig . 1 35 Head r est ra in t
an d safe ty belt p osi­
tion a s seen from th e
sid e
Standard features on your vehicle help you adjust the position of
the safety belt to match your body size .
• belt height adjustment for the front seats,
• automatic belt height adjustment for the rear seats.

& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident.
• The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat .
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body =>
page 140, fig. 135 . Pull on the belt to tighten if necessary .
• The lap belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned as
low as possible across pelvis and never over the abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug=>
page 140, fig. 135. Pull on the belt
to tighten if necessary.
• A loose -fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner­
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
=> page 138. •
Safety first
Safety belts
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 136 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned correctly on the wearer's body=>
page 140.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
=>
page 72, "General recommendations" .
- Make sure the seat back of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before
using the belt.
Hold the belt by the tongue a nd pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=> fig . 136, =>
&.
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
until you hear it latch securely =;,
page 139, fig. 134.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
IJ),
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

Child Safety -
--------------------''----
& WARNING (continued )
• If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional c ircumstances 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 156, "Monitoring the
Advanced A irbag System ".
• Take the ch ild restraint off the front passenger seat and install
it properly at one of the rear seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on wheneve r the ignition is switched
on .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 135, "Safety belts",
=> page 145, "Airbag system " and => page 167 , "Important things
to know ".•
Installing a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S a fety belt s for the rea r sea ts and the front passenger con
b e lo cked with t he conver tible lo ckin g retr actor to p rop­
e rly sec ure c hild saf ety sea ts.
T he s afe ty bel ts e merge ncy lo cking re trac to rs fo r th e rea r sea ts
safety belts and for the front pass enger's seat safety belt have a
c o nve rtible loc king re tr ac tor fo r child r estrai nts. The sa fe ty b elt
must be loc ked so that be lt webbin g cannot unr eel. The re trac tor
c an be activa te d to lock the safety be lt and prevent the safet y belt
w ebbi ng fr om l oos en ing up dur in g n orm al dr ivi ng . A chi ld sa fety
seat can only be properly insta lled when t he safety be lt is locked so
th at th e child and chil d sa fet y seat will sta y in p lace .
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation A
lways remember: Even though your vehic le is equipped with an
A dva nce d Airb ag sys tem, all chi ld re n, e sp ec ially those 12 yea rs a nd
youn ger, should a lways ride in the back seat prop erly restrained for
t hei r age a nd size .
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision .
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat . An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot 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 in a collision .
• Always make sure that the rear seat backrest to which the
center rear safety belt is attached 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 . ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_______________________________________________ C_h _ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t..,:c y __ __
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 install the rear-facing child safety seat in a 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 instruc­
tions when installing a child restraint in 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
=>& .
- 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.
- Gu ide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
- You should
hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
into the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pul ling on the belt. You should no longer be able to
pull the belt out of the retractor. The convertible locking
retractor 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).
& WARNING
Using the wrong child restraint or an improperly installed child
restraint can cause serious personal injury or death in a crash.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor is locked when
installing a child safety seat. An unlocked safety belt retractor
cannot 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 in a crash.
• Always make sure the seat backrest to which the child restraint
is installed is in an upright position and securely latched into place
and cannot fold forward. Otherwise, the seat back with the child
safety seat attached to it could fly forward in the event of an acci­
dent or other emergency situation.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 167 . Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 147, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNING ! continued )
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of
the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle.
• Never install a child restraint without a properly attached top
tether strap if the child restraint manufacturer 's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used .
• Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower anchorage points
can lead to injury in a collision . The LATCH lower anchorage points
are designed to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly
fitted child restraint s.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchorage point .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other item to the LATCH
lower anchorages.
[ i ) Tips
• I n Cana da, the te rms " top teth er" wit h "lo wer unive rsal a nchor­
ages" (or "lower universal ancho rage bars") are used to describe the
sys te m.
• I n other countries, the term "ISO FIX " is used to descr ibe the
lo we r anc horages .•
Safety first
Location
!(l 10
0:. CD
"'
Child Safety
Fig. 151 S chem ati c
overview : LATCH
ancho rage point loc a­
tion s
The i llustration shows the seating locations in your vehicle wh ich
are e quip ped wi th th e lowe r anchorages syste m.•
Description
Th e lo wer ancho rage posi tions ar e marke d for quic k
l oc atin g.
Vehicle care I I
Fig . 152 Rea r seat­
back s: locator buttons
for low er anchor ages ..
irechnical data

•---=C:...:.h.:.: i.:.:ld ::.....: S~ a::. f~ e~ t~ y~ ----------------------------------------------
Fig . 153 R ear s eats:
l ower anchor age
br acke t locat ions
Att achment lo cator m arke rs fo r low er a nchora ges
Circular locator bu ttons on the rear seatback indicate the lower
anchorage locations on the rear seating positions=> fig. 152 .
Lower anchorag es
The lower anchorage attachment poin ts a re located between the
rear seatback and rea r seat cushion => fig . 153.
Lower anchorages secure the ch ild restrain t in the seat without
using th e ve hicle's safety belts. Anchorages provide a secure and
easy-to -use attachment an d min imize the possibility of i mproper
child restraint insta llation.
All chi ld res traints manufactured after September 1, 2002 , must
have lower anchorage attachments for the LATCH system .
Remember that the lower anchorage points are only intended for
installation and attachment of child restra ints specifica lly certified
for use with LATCH lower anchorages. Child r estraints that are not
equipped with the lower anchorag e attachments can still be
installed in comp liance wi th the child restrain t manufac turer's
instructions on using vehicle sa fety be lts .
& WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lowe r anchorages can cau se seriou s
pe rsonal injury in an accident.
& W AR N ING (continu ed )
• Alway s care fully follow the child re str aints manufacturer' s
inst ructions fo r proper in stallatio n of the child re straint and
proper u se of th e lower anchor ages or safety belts in yo ur veh icle .
• Never secure o r att ach an y lugg ag e or other item s to the
LAT CH
lower an chorage s.
• Alway s read a nd heed the import ant infor mation about child
restraint s in thi s chapter and WARNINGS =>
page 167, "Child
Safety ".•
Installing a child restraint with LATCH lower
anchorages
Wh eneve r you install a chil d re straint al ways f ollow the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions .
Mounting
F ig . 15 4 Low er
an chor age s: pr ope r
m oun ting
- Remove the cover* to access the lower anchorage attach ­
ment po ints.
Make sure the seat bac k of the rear seat benc h is in the
upright posit ion and securely latched in place. ._

- Attach both hook-on connectors with the spring catch release on the child safety seat onto the LATCH lower
anchorage so that the connectors lock into place
~ fig. 154.
- Pull on the connector attachments to make sure they are properly attached to the LATCH lower anchorage.
- Pull straps tight following the child restraint manufac ­
turer's instruct ions.
Releasing
- Loosen the tension on the straps following the child
restraint manufacturer's instructions .
- Depress the spring catches to release the anchorage
hooks from the lower anchorages.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the child restraint firmly
in place .
& WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in an accident.
• These anchors were developed only for child safety seats using
the "LATCH" system.
• Never attach other child safety seats, belts or other objects to
these anchors.
• Always make sure that you hear a click when latching the seat
in place. If you do not hear a click the seat is not secure and could
fly forward and hit the interior of the vehicle, or be ejected from
the vehicle.
Safety first
Child Safety
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury in an accident.
• Always follow the child restraint system manufacturer's
instructions for proper installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as well as the lower anchorages or
safety belts in your vehicle.
• Always read and heed the important information and WARN­
INGS about child safety and the installation of child restraint
systems~
page 167, "Child Safety" .•
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig . 155 Tether
anchors: attachment
hook locations behind
the rear seatbacks
The tether anchors for the rear seating positions are located on the
backside of the rear seatbacks
~ fig. 155.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that attaches the top part of
a child restraint to special anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the forward movement of the child res traint in a crash , in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by striking the vehicle interior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured after September 1,
1999, are required by U.S. federal regulations to comply with new ..
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

___ C_h_ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t-= y'------------------------------------------------
child head movement performance requirements . T hese new
per forma nce r equ ireme nts m ak e a tether ne cessary on m ost new
ch ild s afe ty s eats .
& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints will increase the risk of
injury and death in a crash .
• Always follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer of
the child restraint you intend to install in your Audi.
• Improper use of child restraint anchors (including tether
anchors) can lead to injury in a collision . The anchors are designed
to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly fitted child
restraints.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchor point .
• Never attach two child restraint systems to one tether strap or
tether anchorage .
• Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down hook in the luggage
compartment.
• Never use child restraint tether anchorages to secure safety
belts or other kinds of occupant restraints .
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the LATCH
lower anchorages or to the tether anchors .
• If a tether or other strap is used to attach a child restraint to the
front passenger seat , make sure that it is not so tight , that it
causes the weight -sensing mat to measure more weight than is
actually on the seat .
• The heavier weight registered can make the Advanced Airbag
System work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy the
Advanced Airbag when it must be suppres sed causing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
• If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on ,
& WARNING (continued)
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer . •
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Installing the tether strap
F ig . 156 Tether strap:
proper routing and
mounting
Fig . 157 T ether strap:
proper r outing and
mounting
R el ease or dep lo y the tethe r strap on the chil d restraint
acco rding to the c hild restraint man ufacturer 's instr uc-
ti on s.
11'-