warning AUDI A3 2011 Owner´s Manual

_____________________________________________ C _h_i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t__. y'---_ffl'II
& WA RNING (c on tinued )
• Never let a child stand or kneel on an y seat , for e xample the
front seat.
• Never let a child ride in the cargo area of your vehicle .
• Always remember that a child leaning forward , sitting s ide­
ways or out of position in any way during an accident can be struck
by a deploying airbag . This will result in se rious personal injury or
death.
• If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat
because of exceptional circumstance s the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on , whenever the ign ition is
switched on.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight does not come on and
s tay on , perform the checks described=>
page 156, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System ".
• Take the child re straint off the front pa ssenger seat and in stall
it properly at one o f the rea r seat positions if the PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever the ignition i s swit ched
on.
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS whenever u sing a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 135, "Safety belts",
=>
page 145 , "Airbag sy stem " and => page 167, "Important
things to know ".•
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
lnstalli ng a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
S
afety belts for the rear sea ts and the fron t passen ger
can be l ocke d with th e co nverti ble lo cki ng retract or to
p ro p erly secur e child saf ety seats.
T he safety belts emergency locking retractors for the rear seats
safety belts and for the front passenge r's se at safety belt have a
convertible locking retractor for child restrai nts. The safety belt must
be locked so that belt webbing canno t unreel. The retra ctor can be
act ivated to lock the safety belt and prevent the safety belt webb ing
fr om loosen ing up du ring normal dr iv ing. A child sa fe ty sea t can on ly
be properly installed when the safety belt is locked so that the child
and child safety sea t will s tay in place .
Always remembe r: Even tho ugh yo ur vehicle is equipped w ith a n
Advanced Airbag system, all ch ildren, espec ia lly those 12 yea rs and
younge r, should a lways ride in t he back seat properly res tra ined for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly in stalled 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 chi ld 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 safet y 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 colli sion.
• 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.
9JI,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

• .___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t--= y '------------------------------------------------
& WARNING (cont inued)
• 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 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".
L1}. WARNING
Always take special precautions if you must install a forward or
rearward -facing child restraint on the front passenger's seat in
exceptional situations:
• Whenever a forward or rearward-facing child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat, the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light must come on and stay on whenever the ignition is
switched on.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and
stay on, perform the checks described
~ page 156, "Monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System".
• Take the child 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 whenever the ignition is switched
on.
• Improper installation of child restraints can reduce their effec­
tiveness 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.
• Never place additional items on the seat that can increase the
total weight registered by the weight-sensing mat and can cause injury in a crash.
L1}. WARNING
Forward-facing child restraints:
• Always 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 .
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up, against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the airbag as possible before installing the forward-facing child
restraint . The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on . _.

___________________________________________ C_ h_il _d _ S_a _f _e _t =c,. y __ _
& WARNING
Rearward-facing child restraints:
• 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 Advanced 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 install a rearward
facing child safety seat on the front passenger seat in exceptional
circumstances.
• A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing child restraint
attached to the front passenger seat can put too much pressure on
the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the
Advanced Airbag System. The heavier weight registered can make
the system work as though an adult were on the seat and deploy
the Advanced Airbag when it must be suppressed causing serious
or even fatal injury to the child.
• 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 acti­
vate the convertible locking retractor:
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
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.
- Guide the safety belt back into the retractor until the belt
lies flat and snug on the child safety seat.
- You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt winds back
i nto the inertia reel. Test the convertible locking retractor
by pulling 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.S 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. ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

• .___C_ h_ il_d _ S_a _ f_ e _ t--= y '------------------------------------------------
& WA RNING (conti nued)
• Always bu ckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
child i s not sitting in it . A loo se child safety seat can fly around
during a sudden stop or in a crash.
• Always make sure the seat backre st 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 attached to it could fly forward in the event of an acci ·
dent or other emergency situation.
• Alway s read and heed all WARNINGS wheneve r using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 167. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the front
passenger seat =>
page 147, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know ".•
Deactivating the convertible Locking
retractor
The convertible l ocking retrac tor for child restraints will
be d eactivated automatically when the belt is wound all
the way back into the retractor.
- P ress t he red butto n on t he safety be lt buckle . T he belt
to ngue will pop out o f the buckle.
- G uid e the s afety belt all the way back in to its stowed posi-
t ion .
Always le t the safety be lt retract comple tely i nto i ts s towed position.
T he safety bel t can now be used as an ord inary safety belt without the
convertib le locking ret ractor for ch ild rest raints.
If th e convertible locking r etractor should be activated inadve rtently,
the safety be lt must be un fastened and guided comp letely back into
i t s s towe d position to de activa te th is fe ature. If th e convert ible locking retractor is
not deact ivated, the safety belt w ill gradua lly
become tigh ter and uncomfo rtable to we ar.
& WARNING
Improperly in stalled child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convertible
lo cking retractor for child restraints while the vehicle is moving.
You would not be restrained and could be seriou sly injured in an
a ccident .
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever u sing a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used =>
page 167. Special precau·
tions apply when in stalling a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat =>
page 147, "Child restraints on the front seat -
s ome important things to know ".•
LATCH Lower anchorages and
tethers for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
T o prov ide a s imp le r a nd more practic able way to a ttach the child
restraint on the vehicle seat, Federal regulat ions require special
lowe r anch orages in ve hicl es and devi ces on new ch ild rest rain ts to
attac h to the veh icle anchorages.
Th e combination of the tether anchorages and the lower anchorages
is now gene rally called the
LATCH sys tem fo r "Lowe r Anch orages and
T ethers for Children ."
Forw ard -fa cing child res train ts manuf actured aft e r September 1,
1999, are required by U.S. federa l regu lat ions to comp ly with new
c hild head moveme nt performan ce requirements. These new per for -
~

mance requirements make a tether necessary on most new ch ild
seats.
Installing a child restra int that requires a top tether w ithout one can
seriously impair the performance of the chi ld restrai nt and its ability
to prote ct the child in a collision. Insta lling a child restraint tha t
requires a top tether without the top tether may be a violation of
state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower anchorages on the ir
child seats with hook -on or push-on connectors attached to adjust­
able straps .
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these child restraint
systems usually require the use of tet he r straps to he lp keep the child
restra int firm ly in place.
& 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 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 restraints .
• 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 .
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
(I) Tips
• In Canada, the terms "top tether" with "lower universal anchor­
ages" (or " lower universal anchorage bars") are used to describe the
system.
• In other countries, the term "ISO FIX" is used to descr ibe the lower
anchorages. •
Location
Fig. 148 Schematic
overview: LATCH
a nchorage point loca­
tions
Th e illustrat io n shows the seat ing locat ions in your vehicle whic h are
equipped with the lower anchorages system. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

___ C_h _i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_,, y'-----------------------------------------------
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for quick
locating.
Fig. 149 Rear seat­
backs: locator buttons
fo r lower anchorages
Fig . 150 Rear seats:
lower anchorage
bracket locations
Attachment locator markers for lower anchorages
Circu lar locator buttons on the rear seatback indicate the lower
anchorage locations on the rear seating positions:::;, fig. 149.
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are located between the rear
seatback and rear seat cushion:::;, fig . 150.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in the seat without us ing
the vehicle's safety belts. Anchorages prov ide a secure and easy-to- use attachme
nt and minimize the possibility of improper child
restrain t installat ion.
All ch ild restraints manufactured after September 1, 2002, must
have lower anchorage attachments for the
LATCH system.
Remember that the lower anchorage points are only intended for
installat ion and attachment of ch ild restraints specifically certif ied
for use with
LATCH lower anchorages . Child restraints that are not
equ ipped with the lower anchorage attachments can st ill be installed
in compliance with the ch ild restraint manufact urer's instructions on
using vehicle safety belts .
& WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can cause serious
per sonal injury in an accident.
• Always carefully follow the child restraints manufacturer 's
instructions for proper installation of the child restraint and
proper use of the lower anchorages or safety belts in your vehicle.
• Never secure or attach any luggage or other items to the
LATCH
lower anchorages.
• Always read and heed the important information about child
restraints in this chapter and WARNINGS :::;,
page 167, "Child
Safety". •

_____________________________________________ C _h_i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t ... Y'--- __
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always follow the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions .
Mounting
Fig. 151 Lower
anchorages: proper
mounting
- Remove the cover* to access the lower anchorage attach ­
ment points.
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in the
upright position 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. 151.
-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
ture r's instructions.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
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.
& 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". •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ C_h _i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t_,, y'-----------------------------------------------
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig . 152 Tether
an chors: a ttachment
ho ok locatio ns behind
t h e rea r seatba cks
The tether anchors for the rear seat ing pos itions are located on the
backside of the rear seat backs
=> fig. 152.
A tethe r is a st raight o r V-sha ped strap that a tta che s the to p pa rt of
a ch ild restraint to spec ial anchorage po ints in the vehicle .
T he pu rpose of the te the r is to reduce t he fo rw ar d m ovemen t of the
child restraint in a crash, in order to help reduce the risk of h ead injury
t ha t could be c ause d by st riking the ve hicle in terio r.
Forwar d fac ing chi ld re stra in ts manu fac tur ed after Sept em ber 1,
1 999, are requ ired by U.S . federa l reg ulations to comply with new
child head movem ent pe rformanc e req uirem ents. T h ese new p erf or­
mance requirements make a tether necessary on most new chi ld
saf ety seats.
& 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
anchor s) can lead to injury in a collision. The anchors are designed
& WARNING (co ntinued )
to withstand only those loads imposed by correctly fitted child
restraint s.
• Never mount two child restraint systems on one LATCH lower
anchor po int .
• 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 suppressed 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,
i mmediately 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
Fig. 153 Tether strap:
proper routing and
mounting
Fig. 154 Tether strap:
proper routing and
mounting
- Release or deploy the tether strap on the child restraint
according to the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­
tions .
- Guide the upper tether strap
under the rear head restraint
and into the rear cargo area=> fig. 154 (raise the head
restraint if necessary).
- Slide the tether strap hook over the anchor bracket.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Child Safety
-Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring catch of
the hook engages .
- Tighten the tether strap firmly following the chi ld
restraint manufacturer's instructions.
Releasing the tether strap
- Loosen the tension following the child restraint manufac ­
turer's instructions.
- Depress the spring catch on the hook and release it from
the anchorage.
0 Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether strap firmly installed
for several days, this could leave a mark on the upholstery on the seat
cush ion and backrest in the area where the tether strap was installed.
Th e upholstery would also be permanent ly stretched around the
tether strap. This applies especially to leather seats.•
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint systems come w ith a tether.
Please read and heed the child rest raint system manufacturer's
instructions carefully to determine how to properly install the tether.
& WARNING
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 Advanced 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, or door. ,-
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service Technical data

_________________________________________ I_ n_ t_ e_ ll_,igent technology ,__E~-
ESP works in co njunction w ith ABS~ page 192 . If there is malfunc­
t ion in the ABS, ESP is also inoperat ive.
& WARNING
• The limit s of phy sics cannot be su spended by ESP. Even in vehi­
cles with ESP, you should always adapt your driving to road and
traffic conditions. Thi s is particularly true on a slippery and wet
road. Do not be tempted by the increased safety provided to take
ri sk s - danger of an a ccident!
• Please note that when ESP / ASR is deact ivated , the drive
wheel s can spin on icy and slippery roads and the vehicle can break
away -danger of skidd ing! •
Switching on and off
Fig. 155 C ente r
con sole w ith ESP
s wit ch
Th e ESP i s automa tically activ ated w hen the eng ine is st arted, and i t
performs a self-test. As soon as the test is comp leted, the system is
in normal operat ing mode .
Deactivating
ES P s hould no rm ally be activate d at all times beca u se this ens ures
optimum veh icle stability. Only in some cases it does make sense to
de activ at e t he Elect roni c Stabili ty Pr ogr am ( ES P) by p ress ing the
button~ fig. 155. Deact ivat io n i s indicated by the ESP lamp
J! in the
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
instrument cluster flashes . The message ESP OFF appears in the
ins trument cl uste r. Ant i-Slip Regula tion is comp le tely deact iv a te d
and the stab ilizat io n effects from the ESP system are lim ited. This
ma kes a more agile and spo rty driving sty le possible, but the full
extent o f th e stabilization function is not available .
Activating
~~~= Press the [ESP OFF ) button again~ fig. 155 . The ind icator lig ht
goes out . The message
ESP ON appears br iefly in the ins trumen t
cluster disp lay .
& WARNING
You should only switch the ESP off if your driv ing ability and the
traffic situation allow. Please note that when ESP /ASR i s dea cti­
vated, the drive wheels can spin on icy and slippery roads and th e
vehicle can break away -danger of skidding!
[ i ] Tips
If Audi magnetic r ide* is ma lf u nct io ning, the ESP may not sw itch off
or it may switch off automatically . •
Electronic differential lock (EDL}
The ele ctr onic dif ferential lock mo nit ors the rot ational
s p eed of the d rive wheels .
General notes
The elec tron ic differe ntia l lock ( EDL) helps the ca r to sta rt movin g,
acce le ra te and climb a gradient on surfaces provid ing poor or almost
no grip. Without E DL, this would be difficult, if not impossible.
How the system works
Th e E DL operates au tomatically . It mo nitors the rotational s peed of
t he drive wheels on an axle with the he lp of the ABS sensors
~ page 19 2. If a noticeable difference in rotational speed between ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data