fold seats AUDI A3 2012 Owner´s Manual

66 Seats and st o rage
• To move the head restraint down, press the
button @c>
fig. 70 and slide the head re ­
straint downward.
Removing the h ead restraint s
1>
• Fold the backrest forward ¢ page 67.
• Move the head restra int upward as far as it
can go.
• Press the re lease @ c>
fig. 71 with the
screwdriver¢
page 234 and the button @
¢fig. 70. Pull the head restraint out of the
backrest at the same time
c> &_.
Install ing th e head re st ra int s
• Slide the posts on the head restraint down
into the guides until you feel the posts click
into place.
• Press the button @¢
fig. 70 and slide the
head restraint all the way down. You should
not be able to pull the head restra int out of
the backrest.
So that the driver can have a better view to
the rear, the head restraints should be pushed
down completely when the rear seats are not
occ upied.
A WARNING
- Only remove the rear seat head res traints
when necessary in order to install a chi ld
seat . Install the head restraint again im­
mediately once the child seat is removed.
Driving without head restraints or with
head restraints that are not properly ad­
justed increases the r isk of serious or fa­
tal neck injury dramatically.
- Read and heed all WARNINGS
¢page 107.
@ Tips
Correctly adjusted head restraints and
safety belts are an extremely effective combinat io n of safety features.
l) The head restraints cannot be removed from rear
seats with fixed backrests .
Center armrest
The front center armrest con be adjusted to
several positions and contains a storage bin.
F ig . 72 Between the front seats: armrest folded down
Adjusting the armrest
• Push the arm rest down.
• Lift the arm rest slowly unt il it is in a com­
fortable position.
Opening the storage bin
• Pull the release button ¢
fig. 72 upward.
A WARNING
-
When folded down, the a rmrest can re­
str ict the d river's movement. Whe n driving
i n conditions that may call for qu ick ma­
neuvers, fo ld up the armrest. This will a l­
l ow you to react more qu ickly to avoid an
accident .
Rear seats
General information
Safe transportation of passengers on the rear
seats requires proper safety precautions.
All passengers on the rear seats mus t be seat­
ed in compliance with the safety guide lines
exp lained in
c> poge 113 and r=>poge 122.
The correct seating position is safety critical
for front
and rear seat passengers alike
r=> poge 106. .,,_

_& WARNING
-Vehicle occupants in the front and rear
seats must always be properly restrain ­
ed .
- Do not let anyone ride in the vehicle
without the head restra ints provided .
Head restraints help reduce injuries .
- Loose items inside the passenger com ­
partment, can fly forward in a crash or
sudden maneuver and injure occupants.
Always store articles in the luggage com ­
partment and use the fastening eyes, es­
pecially when the rear seatbacks have
been folded down .
- Read and heed and all WARNINGS
r::';> page 106 , Proper seating positions
for passengers in rear seats .
Rear armrest
The armrest contains a storage compartment
and a cupholder for 2 drinks.
F ig . 73 Ce nter of the re ar s eatbe nch : rear armrest fo ld ­
e d dow n
Folding d own the armre st
.,. Pull the armrest down on the front
¢fig . 73 .
Opening the stor age bin
.,. Pull the handle in front.
Sea ts a nd s to rage 67
Luggage compartment
Increasing the size of the luggage
compartment
To increase the size of the luggage compart­
ment, both parts of the seatback can be fold­
ed forward, individually or together.
Fig . 7 4 Re lease leve r fo r th e seatbac k (left side)
Fig . 75 Re ar seatback fo lde d fo rw ar d (w it h pa ss­
thro ugh• )
Folding th e seatb ack forward
.,. Let the backrest latch into the lowest posi­
tion.
.,. Swing the outer rear head restra ints for­
ward
¢ page 65, fig . 70 .
.,. Push the release lever¢ fig. 74 @ in the di-
rection of the arrow .
... Tilt the seatback forward.
Rai sing th e se atback
.,. Raise the seatback until it is secure ly latch­
ed
c::> &,. . When you ca n no longer see the
red mark on the pin @, the seat is latched .
Stowing luggage
.,. For safe loading and secur ing of items read
and follow the gu idelines on
c::, page 109 ,
Loading the luggage compartment. ..,.

68 Seats and storage
The rear seatback is divided into two seg ­
ments - one third/two thirds. You can fold
down either or both parts of the seatback .
.&_ WARNING
-
- The backrest must always be securely
latched so that the safety belt of the cen­
ter seat ing pos ition can work properly to
help protect the occupant .
- The backrest must be securely latched i n
posit ion so that no items containe .d in
the luggage compartment can slide for­
wa rd upo n sudden b rak ing .
- Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in doo r or seat
hardware.
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear and
damaged belt ha rdware can brea k in a
c rash . Inspect the be lts periodica lly .
Belts showing damage to we bbing, bind­
ings, b uckles, or retractors must be re ­
placed.
.&_ WARNING
Always read and heed WA RNINGS c:> .&. in
Loading the luggage comportment on
page 109.
(D Note
- If you move the fro nt seat back when the
r ear seat backrest is fo lded fo rward, yo u
could damage the head restraints on the rear seat.
- When folding the backrest back into
place, make sure the safety be lt does not
get caught, because it can be damaged.
A damaged be lt can fa il to prov ide safe
r est raint.
-
Fastening eyes
The luggage comportment is equipped with
four tie-down eyelets to secure luggage and
other items.
F ig. 7 6 Lugg age compart men t: fas tenin g ey es
.,. Use the fastening eyes to secure your cargo
properly
c:> fig. 76 - arrows -.
.,. Ad here to all safety instructions
<=> page 109, Stowing luggage.
In a co llision, t he laws o f physics mean that
even smaller items that a re loose in the vehi­
cle w ill become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy wh ich vary with vehicle and t he weight of
the item. The veh icle speed is the most s ignif ­
icant factor .
For example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10 lbs (4,5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item . This means that
the weight of the item wou ld sudden ly be
about 2 00 lbs (90 kg). You ca n imagine the in­
j u ries tha t a 200 lbs (90 kg) item flying free ly
t hr ough the passenger comp artment cou ld
ca use in a co llision like this .
_& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to fasten ing eyes can fai l
d uring hard braking or in a coll is ion and
cause ser ious personal injury. -
-A lways use s uitable mount ing straps an d
properly secure items to the fasteni ng
eyes in the luggage compartment to help
prevent items from sh ifting or flying for-
~~-~

-When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use su itable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
fastening eyes in the luggage compart­
ment to help prevent items from flying
forward into the passenger compart­ ment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a fastening eye.
Elastic cargo net
App lies to vehicles: with cargo net
The cargo net prevents light objects from
sliding around in the luggage compartment.
Fig . 77 Luggage compartmen t: cargo net
Fig. 78 Luggage compartmen t: ca rgo net attached to
hooks
Securing objects to the luggage
compartment floor with the net
.. Lay out the cargo net in the luggage com­
partment .
.. Engage all four hooks into the fastening
eyes
~ fig . 77 .
.. Place objects to be secured
under the net.
Configuring the net to contain small
objects
.. Lay out the cargo net in the luggage com­
partment.
Seats and storage 69
.. Engage two hooks into the fastening eyes
@~fig. 78.
.. Pull the net up and secure the eyes © on
the hooks.
.. Put items
into the net.
The bottom of the cargo net can also be hooked to the D-rings in the floor of the rear
compartment and the top to the eyes on the
left and right side trim .
.&_ WARNING
For stre ngth-re lated reasons, the mount­
in g hooks can only be used to secure ob­
jects weighing 10 lb (5 kg) or less. Heavier
objects will not be adequately secured -
risk of injury!
Mounting hooks
Applies to vehicles: with mounting hooks
Fig. 79 Mounting hooks under the rear pa rce l shelf
The hook prevents lightly loaded bags from
tipping over .
.&_ WARNING
For strength-related reasons, heavy ob­
jects must not be hung on the
hooks.
Heavy objects are not adequately secured -
this increases the risk of injury .

¢ fig. 81 -Arrow-and tilt the pass-through
forward.
~ Remove the sack from the luggage com­
partment and unfold it.
~ Place the empty sack in the hatch so that
the end with the zip fastener is in the lug ­
gage compartment .
~ Load objects from the luggage compart­
ment into the ski sack.
Securing
~ Insert the ski sack strap¢ fig. 82@ into
the center seat belt buckle @.
~ With skiing items, place the strap in the
middle between the bindings ¢,&. .
~ Pull the loose end of the strap tight in the
direction of the arrow.
Opening the safety strap buckle
~ Take the long sides of safety strap buckle
between thumb and forefinger¢
fig. 82 @ .
~ Squeeze the buckle and pull it away from
the cargo.
Stowing
~ Raise the pass-through until it is securely
latched. It is secu re when you can no longer
see the red mark on the latch in the luggage
compartment .
~ Carefully fold up the empty (dry) ski sack.
~ Stow the ski sack in the lu ggage compart­
ment so that it cannot slide around .
A WARNING
-After loading, the ski sack must be se­
cured with the strap.
- The safety strap must fit tightly around
the cargo.
- Make certain that the safety strap lies in
the middle between the bindings of the
ski equipment (refer also to printed mes­
sage on the ski sack).
(D Tips
- Place skis with the tips pointing forward,
snowboards and ski poles with tip to the
rear in the ski sack.
Seats and storage 71
-If there are several pai rs of skis in the sk i
sack, make certain that the bindings are
at the same level.
- Be sure not to fold up or sto re the sack
when it is still damp.
Roof rack* installation
First things first
A roof rack can be used to carry additional
luggage on the roof There are two different
roof rack systems .
Separate roof racks are needed for vehicles
without roof rails . Vehicles with standard roof
rails* need add itional cross bars to carry car­
go . Both types of add itiona l equipment are
available at your authorized Audi dealer.
~ Always read and follow the instructions pro ­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when
the roof rack system must be installed.
If a roof rack or s imilar luggage carrying
equipment is to be installed, please note the
fo llow ing :
Vehicles without roof rails
- Your vehicle has aerodynam ic rain gutters
molded into the roof. That is why only roof
racks specially designed for the roof can be
used . We recommend using roof racks from
the Audi original accessories program .
- These roof racks are the basis for a complete
roof rack system . For safety reasons, some
additional attachments are necessary to
transport luggage, bicycles , surf boards,
skis and small boats safely. A ll these com­
ponents are available at your authorized Au­
di dea ler .
Vehicle with roof rails
-The vehicle is equipped with integrated roof
railings,
which can be covered into roof rack
by ins tal ling c ross bars . Only install cross
bars specifica lly designed for this vehicle.
- These bars are the basis for a complete roof
rack system . Additional attachments are ..,.

CD Note
Only drink containers with lids should be
carried in the cupho lder. Liqu id could spill
out and damage your veh icle's e lectronic
equ ipment or sta in the upholstery etc.
Socket
Outlets
The outlet in the front center console and in
the luggage compartment may be used for
12-volt appliances.
Fig. 87 Ce nter conso le, front: 12-vo lt out let
Fig. 88 L uggage compartmen t: 12-vo lt out let
Outlet in the front center console
.. Fold the cover for the outlet down ¢ fig. 87.
.. Plug in appliance to be used.
Outlet in the luggage compartment
.. Tap cover ¢ fig. 88.
.. Plug in appliance to be used.
The outlet may be used for 12-volt appliances
with maximum consumption of up to 100
watts, such as a f lash light, small vacuum
cleane r, etc.
Before you purchase any accessories, always
read and follow the information in
Seats and storage 75
¢ page 261, Additional accessories and parts
replacement.
A WARNING
The outlet plus any appliances plugged in­
to it remain functional even if the ignition
is switched off or the ignition key is re­
moved. Never leave children inside the ve ­
h icle w ithout supervision.
CD Note
To avoid damaging the socket, only use
plugs that fit properly.
(y Tips
When the engine is off and accessories are
still plugged in and are on, the vehicle bat­
tery can still be drained.
Storage
General overview
There are numerous places to store items in
your vehicle .
Storage in the center arm-i=>page 66
rest
Storage in the rear armrest
Glove compartment (Air
¢page 76
ventilation in the glove compartment*, CD chang-
er*)
Center console
¢page 76
Compartments in the doo r ¢page 77
trims
Storage in the footwell
¢page 77
Compartments in luggage ¢page 77
compartment
Coat hooks
¢page 78
Some of the storage locations are only found
on specif ic vehicle models or are optional
equipment .

~ Always keep both feet in the footwell so
that you are in control of the vehicle at all
times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see ¢
page 62, Adjusting front
seats manually
or ¢ page 63, Adjusting the
power seat .
A WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position
or too close to the airbag can be seriously
injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help
reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breast­
bone and the steering wheel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the
outside of the steering wheel rim with
your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions to help reduce the risk of per­
sonal injury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de­
ploys .
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­ mental driver's airbag to protect you in a
collision .
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
Driving Safely 105
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion .
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 143. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 122.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position
is important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the seat for the front
passenger to the following position:
~ Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upright position and your back comes
in full contact with it whenever the vehicle is
moving.
~ Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possible with the top of your
head. If that is not possible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
¢page 107.
~ Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 116.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 61.
A WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of
serious personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright
position and never lean against or place
any part of their body too close to the
area where the airbags are located.
-
•
•

106 Driving Safely
-Passengers who are unbelted, out of po­
sition or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured by an airbag as it un­
folds with great force in the blink of an
eye .
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front
passenger's breastbone and the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restraint prop­
erly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­
dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt will not be able to protect you prop­
erly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi ­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 143 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c::> page 122.
Proper seating positions for passenge rs
in rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with
both feet on the floor consistent with their
physical size and be properly restrained
whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor­
rect seating position in the event of a sudden
braking maneuver or an accident, your pas­
sengers on the rear bench seat must always
observe the following :
.. If there are passengers in the rear seat,
slide the head restraints upward at least to
the next notch on the occupied seats
¢ page 65.
.. Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upright position
c::> page 67 .
.. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c::> page 116.
.. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age
c::> page 143.
A WARNING .,__
Passengers who are improperly seated on
the rear seat can be seriously injured in a
crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat .
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is securely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly positioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
injury from improperly positioned safety
belts!
- Always adjust the head restraint properly
so that it can give maximum protection.

¢ page 123, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are unrestrained, lean ing forward,
sitting sideways or out of position in any
way, your risk of injury is much higher.
- You w ill also receive serious injuries and
cou ld even be killed if you are up against
the a irbag or too close to it when it in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag
~ page 122.
More important things to know about
front airbags
F ig. 133 Inflated front a irbags
Safety belts are important to help keep front
seat occupants in the proper seated pos ition
so that airbags can unfold properly and pro­
vide supp lemental protection in a fronta l co l­
lision .
The front a irbags are designed to provide ad­
d itiona l protection for the chest and face of
the dr iver and the front seat passenger when :
- safety belts are worn properly,
- the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly seated as far as possi­
ble from the a irbag,
- and the head restraints have been proper ly
adjusted .
Because airbags i nflate in the blink of an eye
with great force, things you have on your lap or have placed on the seat could become dan­
gerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if
the airbag inflates.
A irba g sy stem 131
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is re leased.
This is norma l 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 whi le the
supplementa l airbag system is designed to re­
duce the like lihood of serious injuries, other
injur ies, for example swelling, bruising and
minor abras ions, can also happen when air­
bags i nflate. A irbags do not protect the arms
or the lower parts of the body . Front a irbags
supplement the th ree -po in t safety belts only
in some fronta l co llisions in which the vehicle
deceleration is high enough to deploy the air­
bags .
Front airbags will not deploy :
-if the ignition is sw itched off when a crash
o ccu rs,
- in side co llisions,
- in rear-end collisions,
- in rollovers,
- when the crash dece leration measured by
the airbag system is less than the minimum
threshold needed for a irbag deployment as
reg istered by the electron ic contro l unit .
The f ront pa ssen ger airbag als o will no t
deplo y:
- when the front passenger seat is not occu­
pied,
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem ind icates that the front a irbag on the
passenger side has to be tu rned off by the
electronic contro l un it (the
PASSENGER AIR
BA G OFF
light comes on and stays o n).
.&, WARNING
Sitting in t he wrong pos ition can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- T o reduce the risk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passenge rs
m ust always s it in an upright position,
m ust not lean against or place any part

132 Airbag system
of their body too close to the area where
the airbags are located.
- Occupants who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be se­ riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
r=> page 123 .
A 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 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 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 because of exceptional circumstan ·
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer .
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
increase the risk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by being pushed into you as the airbag
inflates.
- Never hold things in your hands or on
your lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never transport items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the area of the front air­
bags during braking or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangerous projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the airbags inflate.
-
- Never place or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cup holders, tele­
phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, over or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel,
instrument panel, seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could cause injury in a crash, es­
pecially when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat
to transport objects. Items can also
move into the area of the side airbag or
the front airbag during brak ing or in a
sudden maneuver. Objects near the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
injury, particularly when the seat is re­
clined.
A WARNING
-T he fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing problems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­
ing conditions.
= To reduce the risk of breathing problems ,
those with asthma or other respiratory
conditions should get fresh air right
away by getting out of the vehicle or
opening windows or doors.
- If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into your
eyes, or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes ,
flush them with water.