airbag off AUDI Q3 2015 Owners Manual

M N
M N
0 ::i co ,...., \!) 1.1'1 ,...., 1.1'1 ,....,
Airbag system ............ ... .. 112
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 112
Front airbags .................... 116
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
Side airbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
Side curtain a irbags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
Child Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Important things to know . . . . . . . . . . 133
Child safety seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
Installing a child safety seat . . . . . . . . 143
LATCH Lower anchorages and tethers
for child ren . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Additional Information
lSl
Vehicle operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1S2
Intelligent technology . . . . . . . . 152
Notice about data recorded by the
Event Data Recorder and vehicle
control modules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
Electronic Stabili zation Control (ESC) . 153
Braking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Electromechanical steering . . . . . . . . . 158
Driving with your quattro . . . . . . . . . . 158
Energy management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Driving and environment . . . . . 161
The first 1,000 miles (1,500 km) and
afterwards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Avoid damaging the vehicle. . . . . . . . . 161
Catalytic converter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
Shutting down vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Operate your vehicle economically and minimize pollution. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
Driving offroad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
Trailer towing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Driving with a trailer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
Trailer towing tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Vehicle care . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Vehicle care and cleaning . . . . . 170
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Car washes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
Cleaning and care information . . . . . . 171
Table of contents 3
Fuel supply and filling your
fuel tank ..... .... ..............
175
Gasoline .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 175
Fuel tank. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
Checking and filling . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
Engine compartment ............. .
Engine oil . .. .. .... ... .. ..... ... .
Engine cooling system .......... .. .
Brake fluid ....... .............. .
Battery ........................ .
Windshield washer container
Tires and wheels ... ..... ... .. .
181
181
186
189
190
193
195
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Tire pressure monitoring system 213
Do-it-yourself service . . . . . . . . . 216
What do I do now? ............ 216
General information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Vehicle tool kit with lifting jack . . . . . . 216
Folding chocks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Removing bass box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Space-saving spare tire (compact
spare tire) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Changing a wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
Fuses and bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
Fuses. ....... ... .. .............. 224
Bulbs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
Emergency situations . . . . . . . . . 228
General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Starting by pushing or towing . . . . . . . 228
Starting with jumper cables . . . . . . . . 228
Use of jumper cables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Emergency towing with commercial
tow truck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
Lifting vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Technical data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Technical Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Vehicle identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Weights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
•
•

(!) Door handle
@ Power locking sw it ch . .. .. .. .
@ LED fo r centra l loc king/a nti-
theft a larm system . .... .. .. .
@ Side assist button .. .... .. .. .
® Side assist warn ing lamp .. .. .
@ Light switch . ... .... ... .. .. .
(J) A ir outlets with thumbwheel
@ Turn signa l and high beam . .. .
® M ultifunction steering wheel
with:
- Horn
- Driver's airbag
- Driver information system but-
tons . .. ... ....... ... .. .. .
- Audio/video, telephone, navi­ gation and vo ice recognition
buttons
- Programmable steering wheel
button . .. ........... .. .. .
- Shift padd les ........ .. .. .
@ Instrument cluste r ...... ... .
@ Switches for windshie ld wiper/
washer . ..... ...... ... .. .. .
@ I STAR T ENGINE STOP ! button
@ Parking brake ......... .... .
~ Starting the eng ine if there is a
malfunction, or ignit ion lock . . 32
28
75
75
40
41
1 16
20
22
84
10
46
68
70
69
@ Steer ing whee l adjustment . . . 66
@ Lever for cruise control system 73
@ Data L ink Connector for On
Board Diagnostics (OBD II) . . . . 26
@ Ins trument i llum ination . . . . . . 44
@ Eng ine hood release . . . . . . . . . 179
@ Rear lid sw itch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
@ Power exterior mir ro r adjust-
ment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
@ Power wi ndow switches . . . . . . 37
@ Child safety lock bu ttons . . . . . 3 7
@ Button/Indicator light for:
~ - E mergency flas he rs . . . . . . . . 43
~ -PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF 0
~ @ Info tainmen t disp lay (not folda -,....,
~ ble)
5 @ Glove compartment . . . . . . . . . S5
Instrument s and control s 9
@ Front Passenger's airbag .. ...
@ MMI controls
@) Buttons/Indicator lights fo r:
- Drive se lect ..... .. .. ..... .
- Parking system p lus (with
rearview camera) ... .... .. .
- Elect ron ic Stabilization Con-
trol (ESC) ..... . .. .. ..... .
- P arking system ........... .
- Hi ll descent ass ist ........ .
@ Climate controls .. ... ...... .
@ Selector lever ........ ..... .
@ Cen ter console w ith:
- (upholder . .. ............ .
- Cigarette lighter . ... .... .. .
- 12 -volt -socket
(D Tips 116
79
88
155
87
155 64
81
S5
53
54
Some of the equipment or features show n
i n the general i llus tration may be standa rd
equipment on yo ur vehicle or may be op­
tiona l equipment depend ing on your mod­
e l. Always ask your authorized Audi dea ler
if you have a quest ion about your vehicle.

16 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
~ Safety belts
This warning/indicator light reminds you to
put on your safety belt.
The. warning/indicator light illuminates
when the ignition is sw itched on to remind
the dr iver and any front passenger to put on
the safety belt. Additionally, an acoustic warn­
ing (gong) will also sound.
(D Tips
For more Information c> page 104, Safety
belt warning light.
~- Steering column lock
• Steering fault! Do not drive vehicle!
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic steering
column lock malfunction. You cannot switch
the ign ition on.
Do
not tow your vehicle because it cannot be
steered . Seek professional assistance.
Ill Steering lock: System fault! Please con­
tact dealer.
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is an electronic steer ing
column lock malfunction.
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler immedi­
ate ly to have the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
-
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunct ion in the electron ic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering. If it is
towed with the steering locked, there is
the risk of an accident .
!;.IC; Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the J;J indicator light blink s whi le driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-S lip Regulation) is active­
ly regulating .
If the: JjJ indicator light turns on, the system
has switched the ESC
off. In this case, you can
switch the ign ition
off and then on to switch
the ESC on aga in. The indicator light turns
off
when the system is functioning fully.
If the II indicator light turns on, ESC was re­
stricted or sw itched
off using the I~ OFFI but­
ton
i=> page 153.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the indicator l ight GJ and the ABS indicator
light
t1l1 (USA mode ls) ;tiJ (Canada models)
tu rn on and the message appears, the ABS o r
electronic differentia l lock is malfunctioning.
This also causes the ESC to malfunction. The
brakes still function with their normal power,
but ABS is not active.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING "--
If the . (USA mode ls)/ . (Canada mod-
e ls) brake system indicator light turns on
together with the ABS and ESC indicator
lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function
may have failed. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer ava ilable. This
could cause the vehicle to swerve and in­
crease the risk of slid ing. Drive carefully to
the nearest authorized A udi dealer and
have the ma lfunction corrected.
(D Tips
For additional informat ion on ESC and
ABS, refer to
c> page 153.
!t Safety systems
The fll indicator light monitors the safety
systems (e .g. airbags, pretensioners) and illu­
minates for a few seconds each time you
switch the ign ition on .
If the
fll indicator light does not go out, or if
it illuminates while you are driving, or if it
starts to b link, then there is a malfunct ion
somewhere in the system. If the light does

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light switch is in the AUTO position
¢ page 40, fig. 34.
Daytime running lights
USA models : You can switch the dayt ime run­
ni ng lights
on an d off .
Canada models:
The function cannot be
turned off .
It is ac tiva ted automat ica lly each
time the ignition is switc hed o n.
Emergency flashers
Fig . 3 7 Cente r conso le : emerge ncy flashe r sw itch
The emergency flashers makes other moto­
rists aware that you or your vehicle are in an
emergency situation .
.,. Press the sw itch
Gil ¢ fig. 3 7 to turn the
emergency flashers on or off.
When the emergency flashers are on, all four turn signals blink at the same time. The turn
signa l ind icator lig hts
II 18 in the instru­
ment cluster, as well as the light in t he emer ­
gency flashe r switch
[Ai bli nk likewise .
You can indicate a lane change or a turn when
the emergency flashers are switched on by us­
ing the tu rn signa l lever . The emergency flash ­
e rs stop temporar ily.
The emergency f lashers also work when the
ignit io n is turned off.
The emergency flashers will turn o n automati­
cally if you are in an accident where the airbag
h as dep loyed.
@ Tips
You shou ld t urn on t he emergency flashers
when:
Clear vi sion 43
- yo u are the la st veh icle standing in a t ra f­
fic jam so that any other ve hicles coming
can see you, o r whe n
- yo ur vehicle has bro ken dow n or you are
in an emergency s ituation, o r when
- yo ur vehicle is be ing towed by a tow
truck or if you are towing another vehicle
beh ind you.
Interior Lights
Front/rear interior lights
Fig . 38 Fro nt headl iner: int eri or lig h ting co ntro ls
Fi g. 39 Rear headli ner: rea r read ing lig hts
Press the corresponding switch:
~ -In ter ior lig hts on/off .
[ii-Courtesy light pos it io n. The inter ior lig ht­
ing auto mati ca lly comes o n when t he ve hicl e
i s un lo cke d, a door i s ope ned or the ig nitio n is
switched off. The interior lighting goes o ut a
few seconds after the doors a re closed, or
whe n the vehicle is locked or the ignition is
switched on. The lighting goes out automati ­
ca lly after a few minutes if a door is left open .
~ -Read ing lights * on/o ff ..,.

50 Seat s a nd s tor ag e
Seats and storage
General recommen­
dations
Why is your seat adjustment so
important?
The safety belts and the airbag system can
only provide maximum protection if the front
seats are correctly adjusted.
There are various ways of adjust ing the front
seats to provide safe and comfortable support
for the driver and the front passenger . Adjust
you r seat prope rly so that :
- you can easily and quick ly reach all the
switches and controls in the instrument
panel
-your body is prope rly supported thus reduc­
ing physical stress and fatigue
- the safety be lts and a irbag system can offer
maximum protection
¢ page 112 .
In the following sec tions, you will see exactly
how you can best adjust you r seats .
There are special regulations and instructions
for insta lling a child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat. Always follow the informa­
tion rega rd ing child safety provided in
q page 133, Child Safety.
A WARNING
Incorrect seating position of the driver and
all other passengers can result in serious
personal in jury.
- Always keep your feet on the floor when
the vehicle is in motion -never p ut your
f eet on top of the instrument panel, out
of the w indow or on top of the seat cush­
ion . Th is app lies especially to the passen­
gers .
If your seating position is incorrect,
yo u increase the r isk of injury in the case
of sudden braking or an acc ident.
If the
airbag infla tes and the seating position
is incorrect, this could result in personal
injury o r even death.
- It is import ant for bo th the driver and
front passenger to keep a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between them­
selves and the steering wheel and/or in­
strument panel. If you're s itting any
closer than th is, the a irbag system can­
not protect you properly . In addition, the
front seats and head restraints must be
adjusted to your body height so that they
can give you max imum protect ion.
- Always try to keep as much distance as
possible between yourself and the steer­
ing wheel o r inst rument pane l.
- Do not adjust the driver's o r front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is moving.
Your sea t may move unexpected ly, caus­
ing sudden loss of vehicle control and
personal injury . If you adjust yo ur seat
while the veh icle is moving, yo u are out
of posit ion.
Driver's seat '
The correct seat position is important for safe
and relaxed driving.
We recommend tha t you adjus t the dr iver's
seat in the fo llowing manner :
.,. Adjust t he seat in fore and aft direction so
t ha t you can eas ily push the peda ls to the
floor w hile keeping your knees sl igh tly bent
q A in Why is your seat adjustment so im­
portant? on page 50.
.. Adjust the seatback so that when you sit
w ith your back against t he seatback, you can
still grasp the top of the steering wheel.
.. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as poss ible with the top of your
head . If that is not poss ible , try to adjust
t he head restraint so that it is as close to
t his pos it ion as possib le
q page 52.
A WARNING
Neve r place any objects in the dr iver's foot ­
well. An object could get into the pedal
a rea and interfere with pedal function . In
case of sudden braking or an acc ident, you
would not be able to brake or accelerate .

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Front passenger's seat
Always move the front passenger seat into the rearmost position.
To avo id contact with the airbag while it is de­
ploying, do not sit any closer to the instru­
ment panel than necessary and always wear
the three-point safety belt provided adjusted
correctly. We recommend that you adjust the
passenger's seat in the fo llow ing manner:
.. Move the front passenger seat in to the rear­
most position of the fore and aft adjustment
range
9 .&. in Why is your seat adjustment
so important? on page 50.
• Bring the back re st up to an (a lmost) upright
pos ition .
Do not ride with the seat reclined.
.. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge
is as even as possib le wit h the top of your
head. If that is not possib le, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
th is position as possible ¢
page 52.
.. Place your feet on the floor in front of the
passenger's seat .
Front seats
Power seat adjustment
Fig . SO Front seat: Controls for seat adjustment
Controls
@-Adjusting the lumba r support: press the
b utton in the correspo nding pos it ion
9 .&,.
N co C,
C,
::i a, m
@ -Moving the seat up/down: press the but­
ton up/down . To adjust the front seat cushion,
p ress the front button up/down. To adjust the
r ea r seat cushion, press the rea r button up/
down¢ .&,.
Seats and stor age 51
@ -Moving the seat forward/back: press the
button forward/back
9 .&. .
©-Adjus ting the backrest angle: press the
button forward/back¢ .&..
@ -Lengthening/shorten ing the upper thigh
suppo rt*: lift the hand le
9 .&, .
_&. WARNING
-
-Never adjust the drive r's or front pas­
senger's seat whi le the vehicle is mov ing .
I f you do this while the vehicle is moving,
you will be out of position. A lways ad just
the driver's or front passenger's seat
when the vehicle is not moving.
- Be careful when adjusting the seat
height. Check to see that no one is in the
way, or ser ious injury could result!
- Because the seats can be e lectrically ad­
justed with the ignition off or with the
ignit ion key removed, never leave chil­
dren unattended in the veh icle. Unsuper­
vised use of the electric seat adjust­ men ts may cause serious injury.
- To reduce the risk of injury in the case of
sudden b raking o r accident, front pas­
senge rs must never r ide in a mov ing ve­
hicle with the ba ckrest reclined. Sa fety
be lts and the airbag system on ly offer
maximum protection w hen the backrest
is upr ight and the safety belts are prop­
erly positioned on the body . The more
the backrest is reclined, the greater the
risk of persona l injury from an incorrect
seating position and improperly posi­
tioned safety belts.
Center armrest
Fig. 51 Armrest between driver 's and passenger's seat .,_.

66 On th e road
On the road
Steering
Manually adjustable steering wheel
The steering wheel position is fully adjustable
up and down and forward and bock .
Fig. 73 Lever under the steer ing colu mn
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly .
• Pull the lever
c> fig . 73 <=> &_ .
• Move the steer ing whee l to the desired posi­
t ion.
• Push the lever against the steering column
until it locks.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­ tween your chest and the center of the steer­
ing wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 in­
ches (25 cm) from the steering whee l, see if
adaptive equipment is available to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance
from the steering wheel.
F or detai led information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
c> page 51 .
A WARNING
Improper use of steeri ng wheel adjust­
ment and improper seating position can
cause serious personal injury.
- Adjust the steering whee l co lumn on ly
when the veh icle is not moving to pre­
vent loss of veh icle control.
- Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel
so that there is a minimum of 10 inches
(25 cm) between your chest and the
steering wheel
¢ page 95, fig. 103. If
yo u cannot mainta in this min imum dis- tance, the airbag system cannot protect
you proper ly.
- If physical limitations prevent you from
sitting 10 inches (25 cm) or more from
the steering wheel, check with your au­
thorized Audi dealer to see if adaptive equ ipment is ava ilable .
- If the steer ing wheel is aligned with your
face, the supplementa l driver's a irbag
cannot provide as much protection in an
accident . Always make sure that the
steer ing wheel is aligned with your
chest.
- Always hold the steering wheel w ith your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to reduce the risk of persona l injury
if the driver's airbag dep loys .
- Never hold the stee ring wheel at the 12
o'clock position or with your hands inside
the steeri ng wheel rim or on the steering
wheel hub . Holding the steering wheel
the wrong way can cause serious injuries
to the hands, arms and head if the driv­
er's airbag deploys.
Ignition lock
Starting engine with the key
Applies to vehicles : w ith ign ition lock
The ignition is switched on and the engine
started with the ignition key .
Fig. 74 Igni tion tock : Igni tion key po siti ons
Switching the ignition on /off
• To switch on the ignition , turn the ignit ion
key to position
(D .
• To switch off the ignit ion, turn the ignition
key to position
@ . ..,.

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unfolds 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 the ir own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt be longing to that
seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restra int prop­
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor 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 w il l not be ab le to protec t you prop­
er ly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined o r
ti lted far back! The farther the backrests
are ti lted back, the greater the risk of in ­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c> page 133. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c> page 112.
Proper seating positions for passengers
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 seat ing pos ition in the event of a sudden
brak ing maneuve r or an acc ident, your pas­
se ngers on the rea r bench seat must always
observe the fo llow ing :
~ Make sure that the seatback is securely
latched in the upr ight position ¢
page 60.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear cen ter
seat ing pos ition, slide the center head re-
Dr ivin g Sa fely 97
straint upward at least to the next notch
<=>page 52.
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat .
~ Fasten and wear safety belts proper ly
<=>page 107.
~ Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
pria te fo r the ir s ize and age
c> page 133.
A WARNING
Passengers who are imp roperly seated on
the rea r seat can be seriously inj ured in a
crash .
- Each passenger must always si t 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 sec urely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
belts are properly posit ioned on the
body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
in ju ry from improperly positioned safety
be lts!
- Always adjust the head rest raint p roperly
so that it can give maximum protection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re ­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 1 04 Head restra int: v ie wed from the front
The head restraints must be correct ly adjust-
ed to achieve the best protectio n. ..,.

106 Safety belts
occupant will slam violently into the steering
wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or what­
ever else is in the way
c::> fig. 109. This imp act
with the vehicle interior has all the energy
t hey had just before the crash.
Never rely on a irbags alone for protection.
Even when they deploy, airbags provide only
additional protection. Airbags are not sup­
posed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Al­
though your Audi is equipped with airbags, all
vehicle occupants, including the driver , must
wear safety belts correctly in order to mini­
mize the risk of severe injury or death in a
crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only
once and that your safety belts are always
there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or
when they have already deployed . Unbelted
occupants can also be thrown out of the vehi­
cle where even more severe or fatal injuries
can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to
wear safety belts correctly. Unbelted passen­
gers in the rear seats endanger not only them­
selves but also the driver and othe r passen­
gers ~
fig. 110. In a frontal collision they will
be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat pas­
senger .
Safety belts protect
People think it's possible to use the hands to
brace the body in a minor collision . It's simply
not true !
Fig. 111 Driver is co rr ect ly re strain ed in a sudd en brak­
ing maneuve r
Safety belts used properly can make a big dif­
ference. Safety belts help to keep passengers
in their seats, gradually reduce energy levels
applied to the body in an accident, and help
prevent the uncontrolled movement tha t can
cause serious injuries . In addition, safety belts
reduce the danger of being thrown out of the
vehicle .
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and
give them the benefit of being slowed down
more gently or "softly" through the "give" in
the safety belts, crush zones and other safety
features engineered into today's vehicles. By
"absorbing " the kinetic energy over a longer
period of ti me, the safety belts make the
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less
likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision, safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the r isk of injury in other kinds of
crashes. So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being
injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident. Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision . For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags , for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions. The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is no t enough decelera tion
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi . So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!

112 Airbag system
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
• Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
c:> page 95,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
r=:; page 51,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 107,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect children
c:> page 133.
In a collision airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force.
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to help the
a ir bag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenge r to sit properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compa rtment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supplemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions
c:> page 95,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or details
on the operat ion of the seat adjustment con­
trols
c:> page 51.
I t's especially important that children are
properly restrained
c:>page 133.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individual
safety features installed in your Audi work to­
gether as a system.
Proper seating pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side can do its
job. If you have a physical impairment or con- dition that prevents you
from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals, spec ial
modifications to your vehicle may be necessa­
ry.
Contact your authorized Audi dea ler, or call
Audi Customer Re lations at 1-800-822-2834.
When the airbag system dep loys , a gas gener­
ator will fi ll the airbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inflate between the steering
whee l and the driver and between the instru­
ment panel and the front passenger. The air­
bags will deflate immediately after deploy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
th rough the windshield aga in without inter­
ruption .
All of th is takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the a irbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement. Together they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from hitting parts of the inside the ve­
hicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant dur ing the crash. In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and upper body i n the crash . A irbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front a irbags will not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The trigge ring of the a irbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
caused by the collision and registered by the
elect ron ic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con­
trol unit, the airbags will not be triggered ,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a result of the collision . Veh icle damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of veh icle damage
is no t necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not.
It is not possib le to define a range of vehicle
speeds that w ill cover every possible kind and .,.