ECU AUDI S3 2009 Owner's Manual

........ _o_ r_iv _i_ n""' g::;._ S_ a_f _e _ly =---------------------------------------------------
& WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can fly through the
vehicle causing serious personal injury in the event of hard braking or an accident. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always put objects, for example, luggage or other heavy items
in the luggage compartment.
• Always secure objects in the luggage compartment using the
tie-down eyelets and suitable straps.
& WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehicle handles. To help
reduce the risk of a loss of control leading to serious personal
injury :
• Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a
change in the center of gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
handling:
-Always distribute the load as evenly as possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the luggage compart-
ment as possible.
• Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating or the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating specified on the safety compliance sticker on the left door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight standards
can cause the vehicle to slide and handle differently.
• Please observe information on safe driving~
page 126.
& WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
& WARNING (continued)
• If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the
following notes to reduce the risk of poisoning :
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors , all windows, the power roof*
and the read lid are securely closed and locked to reduce the risk
of injury when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
closed and locked .
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open. A child could crawl into the vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must always be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle's seating positions.
[ i] Tips
The tire pressure must correspond to the load -see the tire pressure
sticker on the fuel filler door. •

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 133,
"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 217, "Safety
belts" .•
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 138 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 74, "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. 138.
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 179.
& WARNING
Improper ly positioned safet y belts can cause seriou s inj ury in an
accident =>
page 14 2, "S afety 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 18 1. •
Safety belt position
Correct belt posi ti o n is the key to getting maximum
protecti on f rom safety be lts.
Fig . 1 3 9 He ad 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 142, fig. 139 . 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 142, fig. 139. 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 140. •
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. 140 Safety belt
position during preg­
nancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts must always
be positioned correctly on the wearer's body=>
page 142.
-Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
=>
page 74, "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 . 140, =>
&.
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat
until you hear it latch securely =;,
page 141, fig. 138.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
IJ),
Vehicle care I I irechnical data

_______________________________________________ C_h _ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t..,:c y __ __
child is available. In these exceptional situations, the use of a lap
belt is bet ter than perm it t ing the chi ld to remain totally unre ­
strained . But remember: a lap be lt cannot provide the same level of
protection as a proper child restraint or a three -point lap and
shoulder belt if the child is big enough . Also, using a lap belt for
younger child ren, who should be using a chi ld restraint, may vio late
laws in your state o r Province .
Never use a lap belt a lone to res train a chi ld tha t weighs less than
about 80 lbs (36 kg) a nd who is less than 4'9" tall. A lways remember
that children do not have the pronounced pelvic structure required
for the pro per func tion of lap belts . If a lap bel t is only restrain t
system available, then the chi ld's safety absolutely requires that the
lap be lt be fas tened snugly a nd as low as possible arou nd the pe lvis
let a lap belt pass over the chi ld's stomach or abdomen .
& WARNING
Using wrong child rest raints or improperly installed child
restr aint s can cau se seriou s personal injury or death in a crash.
• Fa ilu re to properly ro ute safety belts over a child's body will
c au se severe injuries in a cra sh. The lap belt portion of the three
point belt a s well a s an y lap belt alone mu st always pas s as low a s
possible acros s the pelvi s, never over the stomach or abdomen .
• An improperly worn safet y belt will not pro vide the best protec ­
tion in a cra sh and may cause seriou s personal injury . Always
ma ke sure that children and other vehi cle occupants p rope rly
wear available restraint systems . C arefully follow the instructions
provided by the manufacturers of child re straints . •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
Installing a child safety seat
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Sa fety belts for the r ear seats an d the fr ont passenger con
be locked with the convertible locking retractor to prop­
erly secure child safety seats .
The safety belts eme rgency locking retractors for the rear seats
safety belts and for the front passenger's seat safety belt have a
convertible locking ret ractor for child rest raints . The safety belt
must be locked so that belt webbing cannot unreel. T he ret ractor
can be activated to lock the safety be lt and prevent the safety be lt
webbi ng fro m loosen ing up dur ing norma l driving . A child sa fety
seat can on ly be properly installed when the safety belt is locked so
that the child a nd ch ild safety seat will s tay i n place .
A lways remember: Even though your vehic le is equipped with an
Advanced A irbag system, all child ren, espec ially those 12 years and
younger , should a lways ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seat s increase the risk of serious
pe rsonal injury and death i n a collision.
• Always make sure that the safety belt retractor i s locked when
in stalling a child safety seat. An unlocked safety b elt retracto r
cannot hold the child safety seat in pla ce during normal driving or
in a cr ash.
• Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in place even if a
c hild i s not sitting in it . A loo se ch ild safety seat can fly around
durin g a sudden stop or in a collision .
• Always make su re that the re ar se at ba ckrest to which the
center rear safety belt is atta ched is se curely latched wh enever
the re ar center safety belt is being u sed to se cur e a child re stra int .
9)1,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

___ C_ h_ il_ d _S_ a_fe _ ty ______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 arm rest, 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 169. Special precau ­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat~
page 149, "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 (continued)
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on, perform the checks described~
page 158, "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 _ i_ld _ S_ a_ f_ e_ t..,:c y __ lllll
& 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 arm rest, 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
authorized 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:
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
into 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 proper ly
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. ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-L~C~h~ i~ ld ~ S~ a~ f~ e~ t:1Y :._ ___________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 169 . Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 149, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know" .•
Deactivating the convertible locking retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child restraints will
be deactivated automatically when the belt is wound all the way back into the retractor.
-Press the red button on the safety belt buckle. The belt
tongue will pop out of the buckle.
- Guide the belt all the way back into its stowed position.
Always let the safety belt retract completely into its stowed position.
The safety belt can now be used as an ordinary safety belt without
the convertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be activated inadvert­
ently, the safety belt must be unfastened and guided completely
back into its stowed position to deactivate this feature. If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated, the safety belt will
gradually become tighter and uncomfortable to wear.
& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death in a collision.
• Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate the convertible
locking retractor for child restraints while the vehicle is moving.
You would not be restrained and could be seriously injured in an
accident.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS whenever using a child
restrained in a vehicle is being used=>
page 169. Special precau­
tions apply when installing a child safety seat on the front
passenger seat=>
page 149, "Child restraints on the front seat -
some important things to know" .•
Additional Information
What types of child restraint anchors are
available and how are they related to child
safety?
For years, child restraints have been installed using the safety belts
already present in every vehicle.
Since September 1, 1999, child restraint manufacturers have been
providing tether straps that attach the top of the child restraint to
the vehicles structure, on most of their forward-facing systems in order to comply with U .S . Federal regulations for child restraint
performance in a crash. Vehicle manufacturers are required to
phase -in tether anchorages for attachment of the tether strap in
their U.S. vehicles beginning September 1, 1999.
The combination of the tether anchorages and the lower anchor­
ages is now generally called the
LATCH system for "Lower Anchor
and Tether for Children".
~

•---=C:...:.h.:.: i.:.:ld ::.....: S~ a::. f~ e~ t~ y~ ----------------------------------------------
Lower anchorages and tether for
children (LATCH)
Location
LATCH is the acronym for Lower Anchor and Tethers for
Children and designates a special child safety seat
restraint system. In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universal anchorages" (or "lower universal
anchorage bars") are used to describe the system.
0
:= ti..
"' "'
Fig . 155 Schematic
overview: LATCH
anchorage point loca­
tions
The illustration ~ fig. 155 shows the seating locations in your
vehicle which are equipped with the lower universal anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked for quick
locating.
Fig . 156 Rear seats:
lower anchorage
bracket locations
Attachment locator markers for lower anchorages
Circular locator buttons on the rear seatback indicate the lower
anchorage locations on the rear seating positions .
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are located between the
rear seatback and rear seat cushion~ fig. 156.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in the seat without
using the vehicle's safety belts. Anchorages provide a secure and
easy-to-use attachment and minimize the possibility of improper
child restraint installation.
All child restraints manufactured after September 1, 2002, must
have lower anchorage attachments for the
LATCH system .
Please remember that the lower anchorage points are only intended
for installation and attachment of child restraints specifically certi­
fied for use with
LATCH lower anchorages. Child restraints that are
not equipped with the lower anchorage attachments can still be
installed in compliance with the child restraint manufacturer's
instructions on using vehicle safety belts. ...