airbag AUDI S3 2010 User Guide

Seats and storage
-Plu g in ap plia n ce to be us ed.
The ou tlet may be used for 12-volt app liances with maximum
consumption of up to 100 watts, such as a flash light , smal l vacuum
cleaner, etc .
Before you purchase any accessories, always read and follow the
inf orm ati on i n
=> page 300, "Addi tiona l ac cess ories and parts
replacement" .
& WARNING
The outlet plu s any appliances plugged into it remain functional
even if the ignition is switched off or the ignition key is removed .
Ne ver leave children inside the vehicle without supervi sion .
0 Note
To avoid damaging the socket, only use p lugs that fit properly .
[ i ] Tips
When the engine is off and accessories are sti ll plugged in and are
on, the vehicle batte ry can sti ll be d rained .•
Storage
General overview
There are numer ous places to store items i n your ve hicle.
Storage in the center armrest
Storage in t he rea r armr est => page 80
Glove compart ment (A ir v enti lati on i n t he ::::> page 93
glove compartment*, CD changer *)
Cent er console
Compartments in the door trims
Sto ra ge in the f ootwe ll
=> page93
=> page 9 4
=> page94
Compartments in luggage compartment
=> page 95
Some of the s torage locations are only found on specific veh icle
models or are optional equ ipment .
& WARNING
• Always remove obje cts from the in strument panel. Any items
not put away could slide around inside the vehicle while driving or
when a ccelerating or when applying the bra kes or when driving
around a corner .
• When you are driving make sure that anything you may have
placed in the center console or other storage locations cannot fall
out into the footwells . In case of sudden bra king you would not be
able to brake , depress the clut ch or accelerate .
• Any pie ces of clothing that you have hung up mu st not interfere
with the driver's view. The coat hooks are designed only for light ­
weight clothing . Never hang any clothing with hard , pointed or
heavy objects in the pockets on the coat hooks . During sudden
bra king or in an accident -especially if the airbag is deployed -
these obje cts could in jure any passengers inside the vehicle. •

Seats and storage
Compartments in the door trims
There are storage compartments in the door trims.
& WARNING
Fig. 98 Storage
compartment in the
door trim
Always read and heed all WARNINGS => page 163, ulmportant
safety instructions on the side airbag system". •
Applies to vehicles: with storage net in footwe ll
Storage net in footwell
There is a storage net in the passenger's footwell.
Fig. 99 Storage net in
pas senger's footwell
[ i ] Tips
Do not keep any sharp or pointed objects in the storage net -they
are a personal injury risk.•
Appl ies to vehicles: with storage net in the front seatbac ks
Storage net in the seatbacks
There is a storage net behind both front seatbacks.
[ i ] Tips
Fig . 100 Storage net
on the driver's seat­
back
Do not keep any sharp or pointed objects in the storage net -this
increases the risk of personal injury .•

Applies to veh ic les : w it h stora ge net in lu ggage compa rtm ent
Side storage in the luggage compartment
There is a comportment with a net on the right side of the
luggage comportment.
•
Fig . 101 Side compart­
ment in the luggage
compartment
The compartment is suitable for holding small items. •
Coat hooks
There is a coot hook above each rear door.
:I ,,
;:
J ' t
" ::·
/
}
· : : .: ,, 1
} Fig . 102 Coat hook
The coat hooks are located in the headliner above each rear door.
Con tro ls and eq uip­
ment
Seats and storage
& WARNING
• Hang clothes in such a way that they do not impair the driver's
v1s1on.
• The coat hooks must only be used for light weight clothing. Do
not leave any heavy or sharp edged objects in the pockets which
may interfere with the side curtain airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a crash.
• Do not use coat hangers for hanging clothing on the coat hooks
as this can interfere with proper deployment of the side curtain
airbags in an accident.
• Do not hang heavy objects on the coat hooks, as they could
cause personal injury in a sudden stop. •
Vehicle care
I I Technical data

___________________________________________________ O _n_ t_h _ e_ r_ o _ a_ d __ llll
On the road
Steering
Adjustable steering wheel
The height and reach of the steering wheel can be
adjusted.
First, adjust the driver's seat correctly.
Fig. 107 Lever under
the steering column
-Push the leve r~ fig. 107 down as far as it will go~&.
- Move the steering wheel to the desired positi on.
- Push the leve r back up as fa r as it will go.
There must be at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your chest and the
center of the steering wheel. If you cannot sit more than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, see if adaptive equipment is avail ­
able to help you reach the pedals and increase the distance from the
steering wheel.
Fo r detailed information on how to adjust the driver 's seat, see
=> page
75, "Power seat adjustment".
T he steering wheel can be adjusted even when the ignition is turned
off.
Controls and equip ­
ment
& WARNING
Improper use of steering wheel adjustment and improper seating
position can cause serious personal injury.
• Adjust the steering wheel column only when the vehicle is not
moving to prevent loss of vehicle control.
• Always make sure that the adjustment lever is securely pushed
up so that the position of the steering wheel cannot be changed
unintentionally when the vehicle is moving .
• Adjust the driver's seat or steering wheel so that there is a
minimum of 10 inches (25 cm ) between your breastbone and the
steering wheel=> page 126 , fig. 124 . If you cannot maintain this
minimum distance, the airbag system cannot protect you prop ­
erly .
• If physical limitations prevent you from sitting 10 inches {25
cm ) or more from the steering wheel , check with your authorized
Audi dealer to see if adaptive equipment is available.
• Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the
ability of the supplemental driver's airbag to protect you in an
accident . Always make sure that the steering wheel is pointed
towards your chest.
• 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 personal 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. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the
driver's airbag inflates. •
I • •

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Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information, tips, instructions and
warnings that you need to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others. We have summarized here
what you need to know about safety belts, airbags, child rest raints
as well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Always
observe the information and warnings in this section -for your own
safety as well as that of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all model versions of your
vehicle. Some of the features described in this sections may be
standard equipment on some models, or may be optional equip­
ment on others. If you are not sure, ask your authorized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
• Always make sure that you follow the instructions and heed
the WARNINGS in this Manual. It is in your interest and in the
interest of your passengers.
• Always keep the complete Owner's Literature in your Audi
when you lend or sell your vehicle so that this important informa­
tion will always be available to the driver and passengers.
• Always keep the Owner's literature handy so that you can find
it easily if you have questions .•
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant restraint
system and work together to help reduce the risk of injury
in a wide variety of accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers should not be left to
chance. Advances in technology have made a variety of features
available to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident. The
following is a list of just a few of the safety features in your Audi:
• sophisticated safety belts for driver and all passenger seating
positions,
• safety belt pretensioners,
• safety belt force limiters for the front seats,
• safety belt height adjustment systems for the front seats,
• automatic safety belt height adjustment for the rear seats,
• front airbags,
• side airbags in the front seats and outer rear seats *,
• side curtain airbags,
• special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
• head restraints for each seating position,
• adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work together as a system to
help protect you and your passengers in a wide range of accidents.
These features cannot work as a system if they are not always
correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility! •

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Proper occupant seating positi ·ons
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important for safe,
relaxed driving.
Fig . 124 The correct
distance between
driver and steering
wheel
Fig . 125 Correct head
restraint position for
driver
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust the
driver's seat to the following position:
- Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily push the
pedals all the way to the floor while keeping your knee(s)
slightly bent=:>& . - Adjust the angle of the seatback so that
it is in an upright
position so that your back comes in full contact with it
when you drive.
- Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a distance of at
least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering wheel and
your breast bone=:> fig. 124. If not possible, see your
authorized Audi dealership about adaptive equipment.
- Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering wheel and
airbag cover points at your chest and not at your face.
- Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your elbow(s)
slightly bent.
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge is as
even with the top of your head as possible but no lower
than eye level and so that it is as close to the back of your
head as possible=:> fig. 125.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly=:>
page 139.
- 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 73, "Adjusting front seats manua lly" or=> page 74,
"Adjusting the power seat".
& 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 breastbone and
the steering wheel. .,_

________________________________________________ D_r_iv _ i _n_ g~ S_ a_ fe_ ly __ !II
& WARNING (continued)
• 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 personal 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. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the
driver's airbag deploys .
• Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the
ability of the supplemental driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion.
• Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or
place any part of your body too close to the area where the airbags
are located.
• Before driving, always adjust the front seats and head
restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are properly
restrained .
• Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is moving. Your seat
may move unexpectedly and you could lose control of the vehicle .
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury
due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
• Children must always ride in child safety seats~
page 167.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 145. •
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
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 ris k of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust the
seat for the front passenger to the following pos ition:
- 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 mov ing.
- Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge is as
even with the top of your head as possible but not lower
than eye level and so that it is as close to the back of your
head as possible::::;,
page 129.
Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly::::;,
page 139.
For detailed information on how to adjust the front passenger's
seat, see
~ page 72.
& WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too
close to the airbag can be seriously injured or killed by the airbag
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.
• Passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the
airbag can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye. ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (continued)
• Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument
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 properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor in front of the seat . Never
rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc.
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you
properly and can even increase the risk of injury 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 injury due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
• Children must always ride in child safety seats~
page 167.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 145. •
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 prop­
erly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect seating
position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an
accident, your passengers on the rear bench seat must
always observe the following:
- Make sure that the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position =>
page 81.
-Adjust the head restraint so that the upper edge is as
even with the top of your head as possible but no lower
than eye level=>
page 129.
-Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of the rear seat .
- Fasten and wear safety belts properly=>
page 139.
-Make sure that children are always properly restrained in
a child restraint that is appropriate for their size and age
=>
page 167.
& 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 protection when the seatback
is securely latched 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. •

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
=:> page 136, fig. 129, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops
them -here, the wall
=:> page 136, fig. 130.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph
(30 to 50 km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
(2,000 lbs. or 1,000 kg) or more . At greater speeds, these forces are
even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash. Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they
determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions. •
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig . 131 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is
violently thrown
forward
Safety belts
Fig . 132 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the
driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way=:> fig. 131. This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not
supposed to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is
equipped with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver,
must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize 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
vehicle where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly . Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers=:> fig. 132. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
Vehicle care I I Technical data

__ __::S~a ~f ~e ~ty ~ b~ e~ l~ t ~s ____________________________________________ _
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!
Fi g. 133 Driver is
co rrec tly res trai ned in
a sudden braking
m an euver
Safety belts used properly can make a big difference . 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 that can cause serious injuries. In addition,
safety be lts reduce the danger of being thrown out of the vehic le.
Safety belts attach passengers to the car and g ive them the benefit
of being s lowed 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 time, the safety belts make the forces on the body
more "tolerable" and less like ly to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a frontal collision , safety
belts can also substantially reduce the risk 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. Acci ­
dent statistics show that vehicle occupants proper ly wearing safety
bel ts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance o f
surviving an accident . Proper ly using safety belts also greatly
increases the abi lity of the supplementa l airbags to do their job in a
collision. For this reason, wearing a safety be lt is legally required in
most countries including much of the United States and Canada . Although your Audi is equipped with airbags, you sti
ll have to wear
the safety belts provided . Fron t airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions . T he front airbags are not activated in
all frontal col lisions, in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough dece leration 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
every ­
body in your vehic le is properly restrained! •
Important safety instructions about safety
belts
Safety belts must always be correctly positioned across
t he strongest bones of your body.
Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
this chapter.
Make sure tha t your safe ty belts are a lways ready for use
and are not damaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or w earing them improperl y increas es
the ri sk of s eriou s pers onal inj ury an d death . S afe ty belt s can work
onl y w hen used corre ctl y.
• Alway s fas te n yo ur sa fe ty belt s corre ctl y befo re dri ving off and
mak e sure all p assenger s ar e correctly re strain ed.
• For m aximum protect ion , safet y belt s mu st alway s be p osi­
ti oned properly on the body .
• Never strap more th an one person , includi ng sm all child ren ,
into any belt.
• Never pla ce a sa fety belt ove r a child sitting on your l ap .
• Alway s keep feet in t he foot well
in front of the seat while t he
vehi cle is being dri ven .
~