ECU AUDI S3 2015 User Guide

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Selector lever emergency release
"'Press and hold the yellow release button
with the screwdr iver
¢ fig. 102.
"' Press the release button in the selector lever
@ and move the lever into the N position.
"' Clip the shift cover back into the shift gate
after using the emergency release.
If the ve hicle must be pushed or towed due to
a power failure (for example, the battery is
dead), the selector lever must f irst be moved
to the N position using the emergency release
mechanism.
A WARNING
Only move the selector lever out of the P
position when the parking brake is set. If
that does not work, secure the vehicle with
the brake pedal. Otherwise, the vehicle
could start to move unintentiona lly when
the selector lever is moved out of the P po­
sition .
Automatic transmission 11 7
•

126 Driving safety
• Make sure that all lights and signals are op­
erating correctly .
• Make sure that the tire pressure is correct .
• Make sure that a ll windows are clean and af ­
ford good visibility to the o utside.
• Secure all luggage and other items ca refully
c:::> page 64, c:::>page 62 .
• Make sure that noth ing can i nterfere with
t h e pedals.
• Adjust front seat, head rest rain t and mirro rs
correct ly for your he ight .
• Instr uct passenge rs to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
• Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect chi ldren
c:> page 170 ,
Child Safe ty .
• Sit properly i n your seat and make sure that
you r passenge rs do the same
c:::> page 57,
Front seats .
• Fasten your safety be lt and wear it properly.
Also ins truc t your passengers to faste n their
sa fety belts proper ly
c:> pag e 13 5.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving i s direc tly rela ted to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver 's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted .
The driver is respons ib le for the safety of the
ve hicl e and a ll of its occupants . If you r ability
to drive is impaired , safety r is k s for everybody
in the vehicle increase and you a lso become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
c:> &_ .
Therefore:
• Do not let you rself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEV ER dr ive when your dr iv ing ability is im­
paired (by medicat ions, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws , rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS ad just your speed to road, t raff ic
and weathe r condit ions .
• Take frequent breaks on long t rips. Do not
dr ive for mo re th an two hours a t a str etc h .
• Do N OT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed .
A WARNING
-Impaired driving safety increases the r isk
of ser ious perso nal inju ry and death when ­
ever a vehicle is bei ng use d.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig . 11 4 Correct seat ing pos it io n
For you r own safety and to reduce t he risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
me nd that you adjust t he d river's seat to the
f o llow ing pos ition:
.,. Ad just the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly p ush the pedals all the way to the floo r
while keep ing you r knee(s) slightly bent
c:>& ,
.,. Adj ust t he an gle of the seatba ck so th at it is
in an uprigh t position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
• Adj ust the steering whee l so that t here is a
distance of at least 10 inches
(25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast bone
c:::> fig. 114 . If not possible, see your a u­
thor ized Audi dealersh ip about adaptive
equ ipment .
.. Ad just t he steering whee l so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag c over poi nts at your
ches t and not a t your f ace.
• Grasp the top o f the steering whee l with
your elbow(s) slightly bent .
• For ad justab le head restra ints : Adjust the
head restra int so the uppe r edge is as even
as poss ible with the top of your head. If that..,_

128 Driving safety
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 5 7.
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.
- 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.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front pas­
senger's knees and the lower part of 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 properly .
- For adjustable head restraints: before
driving, always also adjust the head re­
straints properly.
- 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 seats
¢
page 170. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front passenger seat
c> page 144.
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 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:
"" For adjustable head restraints: 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 re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible
¢ page 129.
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
¢page 138.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
priate for their size and age¢
page 170.
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 safety belts are properly positioned on the body and securely
latched. By not sitting upright, a rear
seat passenger increases the risk of per­
sonal injury from improperly positioned
safety belts!

130 Driving saf ety
Th ere fo re, wh enever th e vehicle i s
mo ving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up aga inst the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the w indow
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion o r
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seat ing positions increase the
r isk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a veh icle is being used .
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­ pants stay in a proper seating pos it ion
and are properly restra ined whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
Driver and passenger
side footwell
Important safety instructions
App lies to vehicles: with knee a irbags
A WARNING
Always make s ure that the knee airbag can
inflate without interference. Objects be­
tween yourse lf and the airbag can inc rease
the risk of in jury in an acc ident by interfer­
ing w ith the way the a irbag deploys or by
being pushed into you as the airbag de­
ploys.
- No persons (ch ildren) or animals should
ride in the footwell in front of the pas­
senger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can result in se rious or fata l injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried in the footwe ll area in front of the driv- er's or passenger's seat
. Bulky objects
(shopping bags, for example) can ham­
per or prevent proper deployment of the
ai rbag. Small objects can be thrown
through the vehicle if the airbag deploys
and i njure you or your passenge rs .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat
or any other object.
Make su re that a ll peda ls move free ly without
i nterference and that no thing preven ts them
from return ing to their or ig inal positions .
Only use f loor mats that leave the pedal a rea
free and can be secu red with floor mat fasten­
ers.
If a brake c ircu it fa ils, inc reased brake pedal
t ravel is required to bring the vehicle to a full
stop.
A WARNING
P edals that cannot move free ly can ca use
l oss of vehicle contro l and increase the risk
of serious injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the driver's
footwell. An object co uld get into the
pedal area and interfere with pedal func­
tion. In case of sudden braking or an ac­
cident, you wou ld not be able to brake or
accelerate!
-Always make sure that nothing can fall
or move into the driver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely attached to the floor mat fasteners and do
not interfere with the free movement of the
pedals.
.,. Make sure that the floor mats are properly
secured and cannot move and interfere with
the pedals
¢ A . ..,_

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Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area
u nobstructed and that are firmly secured so
that they cannot sli p out of position. You can
obtain suitable floor mats from your author­
ized Audi Dealer .
F loor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Fl oor mats used in your vehicle must be a t­
tached to these fasteners. Properly securing
the floor mats will p revent them from slid ing
into positions that could interfere with the
pedals or impair safe operation of your vehicle
in other ways .
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can resu lt
in a loss of veh icle control and increase the
risk of serious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are
properly secured.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the veh icle that cannot
be properly secured in place to prevent
them from slipping and interfering w ith
the pedals or the ability to control t he
vehicle .
- Never place o r insta ll floor mats or other
floo r coverings on top of already insta l­
led floor mats. Additional floor mats and
other coverings wi ll reduce the size of
the pedal area and interfere with the
peda ls.
-Always proper ly reinstall and secure f loor
mats that have been taken out for clean­
ing.
- Always make sure that objects cannot
fall into the driver footwe ll wh ile the ve­
hicle is moving. Objects can become
trapped under the brake pedal and accel­
erator pedal caus ing a loss of veh icle
control.
Dri ving sa fety 13 1
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
AIL luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com ­
partment.
Fig . 116 Safe load pos it ion ing: pla ce heavy ob jects as
low and as far fo rward as poss ible .
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can a lso increase
the risk of serious persona l injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a col lis ion.
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compa rtment .
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as far
forward as possible .
.. Secure luggage using the tie -downs p rov id­
ed
~ page 64.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the veh icle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an accident . To help reduce the risk
of ser ious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
pa rtment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compa rtment using the t ie-down hoo ks
a nd sui tab le strap s.

132 Driving saf ety
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve­
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to ser ious personal
injury:
-Always keep in m ind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter 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 compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Ax le Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible we ight standards can cause the
vehicle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
opoge 125.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from be ing drawn into the veh icle, always
keep the rea r lid closed while dr iving.
- Never transport objects larger than those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
cl osed.
- If you absolutely must drive w ith the rear
lid open, observe the follow ing notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all w indows,
- Close the power roof *,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Sw itch off the air recircu lation,
- Set the fresh a ir fan to the highes t
speed.
A WARNING
Always ma ke s ure th at the doors, all win­
dows, the power roo f* and the rear 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 es­
pecially with the rear lid left open. A
child cou ld craw l into the vehicle thro ugh
the luggage compartment and close the rea r lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out. Being t rapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious pe rsonal in jury.
- Never let children play in or around the veh icle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment. Vehicle occupants must
always be prope rly restra ined in one of
the vehicle's seating posit ions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging. Stale a ir escapes to the outside
through vents in the t rim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure m ust correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
t ire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the drive r's side B-pilla r.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
mended co ld tire inflation pressures for
the vehicle at its maxim um capacity
we ight and the tires that we re on your
vehicle at the t ime it was manufactured.
For recommended tire pressures for nor­
ma l load cond itions, please see chapter
opoge240.
Tie -downs
The luggage comportment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items.
Use the t ie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
o page 131, Loading the luggage com­
portment .
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi-
cle w ill become heavy missiles t hat can cause .,..

serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
F or 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 we ight of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like t his.
_& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to t ie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
ser ious personal injury .
- Always use suitable mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help pre­
vent items from shifting or flying for­
ward as dangerous miss iles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, always use su itab le mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
t ie -downs in the luggage compartment
to help prevent items from flying for­
ward as dangerous miss iles into the pas­
senger compartment.
- Never attach a child safety seat tether
strap to a tie-dow n.
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u beli eve that your vehicl e
h as a def ect w hich co uld cause
a c rash o r could cause injur y or
~ death , yo u should immedi ately
0
iii inform the N atio nal High way
Tr affic S afe ty Admini stration
Dri ving s afe ty 133
(NHT SA) in addi tio n to notif y­
ing A udi of A m erica, Inc.
If NHTSA r ecei ves similar com­
plaint s, it may open an in ve sti ­
gation , and if it finds that a
s af ety defe cts exis ts in a gr oup
of vehicle s, it ma y ord er a recall
a nd r em edy campa ign. Ho wev­
e r, NHTS A cannot become in­
v ol ved in indi vidu al problem s
bet ween y ou, your dealer , or
A udi of America, Inc.
T o conta ct the NHTSA, you m ay
e ither c all :
T e l.: 1-888-32 7-423 6 (TTY :
1-800-4 24-9 153) or
1-800-424-939 3
or you ma y write to:
NHTSA
U .S. Depar tment of Tran sp o rt a­
tion 1200 N ew Jersey Av e., S. E.
Wes t Buil ding
W ashington , D C 2 0590
You can als o obtain other infor ­
mation about m otor vehicl e
s af ety from:
h tt p: //www .sa fe rc ar. gov
•
•
•

138 Safety belts
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­
tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
,.. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
,.. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly .
- Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving
off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts must always be positioned properly on
the body .
- Never strap more than one person , in­
cluding small children, into any belt.
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­ ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en .
- 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 ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of be ing 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 dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware .
- Do not wear the shoulder pa rt of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of pos i­
tion . -
Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system .
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that
create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly .
If web­
bing, bindings, buck les, or retractors are
damaged, have belts replaced by an au ­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- 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 . Replace­
ment 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.
- Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts
may not work properly and can impair
the function of the inert ia reel
c::> ta­
ble Internal cleaning on page 207.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 123 B elt buck le and to ngue o n th e drive r's se at

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To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body.
... Adjust the front seat and head restraint
properly
c::> page 5 7, Front seats.
• Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt
c::> ,&..
... Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis
c::> ,&. .
""Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
c::> fig. 123.
.., Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped with an automat­
ic belt retractor on the shoulder belt . This fea­
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve. During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac­
tivated
c::> poge 142. The function of the pre­
tensioner is monitored by a warning light
c::> page 21.
Convertible locking retractor
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking re­
tractor that
must be used when the safety
belt is used to attach a child seat. Be sure to
read the important information about this
feature
c::> poge 181.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious injury in an accident
o::> page 139, Safety belt position.
-Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
Safety belts 139
belts are properly positioned on the
body.
- Always make sure that the rear seat
backrest to which the center rear safety
belt* is attached is securely latched
whenever the rear center safety belt is
being used. If the backrest is not secure­
ly latched, the passenger will move for­
ward with the backrest during sudden
braking, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
cially in a crash .
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck­
le for another seat. Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effectiveness and can cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not correctly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
belt itself when it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into sensitive areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the convertible locking re­
tractor when you are securing a child seat in the vehicle
c::> page 183.
(D Tips
For information on safety belt pretension­
ers, refer to
c::> page 142.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts.
Fig. 124 Safety belt position
Use the height adjustment to change the posi­
tion of the shoulder belt of the front safety
belts .
~

140 Safety belts
_&. WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
-
- The shoulder belt should lie as close to
the center of the collar bone as possible
and should fit well on the body. Hold the
belt above the latch tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelvis and there is
no pressure on the abdomen. The belt
should always fit snugly ¢
fig. 124. 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 abdo­
men. Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug
¢ fig. 124 . Pull on the belt to tight-
en if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri­
ous injuries by shifting its position on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious injury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ page 138.
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The be st way to protect the fe tus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
safety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy.
Fig . 125 Saf ety b elt pos it io n durin g pre gnancy
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be pos itioned correctly on th e
wearer's body
¢ page 139.
.. Adjust the front seat and adjustable head
restraint* correctly¢
page 57, Front seats.
.. Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis¢
fig. 125,
¢Lf1 .
.. Inser t the tongue in to the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely
¢page 138, fig. 123.
.,. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se­
curely latched in the buckle.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
-
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as possible across the pelvis and below the
rounding of the abdomen .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢.&.
in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 139.
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only ofter the vehicle has stopped.
,
Fig. 126 Re le asin g the tong ue fro m the buck le
.,. Push the red release button on the buckle
¢ fig. 126 . The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle ¢
&-
.,. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
II>-