2009 AUDI Q7 ABS

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& 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 220.
& 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 Panoramic sliding sunroof*,
- 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 Panoramic
sliding sunroof* 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 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
• Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes
to the outside through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these
slots free and open.
• The tire pressure must correspond to the load. The tire pressure
is shown on the tire pressure label. On USA vehicles, the tire pres- .,_

-Safety belts ----=-----------------
Before driving off
, always:
Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are wearing it
properly.
Make sure that your passengers also buckle up and prop­
erly wear their safety belts.
- Protect children with a child restraint sys tem appropriate
for the size and age.
The warning light .ft in the instrument cluster lights up when the
ignition is switched on as a reminder to fasten the safety belts. In
addition, you will hear a warning tone.
After the ignition is switched on, the warning light in the instrument
cluster will a lways come on for about 6 seconds and if the driver has
not fastened the safety belt, a warning tone will also sound for
about 6 seconds. As soon as the driver has fastened the safety belt,
the warning tone will stop and the warning light will go out.
If the driver or front seat passenger have not buckled-up within
about 10 seconds after the warning tone has stopped and the
vehicle is moving faster than about 15 mph, the warning tone will
sound again for about 6 seconds and then stop for 24 seconds and
then repeat this reminder sequence for a maximum of 2 minutes. At
speeds be low 5 mph, the warning tone will not sound .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your passengers also
properly put on their safety belts.
& WARNING
• Safety belts are the single most effective means available to
reduce the risk of serious injury and death in automobile acci ­
dents . For your protection and that of your passengers , always
correctly wear safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
• Failure to pay attention to the warning light that come on,
could lead to personal injury.
a
Why safety belts?
Frontal co11isions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for people riding
in vehicles.
Fig. 240 Unbelted
occupants in a vehicle
heading for a wall
Fig. 241 The vehicle
crashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehicle and the passen­
gers possess energy which varies with vehicle speed and body
we ight . Engineers call this energy "kinetic energy."
T he higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehic le's
we ight, the more energy that has to be "absorbed" in the crash .
Vehicle speed is the most significan t factor . If the speed doubles
from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50 km /h), the energy increases 4 times! .,

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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 . 244 Driv er is
cor rec tly r estrai ned in
a su dden b raking
m an euver
Safety belts used properly can make a big difference. Sa fety belts
help to keep passengers in their seats, gradually reduce energy
levels app lied 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 give 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 likely to cause injury .
Altho ugh these examples are based on a frontal co llision, safety
belts can a lso 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, a lways buckle up and make sure others do, too. Acci­
dent statistics show that vehicle occupants properly wearing safety
belts have a lower ris k of being injured and a much better chance of
surviving an accident. Properly using safety belts also greatly
increases the abi lity o f the supplementa l airbags to do their job in a
collision . For th is reason , wearing a safety belt 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
a ll frontal col lisions, in side and rear collisions, in roll ove rs 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 co rrectly positioned across
t he strongest bones of your body.
Always wear safety belts as illustrated and described in
th is chapter.
Make s ure tha t your safe ty belts ar e always ready for use
and are not damaged .
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or w earing them improperl y increase s
the risk of seriou s per sonal injury and death . S afe ty belt s can work
onl y when used corre ctl y.
• Alway s fa sten your s afety belt s correctl y before dri ving off and
make sure all p assenger s ar e correctly restrain ed.
• For m aximum protect ion , safet y belts must always be po si­
ti oned properly on the body .
• Never strap more th an one person , includi ng sm all children ,
into any belt.
• Never pla ce a s afety belt ove r a child sitting on your lap .
• Alway s keep feet in t he foot well
in front of the seat while the
vehicle is being driven .
~

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& WARNING (continued)
• Airbag work most effectively when used with properly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your vehicle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, especially infants and small
children, will receive serious injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the airbag when it inflates .
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger airbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in accordance with
the "low risk" option under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that
is heavier than the typical one-year old child is on the front
passenger seat and the other conditions for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position.
• For their own safety, all children, especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly restrained for
their age and size . •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance with United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan ­
dard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle was manufactured. The
front Advanced Airbag System supplements the safety belts to
provide additional protection for the driver's and front passenger's
heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes . The airbags inflate only
in frontal impacts when the vehicle deceleration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front seat occupants is
not a substitute for your safety belts . Rather, it is part of the overall
occupant restraint system in your vehicle. Always remember that
the airbag system can only help to protect you, if you are sitting
upright, wearing your safety belt and wearing it properly. This is why
you and your passengers must always be properly restrained, not
just because the law requires you to be.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
meet the "low risk" requirements for 3 and 6 year -old children on the
passenger side and very small adults on the driver side. The low risk
deployment criteria are intended to help reduce the risk of injury
through interaction with the front airbag that can occur, for
example, by being too close to the steering wheel and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates.
In addition, the system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Standard, to turn off the
front airbag for infants 12 months old and younger who are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child restraints that are
listed in the Standard=>
page 265, "Child restraints and Advanced
Airbags" .
"Suppression" requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off if:
• a child up to about one year of age is restrained on the front
passenger seat in one of the rear-facing or forward-facing infant
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified. For
a listing of the child restraints that were used to certify your
vehicle's compliance with the US Safety Standard=>
page 265,
• weight less than a threshold level stored in the control unit is
detected on the front passenger seat. .,

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& WARN ING (continued )
cellular telephones and CB radios , et c.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training and spec ial equipment
ne cessary .
• For any work on the airbag system , we strongly recommend
that you see your author ized Audi dealer or qual ified workshop .
• Never modify the front bumper or parts of the vehicle body.
• Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without inter ­
ference :
- Never install seat covers or replacement upholstery over the
front seatba cks that have not been spe cific ally approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas
where the side airbags inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to the seam in the area
of the side airbag module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer .
• The airbag system can be activated only once. Afte r an airbag
has inflated , it must be replaced by an authorized Audi dealer or
qualified technician who has the te chnical information , training
and spe cial equipment necessary.
• The airbag sy stem can be deployed only once. After an airbag
has been deployed , it must be repla ced with new repla cement
parts designed and approved especially for your Audi model
version . Replacement of complete airbag systems or airbag
components must be performed by qualified workshops only .
Make sure that any airbag service action is entered in your Audi
Warranty
& Maintenan ce booklet under AIRBAG REPLACEMENT
RECORD .
• For safety reasons in severe accidents , the alternator and
starter are separated from the vehicle battery with a pyrotechni c
c ircuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechni c circuit interrupter must only be
performed by a qualified dealer -risk of an accident!
& WAR NING (continued )
-If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is s crapped , all appli­
cable safety precautions must be followed.
ffi For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be c lassified
as Pe rchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www .dtsc.ca .gov/hazardouswaste/perc hlo ra te . When t he veh icle or
parts of the restraint system inc luding airbag mod ules and safety
be lts wi th pre tensio ners are sc rapp ed, all ap plicab le laws a nd regu ­
l ations must be observed . Your authorized Audi dealer is fam iliar
wit h these requir ements an d we re co mmen d t hat yo u have your
dea ler perform this service for you. •
Other things that can affect Advanced Airbag
performance
Changing the veh ic le 's su spension system can change the way that
th e Advanced Air bag Syste m performs in a c rash. Fo r example,
using tire-rim combinations not approved by Audi, lowering the
v eh ic le, c hang ing the stif fness of th e suspe nsio n, in cl ud in g the
springs, suspension struts, shoc k absorbers etc . can change the
fo rces that a re m eas ure d b y the air bag senso rs and se nt to the elec ­
tronic control unit. Some suspension changes can, for example,
increa se the fo rce level s measured by the sen so rs and ma ke the
a irbag syste m dep loy in crash es in which it wou ld not dep loy if the
changes ha d not been made . Othe r kinds of change s may red uce
t he fo rce lev els measu red by the se nso rs a nd preve nt the airba g
from deploying when it should.
T he sens ors i n th e safe ty bel t buc kle for th e driver a nd fr ont
passenger seat tell the electronic control modu le if the safety belt is
l a tc h ed or not. I f th e safe ty belt is being used, the fron t airbag wi ll
deploy at a slight ly h igher rate of vehic le dece leration than if the
sa fe ty be lt is n ot b ein g use d. Therefore, i n a partic ular c ollisi on, it i s -.,

Child Safety -
--------------------''---
child is available. In these exceptional situations, the use of a lap
belt is better 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
abou t 80 lbs (36 kg) and 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

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Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modu les
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieval after an accident or crash event . EDR's
are sometimes called "crash recorders" .
Some state laws restrict the retrieva l or downloading of data stored
by EDR's that were insta lled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped
with a number of electronic control modules for various vehicle systems such as, for example, engine function, emission control, as
well as for the airbags and safety belts.
These electronic control modules also record vehicle-related data during norma l vehicle operation for diagnost ic and repair purposes .
The recording capacity of the electronic control modules is limited
to data (no sound is recorded) and only a small amount of data is
actually recorded over a very limited period of time and stored when
a system fault or other condition is sensed by a control unit. Some
of the data then stored may relate to vehicle speed, direction, braking as well as restraint system use and performance in the
event of a crash or other condition . Stored data can only be read and
down loaded with special equipment .•
Electron ic Stabilizat ion Program (ESP)
General =nformation
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
Fi g. 2 75 C ente r
co nso le w it h ES P
swi tch
ESP is designed to he lp you maintain vehic le control in situations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especia lly when
accelerating and cornering. ESP reduces the risk of skidding and
improves stabil ity under all road conditions .
T he system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system. If the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc­
tions, the ESP wil l also shut down .
How th e sys te m w ork s
The Anti -Lock Brake System (ABS) , Electronic Differential Lock (EDU
and the Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the e lec­
tronic stabi lization program . In addition to the data provided by
these functions, the ESP control unit requires additional measure­ ment data provided by high performance sensors . The rotational
speed of the vehic le about its vertical axis, vehicle acce leration in
the fore-and-aft and lateral directions, the brake pressure and the steering angle are al l measured .

•
The direction in which the driver wishes to travel is determined with
t he aid of the steering angle and vehicle speed and is continua lly
compared with the actual behavior of the vehicle. If the two do not
match, for example, when the vehic le starts hydrop laning on a wet
road, ESP will automatically brake the appropriate whee l to correct
the prob lem.
The vehicle is then stab ilized by the forces acting on the whee l
during braking. If the vehicle is
oversteering (rear tends to skid out
of the turn), the brakes are mainly app lied on the wheel that is on
the outside of the curve. In the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to sl ide out of the curve), the brakes are applied as
needed on the wheel that is on the inside of the curve or additionally
on the other wheels . An acoustic signal indicates when ESP brake
application cuts in
~ & .
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system
~ page 292 . If the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESP will b e out of action as well.
Ac tiva tin g
When you turn on the engine, ESP will automatically be activated
and wil l perform a se lf-tes t. As soon as the test is comp leted, the
system is in norma l operating mode.
Offro ad m ode
ESP should normally be operated in normal mode because this
ensures maximum vehicle stabil ity . If necessary, you can activate
the ESP offroad mode by pressing the button
~ page 288, fig. 275
to obtain maxi mum traction and braking abil ity when dr iving off
paved roads at low speeds . In ESP offroad mode , the ESP indicator
l ight ~
page 19 illuminates and the message E S P Offroad appears
briefly in the display.
The ESP offroad mode can be usefu l in the fo llowing exceptional
s ituat ions when slip or a high ly effective differential locking func ­
tion is desirable. Examples:
• when driv ing with t ire chains,
• when driving in deep snow or on loose ground,
Inte llig ent tec hn olo gy
• when driving on uneven surfaces with the wheels severely
unloaded (articulation), and
• when rocking the vehicle loose after it has become stuck .
When the unusual situation is pas t, you should shift back to the
normal ESP operating mode by pushing the button again. The
message
ESP /A SR on then appears briefly in the display.
Hill d escent contr ol
The hil l descent control is swi tched on in ESP offroad mode . When
s lowly descending steep gradients on loose ground or when the
ax les are a rticulated, h ill descent control provides assistance by
automatically applying the brakes to keep vehicle speed constant.
The vehicle is also rendered easier to steer by se lective distribution
of braking force . Hi ll descent control intervenes when:
• the accelerator pedal is not pressed,
• the veh ic le is trave lling less than 12 mph (20 km/hl,
• a steep gradient is detected,
• whee l behavior indicates loose ground or conditions with poor
adhesion (e .g . also axle articulation).
Hi ll descent control operates both driving forward and in reverse.
Active hill descent contro l is deactivated by pressing the accelerator
pedal until the conditions for activat ion a lready listed are met again .
& WARNING
• The Elect roni c Sta bil izati on Progr am is ne ve rt hele ss subject to
th e law s of phy sics. It is particul arly important to pay attention to
t hi s fa ct on we t and slippery ro ads . It i s therefore i mpo rtant th at
yo u a lw ays adapt your dri vin g to the condition of the ro ad and
traffi c conditions . Do n ot allo w the in cre ased sa fety provided by
the Elect roni c Stabili zation Progr am system to lull you into
ac cepting additional safety r isks.
• Please be aw are th at in ESP offroad mo de, parti cularl y on a
s m ooth and slippery road , the wheel s m ay have an incr eased •
I t •