2009 AUDI Q7 service

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[ i] Tips
• The shoulder belt part should route approximately over the
middle of your shoulder -under no circumstances should it route
over your neck and throat area~
& in "Safety belt position" on
page 236.
• With the front seats, the height adjustment of the seat can also
be used to adjust the position of the safety belts. •
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause severe inju­
ries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause serious injury or
death. Safety belts can only work when they are correctly
positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the
risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to critical
areas of the body. Improper seating positions also increase
the risk of serious injury and death when an airbag deploys
and strikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating
position. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle
occupants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi­
tion in the vehicle while traveling~&.
& WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants are correctly
restrained and stay in a correct seating position whenever the
vehicle is being used.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WARNING
(continued)
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important infor­
mation
~ page 234. •
Safety be lt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a particular
severity and in a rollover, safety belts are tensioned auto ­
matically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt pretensioners . The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rear -end collisions
of great severity and in a rollover. This tightens the belt and takes up
belt slack ~
& in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretensioner"
on
page 240. Taking up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
0 Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat back that has been folded
forward.
[ i] Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once.
• In minor frontal and side collisions, in rear -end collisions and in
accidents involving very little impact force, the safety belt preten ­
sioner are not activated .
• When the safety belt pretensioners are activated, a fine dust is
released . This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle .
• The relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehicle or components of the system are scrapped. An authorized ._
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Audi dealer or qualified workshop is familiar with these regulations
and wil l be p leased to pass on the information to you .
• Be sure to observe all safety, environmental and other regu la ­
tions if the vehicle or ind ividual parts o f the system, particu lar ly the
safety belt or airbag, are to be disposed . We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer pe rform this se rvice for you. •
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pretensioners are parts of the safety belts on your
Audi. Installing, removing, servicing or repair ing of belt preten ­
s ioners can damage the safety belt system and prevent it from
working correctly in a collision.
There a re some important th ings you have to know to ma ke sure
that the effectiveness of the system will not be impaired and that discarded components do not cause inju ry or po llute t he environ ­
ment.
& WARNING
Improper care , ser vici ng and repair pro cedu re s c an incre ase the
ri sk of per sonal injury and death by preventing a safety belt
p rete nsioner from a ctivating when needed or a cti vating it une x­
pectedly:
• The belt preten sioner sy stem can be a ctivated only on ce . If belt
preten sioner s have been act ivated , the system must be repla ced.
• Ne ver r epair , adju st, or cha nge any parts of the safety belt
s ystem .
• S afety belt systems in cluding safet y belt preten sioners c annot
be repaired . Special pro cedures are required for removal , in stalla ­
tion and di spo sal of th is sy stem .
• Fo r any work on the safety belt system , we strongly recom ­
me nd th at you see your author iz ed Audi de aler or qu alified te chni-
& W ARN ING (continued )
cian who has an Audi approved repair m anual , train ing and spe cial
equipment nece ssary .
Undeployed airbag modules and prete nsioners might be c lassified
as Perchlorate Material -specia l handling may apply , see
www .dtsc.ca .gov/ha zardouswaste/perchlora te . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modu les safety belts
with p re tens ioners a re sc rapped, all applicab le laws and regu la ­
tions must be observed. Your author ized Audi dealer is familiar with
t hese requi rements and we recommend tha t you have your dealer
perform th is service for you. •

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Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=>
page 222,
-Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 93,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 234,
- Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children =>
page 263.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force . The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. There ­
fore in order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as
a driver and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =>
page 222, "Proper occupant seating positions". For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 93.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=>
page 263.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system .
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or
condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat
with the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, or if
you have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-
822 -2834 for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the
airbags, break open the padded covers, and inflate between the
steering wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel
and the front passenger. The airbags will deflate immediately after
deployment so that the front occupants can see through the wind ­
shield again without interruption .
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy. Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement .
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside of the vehicle while reducing the
forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help
to reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash.
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal collisions. The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration
rate caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control
unit. If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the
control unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car
may be badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehicle damage,
9J),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Child restraints on the front seat -some
important things to know
- Be sure to read the important information and heed the
WARNINGS for important details about children and
Advanced Airbags :=>
page 263.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System, make certain that all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, always ride in the back seat properly restrained for their age and size . The airbag on the passenger side makes the front seat
a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride . The front seat is not
the safest place for a child in a forward -facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a child in a rearward ­
facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle has been certified to
comply with the requirements of United States Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time your vehicle
was manufactured.
The Standard requires the front airbag on the passenger side to be
turned off ("suppressed") if a child up to about one year of age
restrained 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 has been installed on the front passenger seat. For a listing of the child
restraints that were used to certify compliance with the US Safety
Standard =>
page 265.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the instrument panel tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a few seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
will stay on if there is a small child or child restraint on the front
passenger seat
• will go off if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat=>
page 252, "Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System" .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the control unit
detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that requires the
front airbag to be turned off.
If the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that of
a typical 1 year-old child but less than the weight of a small adult,
the front airbag on the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on). If the PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electronic control unit and can
deploy if the control unit senses an impact that meets the condi­
tions stored in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
• a small child that is heavier than a typical 1 year -old child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child safety seats listed=>
page 265), or
• a child who has outgrown child restraints is on the front
passenger seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on in the instrument cluster and stays on.
The front airbag on the passenger side may
not deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) even
if a small adult or teenager, or a passenger who is not sitting upright
with their back against a non-reclined backrest with their feet on the
vehicle floor in front of the seat is on the front passenger seat
=>
page 222, "Proper seating position for the driver".
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag to meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to reduce the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag . "Low risk" deploy­
ment occurs in those crashes that take place at lower decelerations
I),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Whe n a person is detected on the front passenger seat, weighing
more than the to tal weight of a child t hat is about 1 year old
restrained in one of the rear-facing or forward -facing infant
restraints (listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified), the front airbag on the passenger side may or may not deploy .
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when the e lectronic
control unit detects a total weight on the front passenger seat that
requires the front a irbag to be turned off . If the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
O FF
light does not come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been tu rned off by the contro l u nit and can dep loy if the
control unit senses an impact that meets the conditions stored in its
memory .
I f the total weight on the front passenger seat is more than that o f
a typical
1 year -old, but less than the we ight of a small adult, the
front airbag on the passenger side may dep loy (the
PA SS ENGER AIR
BAG OFF
l ight does not come on).
For example , the airbag may deploy if :
• a small ch ild that is heavier than a typ ical 1 year-o ld child is on
the front passenger seat (regardless of whether the child is in one
of the child sa fety seats listed ~ page 265),
• a child who has outgrown child res traints is on the front
passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
O FF
light in the cen ter of the instrument panel wi ll co me on and stay
on .
T he front airbag on the passenge r side may
not deploy (the
PASS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not illuminate and stay lit) if:
• a small adult or teenager is on the front passenger seat
• a passenger who is not sitting upright with their back against a
non -reclined backrest with their feet on the vehicle floor in front of
the seat is on the front passenger seat.
I f the front passenger airbag dep loys, the Federal Standard requires
the airbag t o meet the "low risk" deployment criteria to help reduce
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation the risk of injury through interaction with the airbag
. "Low risk"
dep loyment occurs in those crashes that ta ke place at l ower decel ­
erations as defined in the electronic contro l unit .~ page 252
Al way s remembe r: Even though your vehicle is equipped with
Advanced Airbags, the safes t place for chi ldren is properly
restrained on the back seat. Please be sure to read the important
informat ion in t he sections tha t follow a nd be sure to heed a ll of the
WARNINGS.
& WARNING
To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates , always wear
s afety belts prope rly.
• If you are unrestrained , leaning forward , sitt ing s ideways or out
of position in any w ay, your risk of injury i s mu ch higher .
• You will al so receive se riou s injurie s and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too clo se t o it when it inflate s -
even with an Advanced Airbag=> page 241 .
& WARNING
A child in a rearward -facing child safety seat in stalled on the front
pa ssenge r seat will be ser iou sly injured and can be killed if the
front airb ag inflate s -even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• Although the Advan ced Airbag S ystem in your vehicle is
de signed to turn off the front airbag when a rearward -fa cing child
restraint h as been in stalled on the front pa ssenger seat , nobod y
c an ab solutely guarantee that deployment i s impo ssible in all
c onceivable situations that may happen during the useful life of
your vehicle .
• The inflating airbag will hit the ch ild s afety seat or inf ant
c arrier with great force and will smash the chi ld safety seat and
c hild ag ain st the ba ckre st, center a rm re st, door , or roof .
• Always in stall rearward -fa cing child restraints on the rear seat ....
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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passeng er seat shou ld be turn ed off or not~ page 243 , "Ch ild
restr aint s o n the fro nt seat - some impor tant thin gs to know".
• A sensor in the safety belt latch fo r the d rive r and for the front
s e at pass enger th at s enses wh ether th at safe ty belt i s la tch ed o r not
and transmits this information to the e lectronic contro l unit.
& WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can prevent the front airbag
from working properly .
• Improper repair or disassembly of the front passenger and
driver seat will prevent the Advanced Airbag System from func ­
tioning properly .
• Repairs to the front passenger seat must be performed by qual ­
ified and properly trained workshop personnel .
• Never remove the front passenger or driver seat from the
vehicle.
• Never remove the upholstery from the front passenger seat .
• Never disassemble or remove parts from the seat or disconnect
wires from it.
• Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or place them on the
seat . If the weight-sensing mat in the passenger seat is punctured
it cannot work properly.
• Never carry things on your lap or carry objects on the
passenger seat . Such items can increase the weight registered by
the weight-sensing mat and send the wrong information to the
airbag control unit .
• Never store items under the front passenger seat . Parts of the
Advanced Airbag System under the passenger seat could be damaged , preventing them and the airbag system from working
properly.
• Never place seat covers or replacement upholstery that have
not been specifically approved by Audi on the front seats.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING (continued)
• Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Airbag System from
recognizing child restraints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat backrest from
deploying properly.
• Never use cushions, pillows, blankets or similar items on the
front passenger seat. The additional padding will prevent the
weight-sensing mat in the seat from accurately registering the
child restraint or person on the seat and prevent the Advanced
Airbag System from functioning properly .
• If you must use a child restraint on the front passenger seat
and the child restraint manufa cturer's instructions require the use
of a towel , foam cushion or something else to properly position
the child restraint, make certain that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever the child restraint is
installed on the front passenger seat.
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay
on , immediately install child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .•
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advance d Airbag System and the si de ai rbags s upple m ent
the p rotection offe red by the front thre e-point safety belts with
p retensioner s and load limiters and the adjustable head restraints
to hel p re d uc e th e ris k o f inj ury i n a w ide ra nge o f accid ent a nd
crash situations. Be s ure to read the important info rmation about
saf ety an d hee d the WARNI NGS in thi s c hap ter.
De ployment of th e Advanc ed Airbag System and the activation of
t he sa fe ty be lt pretensi oners de pend on the de ce lerat io n m easur ed
by the crash sensors and registered by the el ectronic control unit. _,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag system -----------------=---=---
or the lower parts of the body. Front airbags suppl em ent the three ­
poi nt s afet y be lts o nly in s ome fro ntal c oll isi ons i n whi ch the v ehicl e
deceleration is hi gh enough to d eploy the airbags .
Front airbags will not deploy:
• if the ignition is switched off when a crash occurs
• i n sid e collisi ons
• i n rea r- e nd collisi ons
• in ro llovers
• when the cras h de celer ation me asured b y th e a ir bag sy ste m i s
less than the minimum threshold nee ded for airbag dep loyment as
r egi stere d by t he ele ctronic control un it
The front passenger airbag also will not deploy :
• when the front p assenger s eat i s not o cc up ied
• whe n the weig ht on th e front pass enger seat as se nsed by t he
Adva nced A irb ag System indi cate s that the fr ont airba g on the
p as se n ge r side h as to be turned off b y the e lectronic cont rol unit
(the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ig ht co me s on and stays on )
& WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase the risk of serious injury
in crashes .
• To reduce the risk of injury when the airbags inflate , the driver
and passengers must always sit in an upright position , must not
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located .
• Occupants 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
~ page 243.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
& WARNING
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 install rear-facing child safety seats on the rear seat .
• If you must install a rearward -facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances and
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 .
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in crease the risk of injury
in a crash by interfering with the way the airbag unfolds or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates .
• Never hold things in your hands or on your lap when the vehicle
is in use.
• Never transport items on or in the area of the front passenger
seat. Objects could move into the area of the front airbags during
braking or other sudden maneuvers and become dangerous
projectiles that can cause serious personal injury if the airbags
inflate .
• Never place or attach accessories or other objects (such as
cupholders , telephone brackets, large, heavy or bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering
wheel , instrument panel , seat backrests or between those areas
and yourself . These objects could cause injury in a crash , espe-
cially when the airbags inflate . ...
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Airbag syst em -----------------=~-
& WARN ING (co ntinued)
po ssib le th at the airb ag will inf late wh en it is not suppo sed to , or
will not inflate when it should.
• Hav e the air bag sy stem in spe cted immedi ate ly by y our autho­
ri zed Audi de aler. •
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 253 S ecti on from
t he in strum ent pan el:
PA SS ENGER A IR B AG
OFF light
The PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light is located in the center o f the
instrument pane l
~ fig. 253.
The
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light wil l come on and stay on to tel l
you when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has
been turned off by the electronic control unit. Each time you turn on
the ignition, the
PA SS ENGER AIR B AG OFF light wi ll flash for a few
seconds and:
• will stay on if the front passenger seat is not occupied
• will stay on if there is a small child or chi ld restraint on the front
passenger seat
• will go out if the front passenger seat is occupied by an adult as
registered by the weight-sensing mat
T he
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light mu st co me on and sta y on if the
ign ition is on and
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first
Vehicle operation
• a car bed has been installed on the front seat. or
• a rearward-facing chi ld restraint has been insta lled on the front
passenger seat, or
• a forward-facing child restraint has been insta lled on the front
passenger seat, or
• the weight registered on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined weight of a typica l 1 year -old restrained in
one of the rear-fac ing or forward -facing in fant restraints listed in
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which the Advanced
Airbag System in your vehicle was certified .
I f the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag will not
deploy, and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll stay on. Never
install a rearward-facing child restraint on the front passenger seat,
the safest place for a child in any kind of child restraint is at one of
the seating positions on the rear seat~
page 243, "Child restraints
on the front seat -some important things to know" and~
page 263,
"Chi ld Safety".
If the PAS SEN GER AIR BAG OFF light come s on when one of the
conditions lis ted above is me t, be sure to check the ligh t regu lar ly
to make certain that the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF light stays on
continuously whenever the ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not appear on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as i t is safe to do so and
• react ivate the system by turning the ignition of f and then turning
it on again;
• remove and reinstall the child restraint. Make sure that the ch ild
restraint is properly installed and that the safety belt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed through the chi ld restra int
as described in the child restraint manufacturer's instructions;
• make sure that the convertible locking feature on the safety belt
for the front passenger seat has been activated and that the safety
belt has been pulled tight. The belt must not be loose or have loops
of slack so that the sensor be low the safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job~
page 273. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data