2009 AUDI Q7 Owner´s Manual

__________________________________________________ A_ i_ r _b _a...; g::- s_ y=--- s_t _e _m __ l!ftlll
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

___ A_ ir_ b_ a-g _ s_y _s_ t_ e_ m _________________________________________________ _
& WARNING (continued)
• 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
If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward-facing
child restraint on the front passenger's seat:
• Always make sure the forward -facing seat has been designed
and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag.
• Never put the forward-facing child restraint up against or very
near the instrument panel.
• Always move the passenger seat into its rearmost position in
the seat's fore and aft adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible, before installing the forward-facing child
restraint . The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
• Make sure that the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignition is switched on. •
Advanced Airbag System components
The front passenger seat in your vehicle has a lot of very important
parts of the Advanced Airbag System in it. These parts include the
weight-sensing mat, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func­
tion of the system in the front passenger seat is checked by the elec ­
tronic control unit when the ignition is on. The control unit monitors
the Advanced Airbag System and turns the airbag indicator light on
when a malfunction in the system components is detected. The
function of the airbag indicator light is described in greater detail below
. Because the front passenger seat contains important parts
of the Advanced Airbag System, you must take care to prevent it
from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the
Advanced Airbag for the front passenger seat from doing its job in
a crash .
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Crash sensors in the front of the vehicle that measure vehicle
acceleration/deceleration to provide information to the Advanced
Airbag System about the severity of the crash.
• An electronic control unit, with integrated crash sensors for front
and side impacts. The control unit "decides" whether to fire the
front airbags based on the information received from the crash
sensors. The control unit also "decides" whether the safety belt
pretensioners should be activated.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
steering wheel hub .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the instrument
panel for the front passenger.
• A weight-sensing mat under the upholstery padding of the front
passenger seat cushion that measures the total weight on the seat.
The information registered is sent continuously to the electronic
control unit to regulate deployment of the front Advanced Airbag on
the passenger side.
• An airbag monitoring system and indicator light in the instru ­
ment cluster ~
page 252.
• The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on in the
center of the instrument panel~
page 253, fig. 253 and tells you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off.
• A sensor below the safety belt latch for the front seat passenger
to measure the tension on the safety belt. The tension on the safety
belt and the weight registered by the weight -sensing mat help the
control unit "decide" whether the front airbag for the front ..

__________________________________________________ A_ i _r_b _a...; g::-- s_ y =--- s_t _e _m __ ffllll
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

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Crash severity depends on speed and deceleration as well as the
mass and stiffness of the vehicle or object involved in the crash.
When the electronic control unit registers a low severity crash and
the safety belt is being used, the airbag will not deploy. If the safety belt is not being used, the first stage deploys, followed by the
second stage after a much later time in the crash sequence.
If the electronic con tro l uni t regis ters a crash of medium severity,
the first stage of the airbag deploys followed by the second stage at
a much later time in the crash sequence -regardless of whether the
safety be lt is being used or not . In higher severity crashes as regis­
tered by the e lectronic contro l unit, both the first and second stages
deploy almost at the same time.
On the passenger side, regardless of safety belt use, the airbag will
be turned off if the weight on the passenger seat is less than the
amount programmed in the electronic contro l unit. The front airbag
on the passenger side will also be turned off if one of the child
safety seats that has been certified under Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 has been recognized on the seat . The
PA SSE NGE R AIR BAG OFF light comes on and stays on to tel l you
when the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger s ide has been
turned off=>
page 243, "Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know".
& WARNING
To reduce the ri sk of injur y when an airb ag infla tes, always wear
saf ety bel ts prop er ly .
• If you are unre str ained , leani ng for ward, sittin g sidew ays or out
o f po sit io n in any wa y, your ri sk of injur y is mu ch hig her.
• You will als o receive seriou s injuries and could even b e kill ed if
y ou are up ag ain st t he a irbag or too clo se to it when it infl ates -
e ven with an Adv anced Airbag =>
page 241 . •
More important things to knovv about front
airbags
Fig . 252 Inf la te d fron t
a ir bags
Safety belts are important to he lp keep front seat occupants in the
proper seated posi tion so that airbags can unfo ld properly and
provide supp lemental protection in a fronta l collision.
The front airbags are designed to provide additional protection for
the chest and face of the driver and the front seat passenger when: • safety be lts are worn proper ly
• the seats have been positioned so that the occupant is properly
seated as far as possible from the airbag
• and the head restraints have been properly adjusted
Because airbags inflate in the blink of an eye with great force, things
you have on your lap or have placed on the seat cou ld become
dangerous projectiles, and be pushed into you if the airbag inflates .
When an airbag deploys, fine dust is released. This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the vehic le. This dust is made up most ly of a
powder used to lubricate the airbags as they deploy. It cou ld irritate
skin.
It is important to remember that while the supplementa l airbag
system is designed to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries, other
injuries, for example swelling, bruising and minor abrasions, can
also happen when airbags inflate . Airbags do not protect the arms ._,

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 system ----------------
& WARNING
(continued)
• Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objects.
Items can also move into the area of the side airbag or the front
airbag during braking or in a sudden maneuver . Objects near the
airbags can become projectiles and cause injury, particularly when
the seat is reclined .
• Never tilt the front passenger seat backrest forward when the
vehicle is moving . An inflating airbag will force the backrest back­
ward and can injure rear seat occupants .
& WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy can cause breathing
problems for people with a history of asthma or other breathing
conditions.
• To reduce the risk of breathing problems, those with asthma or
other respiratory conditions should get fresh air right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening windows or doors.
• If you are in a collision in which airbags deploy, wash your
hands and face with mild soap and water before eating.
• Be careful not to get the dust into your eyes, or into any cuts or
scratches.
• If the residue should get into your eyes, flush them with
water. •
Monitoring the Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light ~
Two separate indicators monitor the function of the
Advanced Airbag System: the airbag monitoring indicator
light and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the electronic control unit,
sensor circuits and system wiring) is monitored continuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly whenever the ignition is on.
Each time you turn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring indicator
light
ffl. will come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The system must be inspected when the indicator light ~:
• does not come on when the ignition is switched on
• does not go out a few seconds after you have switched on the
ignition, or
• comes on while driving
If an airbag system malfunction is detected, the indicator light will
first start flashing to catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder to have the system
inspected immediately .
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front airbag on the passenger
side off, the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on
whenever the ignition is on.
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on, it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System. It is .,._

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

IIIIIL..__:A:....:..:.; ir:....: b=-= a~g !....:: s:.!y :....:s:..: t:..: e:..: m:...:....:... ________________________________________________ _
• make sur e th at th ings that ma y increase th e weigh t of th e child
a nd child saf ety sea t are not b eing tran spo rted on the fr ont
passen ger seat;
• m ake su re t hat th e sa fet y belt ten sio n se ns or is not block ed.
Sha ke the safety belt latch on th e front pass enger seat bac k and
fo rth;
• If a stra p or tether is being used to t ie the chi ld safety seat to the
fr ont passe ng er se at, m ake sure th at it i s not s o tigh t th at it causes
the weig ht-sensing mat to measure more weight than is actual ly on
th e seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still does not come on and does
not stay on continuous ly (when the ignition is switched on),
• t ake the child r estr aint off the fr ont passe ng er seat a nd ins ta ll it
properly at one of the r ear seat pos it ions . Have th e airbag syst em
ins pect ed by y our au thorized Audi d ea ler im med iatel y.
• move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make sure that the
c hild is pro pe rly r estrai ned in a c hild restrai nt th at i s app rop riat e fo r
its size and age .
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l igh t sho uld NOT co me o n whe n the
ignition is on and an adult is sitt ing in a proper seating position on
t h e front pa ssenge r seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
co me s on and stays o n or fl ash es for about 5 seco nds whi le d riving,
under these ci rcumstances, make sure that:
• the adult on the front pass enger s eat i s pro perly s eate d o n the
center of the seat cushion with his or her back up against the back ­
r e st and the backrest is not rec lined => page
222, "Prope r occup ant
seating positions",
• t he ad ult i s not t aki ng w eight off t he seat b y ho ldi ng on to the
passenger assist hand le above the front passenger door or
s up porting their w eigh t on the arm res t,
• the safety be lt is be ing proper ly worn and that there is not a lot
o f sla c k in th e sa fet y belt webbin g,
• accessory seat covers or cushions or other things that ma y cause
an incorr ect rea ding o r impressi on on the w eig ht-s en sing mat under the upho
lstery of the seat have been removed from the front
p assenge r sea t,
• a safety belt extende r has not been left in the safety belt latch for
th e fro nt passenger s eat.
I n addition to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of the
instr ument pane l, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will briefly appear in the inst rument c luster
display . Thi s is to info rm the driver of t he cur rent front passenge r
airbag status. •
Important safety instructions on monitoring
the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning properly cannot provide
supplemental protection in a frontal crash.
• If the airbag indicator light comes on , it means that there may
be something wrong with the Advanced Airbag System. It is
possible that the airbag will inflate when it is not supposed to , or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the airbag system inspected immediately by your autho ­
rized Audi dealer.
& WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child without a child restraint, or in a
rearward-facing child safety seat , or in a forward-facing child
restraint that has not been properly installed will be seriously
injured and can be killed.
• Even though your vehicle is equipped with an Advanced Airbag
System , make certain that all children, especially 12 years and
younger , always ride on the back seat properly restrained for their
age and size. .,,_