2011 AUDI Q7 technical data

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- Adjust the head restraints 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 restraint so that it is as close to this
position as possible=:> fig. 187.
- If there are passengers in rear seat, fold the head
restraints up on the occupied seats or slide the center
head restraint upward at least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints=> page 92.
& WARNING
Driving without head restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of serious or fatal neck
injury dramatically. To help reduce the risk of injury:
• Always drive with the head restraints in place and properly
adjusted.
• Every person in the vehicle must have a properly adjusted head
restraint.
• Always make sure each person in the vehicle properly adjusts
their head restraint. Adjust the head restraints 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 restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible.
• Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you
have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any reason,
first stop the vehicle safely before attempting to adjust the head restraint.
• Children must always be properly restrained in a child restraint
that is appropriate for their age and size=>
page 233. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant
restraint system can only reduce the risk of
injury if vehicle occupants are properly seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious injury or death.
Safety belts can only work when they are properly positioned
on the body. Improper seating positions reduce the effective­
ness 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 proper seating position. A
driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occupants
and especially for children . Therefore:
- Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect seating posi-
tion when the vehicle is being used=:>&.
The following bulletins list only some sample positions that will
increase the risk of serious injury and death . Our hope is that these
examples will make you more aware of seating positions that are
dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
• never stand up in the vehicle
• never stand on the seats
• never kneel on the seats
• never ride with the seatback reclined
• never lie down on the rear seat
• never lean up against the instrument panel
• never sit on the edge of the seat
• never sit sideways
• never lean out the window
• never put your feet out the window
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (continued)
• Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings on top
of already installed floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
coverings will reduce the size of the pedal area and interfere with
the pedals.
• Always properly reinstall and secure floor mats that have been
taken out for cleaning.
• Always make sure that objects cannot fall into the driver foot­
well while the vehicle is moving. Objects can become trapped
under the brake pedal and accelerator pedal causing a loss of
vehicle control. •
Stowing luggage
Loading the Luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly stowed
and secured in the luggage compartment.
Fig. 188 Safe load
positioning: place
heavy objects as low
and as far forward as
possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can shift suddenly ,
changing vehicle handling characteristics. Loose items can
also increase the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle maneuver or in a collision .
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Distribute the load evenly in the luggage compartment.
- Always place and properly secure heavy items in the
luggage compartment as low and as far forward as
possible => fig. 188.
- Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided=>
page 97.
- Make sure that the rear seatback is securely latched in
place .
& 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.
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

& WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to secure items to tie­
downs can fail during hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
• Always use suitable mounting straps and properly secure items
to the tie-downs in the luggage compartment to help prevent
items from shifting or flying forward as dangerous missiles.
• When the rear seat backrest is folded down, always use suit­
able mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs
in the luggage compartment to help prevent items from flying
forward as dangerous missiles into the passenger compartment.
• Never attach a child safety seat tether strap to a tie-down. •
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you believe that your vehicle has a defect
which could cause a crash or could cause injury or death, you should immediately inform the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) in addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints, it may
open an investigation, and if it finds that a
safety defects exists in a group of vehicles, it may order a recall and remedy campaign.
However, NHTSA cannot become involved in
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Driving Safely
-
individual problems between you, your dealer,
or Audi of America, Inc.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the Vehicle
Safety Hotline toll-free at:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153) or write to:
Administrator NHTSA 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590
You can also obtain other information about motor vehicle safety from:
http:/ /www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
Canadian customers who wish to report a
safety-related defect to Transport Canada,
Defect Investigations and Recalls, may tele­
phone the toll free hotline:
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or
Tel.: 1-613-998-8616 if you are in the Ottawa area
TTY for hearing impaired: 1-888-675-6863
email comments/questions to: [email protected] ..,
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are necessary, how
they work and how to adjust and wear them correctly.
- Read all the information that follows and heed all of the
instructions and WARNINGS.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• 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.
• Pregnant women, injured, or physically impaired persons must
also use safety belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not wear safety belts. The
best way to protect a fetus is to protect the mother - throughout
the entire pregnancy. •
Number of seats
Vehicles with five seats: Your vehicle has two front seats and three
rear seats. Each seating position has a safety belt.
Vehicles with six seats:* Your vehicle has two front seats, two seats
in the second row and two seats in the third row. Each seating posi­
tion has a safety belt.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation Vehicles with
seven seats:* Your vehicles has two front seats, three
seats in the second row and two seats in the third row . Each seating
position has a safety belt.
& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them improperly increases
the risk of serious personal injury and death.
• Never strap more than one person, including small children,
into any belt. It is especially dangerous to place a safety belt over
a child sitting on your lap.
• Never let more people ride in the vehicle than there are safety
belts available.
• Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is properly restrained
with a separate safety belt or child restraint. •
Safety belt warning light l
Your vehicle hos a warning system for the driver and front
seat passenger (on USA models only) to remind you about the importance of buckling-up.
Vehicle care
Fig. 189 Safety belt
warning light in the
instrument cluster·
enlarged ...
Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Because the passengers of this vehicle are not using safety belts
=> page 202, fig. 190, they will keep moving at the same speed the
vehicle was moving just before the crash, until something stops them
- here, the wall =>
page 202, fig. 191.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a vehicle that is
involved in a frontal collision. Even at city speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30
to SO km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000
lbs. or 1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are even
higher .
People who do not use safety belts are also not attached to their
vehicle. In a frontal collision they will also keep moving forward at
the speed their vehicle was travelling just before the crash . Of course,
the laws of physics don't just apply to frontal collisions, they deter­
mine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions.•
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop themselves
from flying forward and being injured or killed. Always
wear your safety belts!
Safety first
Fig. 192 A driver not
wearing a safety belt is violently thrown
forward
Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Fig. 193 A rear
passenger not wearing
a safety belt will fly
forward and strike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to resist the tremendous forces of
impact by holding tight or bracing themselves. Without the benefit
of safety restraint systems, the unrestrained occupant will slam
violently into the steering wheel, instrument panel, windshield, or
whatever else is in the way=> fig. 192. This impact with the vehicle
interior has all the energy they had just before the crash.
Never rely on airbags alone for protection. Even when they deploy,
airbags provide only additional protection. Airbags are not supposed
to deploy in all kinds of accidents. Although your Audi is equipped
with airbags, all vehicle occupants, including the driver, must wear safety belts correctly in order to minimize the risk of severe injury or
death in a crash.
Remember too, that airbags will deploy only once and that your
safety belts are always there to offer protection in those accidents in
which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed. Unbelted occupants can also be thrown out of the vehicle
where even more severe or fatal injuries can occur.
It is also important for the rear passengers to wear safety belts
correctly. Unbelted passengers in the rear seats endanger not only
themselves but also the driver and other passengers=> fig . 193. In a
frontal collision they will be thrown forward violently, where they can
hit and injure the driver and/or front seat passenger. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

& WARNING (continued)
• 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 vehicle is moving. Doing
so will increase your risk of being 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 damaged by being caught
in door or seat hardware.
• Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt under your arm or
otherwise out of position .
• Several layers of heavy clothing may interfere 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 latching securely.
• Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the
shoulder belt. However, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint systems.
• Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and damaged belt hard­
ware can break in an accident. Inspect belts regularly. If webbing, bindings, buckles, or retractors are damaged, have belts replaced
by an authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
• 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. Replacement 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.
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
& WARNING (continued)
• Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly
and can impair the function of the inertia reel=>
page 289,
"Safety belts". •
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 195 Belt buckle
and tongue on the
driver's seat
To provide maximum protection , safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint properly
=>
page 85 , "General recommendations" .
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt =>& .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=>& . _,.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

& WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can cause serious personal
injury in an accident. • The shoulder belt portion of the safety belt must be positioned
over the middle of the occupant's shoulder and never across the
neck or throat.
• The safety belt must lie flat and snug on the occupant's upper
body => fig. 196. 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 abdomen. Make
sure the belt lies flat and snug =>
page 206, fig. 196. Pull on the
belt to tighten if necessary.
• A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious injuries by shifting
its position on your body from the strong bones to more vulner­
able, soft tissue and cause serious injury.
• Always read and heed all WARNINGS and other important
information =>
page 204. •
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Safety belts
Pregnant women mus.t also be c:orrectly
restra ined
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure that
expectant mothers always wear safety belts correctly -
throughout the pregnancy.
Fig. 197 Safety belt
position during preg ­
nancy
To provide maximum protection , safety belts must always be
positioned correctly on the wearer's body=>
page 206.
- Adjust the front seat and head restraint correctly
=>
page 85, "General recommendations".
- Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is in an
upright position and securely latched in place before using
the belt .
- Hold the belt by the tongue and pull it evenly across the
chest and pelvis=> fig. 197 , =>
/1 .
- Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of your seat until
you hear it latch securely=>
page 205, fig. 195.
- Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely latched in
the buckle.
IJ),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

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[I) Tips
• T he shoulder belt part shou ld route approximate ly over the
middle of your shoulder -under no circumstances shou ld it route over
you r neck a nd throat area~
& in "Safety belt position" on page 206 .
• 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
nes.
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
ris k 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 str ikes an occupant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion. A driver is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­ pants and especially for children. Therefore:
- Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect sitting posi­
tion in the vehicle while traveling
~ & .
& WARNING
Impr ope rly w orn safet y belts inc re a se the ris k of se rious pe rsonal
injur y and de ath when ever a vehi cle i s bei ng u sed.
• Alw ay s m ake sure th at all vehicle occup ants are corre ctl y
r es trained an d stay in a correct seating po sition wh enever the
ve hicle is being used.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
& WA
RNING (continu ed)
• Alw ays re ad and heed all WARNINGS and o ther imp ort ant
information ~
page 204. •
Safety belt pretensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear -end collisions above a particular
severity and in a rollover, safety belts ore tensioned auto­ matically.
The safety belts are equ ipped with safety belt pretensioners. The
system is activated by sensors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great sever ity and in a rollove r. This tightens the belt and takes up
belt slack ~
& in "Service and disposal of safety belt pretens ioner"
on
page 210. Ta king up the slack helps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
0 Note
Never let the belt rema in over a rear seatback that has been folded
forward .
[ i ] Tips
Th e safety belt pretensioner can only be activated once .
• In m inor fronta l and side collisions, in rear-end coll isions and in
acc idents involving very little impact force, the safety belt preten­
sioner are not activated.
• Whe n the safety belt p retensioners are activated, a fine dust is
re leased. This is normal and is not caused by a fire in the vehicle.
• T he relevant safety requirements must be observed when the
vehicle or components of the system are s crapped. An authori zed
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data