2011 AUDI Q7 Position sensor

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when usin g a retrofitted tow ing hitc h that was not installed
acc ording to factory speci ficati ons. •
Applies to vehicles: w ith sid e assis t
Safety tips
T he s ide assist detect ion may be limited w hen driving aro und narrow
st reet corners, on hilly st ree ts, and un der poo r wea the r condit ions.
It is possible that the radar sensors may also detect o ther objects,
such as high or staggered g ua rdrails .
S ide assi st does not me asure actual lane wid th. The sy stem assume s
a fixed lane w idt h. Detection in the left and right lanes is based on
t his assumed lane wid th. W hen drivi ng o n nar row ro ads o r whe n
dr iving to the left o r right of the center of a travel lane, it is possib le
that vehicles will be detected that are
not i n the lane next to the lane
you a re us ing.
& WARNING
• Improper reliance on the side assist system can cause collisions
and serious personal injury:
-Never rely only on side assist when changing lanes.
- Always che ck rear view mirrors to make sure that it is safe to
change lanes.
• Side as sist cannot detect all vehicles under all conditions­
danger of accident!
• Side assi st cannot detect vehicle s in time to alert you when
they approach from behind at very high speed, or fall drop back
very quickly.
• The radar sensor's
vision can be reduced or entirely blocked by
rain , snow , and heavy spray. This can result in side assi st not
adequately detecting vehicles or , in some cases, not detecting
them at all. Alway s keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle .
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Please note that side assist indicates there are approaching
vehicles, or vehicles in your blind spot, only after your vehicle has reached a driving speed of at least 19 mph (30 km/h).
• Side assist signal does not work around tight corners (turning
radius less than 328 feet , or 100 m).
• Side assist is no replacement for the driver's full attention. The
driver alone i s responsible for lane changes and similar driving
maneuvers . Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling
and the relevant area around the vehicle.
0 Note
T o ensure that s ide ass ist is not a dversely affected, yo u should not
bloc k the ar ea on the rear bumper w he re the radar sensors are
locate d w it h foreign objects (such as w it h sticke rs or b icycle racks).
[ i ] Tips
If the positions o f the radar sensors have been c hanged as a result of
a r ear end -colli sion, fo r instan ce, h ave side assis t che cked b y an
author ized Audi dea ler for safety reasons. •

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The closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter the interval between
t he audible s ignals. A contin uous tone sounds whe n the obstacle is
less than approximately 1 foot (0 .30 meters) away . Do not co ntin ue
driving farther.
If the distance to an obstacle remains constant, the volume of the
distance warning gradually drops after about four seconds (this does
no t a pply in the co nti nuous to ne range).
Rear view camer a coverage area
The MMI display shows the area covered by the rear v iew camera
=.> page 171, fig . 171 (D . Objects that are not in the area covered@
are not shown on the M MI display.
We recommend that you practice parking with the rear v iew camera
in a traff ic -free location o r parki ng lo t to become fam iliar wi th t he
system, the orientation lines, and the ir funct ion . When do ing th is,
there should be good lig ht and weather cond itions.
In the MM I disp lay, objects o r vehicles appea r closer or fu rther away
if:
• you are dr iv ing in r everse gea r from a level surface onto an incline,
or a downwa rd slope,
• you a re driving i n reve rse gear toward p rot ruding objec ts,
• the vehicle is carry ing too much load in the rear.
T he accur acy of the or ien tat io n lines and blue su rf a ces dimin ishes if:
• the Adaptive Air Suspens ion* is faulty or the dynamic, offroad or
lift mode is on,
• the rear view camera does not prov ide a reliable image, for
example, in poor visib ility conditions or if the lens is dirty,
• the image on the screen is not visible due to sun g lare and ref lec­
ti on .
Caring for the rear view camera lens
The rear view came ra is lo cated above the rea r license plate bracke t.
For the parking system to ope rate, the lens=>
page 171, fig. 172
must be kept clean: •
Dampen the lens with a househo ld alcoho l-based glass cleaner,
and then wipe the lens clean with a dry cloth =>
CD.
• Remove snow with a hand brush and ice preferably with a de-ic ing
spray =>
CD.
& WARNING
• The parking sy stem cannot replace the dri ver's attention . The
d river alone i s respo nsible for p arking and sim ila r dri ving maneu­
ver s.
• Sensor s hav e blind spots in which objects cannot be detected.
Pa y s peci al att ention to small children and animal s beca u se the
sen so rs cannot al ways detect them.
• Alway s keep your e yes on the v ehicle's surr ound ing s, u sing the
r ear view mirror as well.
• Do not all ow your self to be distract ed from traffic by the r ear
v iew camera pictu res .
• If the position and the installation angle of th e camera has
changed , for e xample, after a rear end colli sion, do not continu e
to use th e system for safety r ea son s. Hav e it check ed by a qualified
deale rship.
0 Note
• Low obstacles a lready signaled by a warning can disappear from
the system's detection range as they are approached and will not
continue to be signaled . Objects such as barrier chains, trai ler draw
bars, th in pa inted vertical po les or fences may not be detec ted by the
system, posing risk of damage.
• Never use warm or hot water to remove snow or ice from the rear
view camera lens -this co uld cause the lens to crack!
• When cleaning the lens , never use products that are abrasive .•

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- Back into the parking spot until the blue c urve touches t he
curb==>
page 175, fig. 178 . Stop the vehicle .
- With t he vehicle stopped, turn the steeri ng whee l to the
left as far as it wi ll go.
- Continue to back into the parking spot until the vehicle is
parked paralle l to the curb.@ marks the rear bumper .
Stop the vehic le w hen t he re d orientation line© borders
an object ==>& . Ke ~ an eye on the fro nt o f your ve hicle
whi le doing this==><.!).
Parking next to ob stacles
When there is an obstacle (such as a wall) next to the parking spot,
choose a spo t w it h more space on the sides. Position t he long side of
the blue area so that there is sufficient space from the curb. The area
must not be on the curb. You will also need to star t turning the
steer ing wheel much earlier. There should be a suff icie nt amount of
space between the c urb and the b lue c urve, and t he b lue c urve
=> page 175, fig . 178 must not touch the curb .
& WARNING
• The rear view camer a does not show the entire area beh ind the
vehicle =>
page 171, fig. 171 . Watch out e specially for small chil­
dr en and animals. The rear view camera cannot always detect
them, p osing ri sk of an ac cident!
• Please note that object s not touching the g round can appear to
be further away than th ey r eally are (for example, the bumper of
a parked vehicle, a trailer hitch, or th e rear of a t ruck) . In this case,
you should not us e the help line s to h elp with parking , which
po se s danger of an accid ent !
0 Note
In the MMI display, the direct io n of travel of the vehicle rea r is rep re ­
sented depending on the steering wheel angle . The vehicle front sw
ings out more than the vehicle rear . Maintain plenty of d istance so
t ha t your ou tside mirror or a corner of your vehicle does no t collide
w ith any obstacles . This can damage to you r vehicle.
(I] Tips
The left or right or ientation lines and surfaces w ill be displayed,
depending on the turn signa l being used. •
Applies to vehicles: w it h rear park ass ist/pa rking sys tem advance d
Adjusting the display and warning
tones
T he display * and warning tones can be adjusted in the
fv1 fv1I.
- Select: Function but ton [CAR ]> System s*> Parking
system.
Displ ay*
• Off -when the parking system is switched off, only audible signals
are g iven .
• On -when the parking system is switched on, either the visual
display o r the picture from the rear v iew c amera is displayed.
Warning tones
• Front volume * -front sensor vol ume
• Front frequen cy * -front sensor frequency
• Rear volume -rear sensor vo lume
• Rear frequenc y-rear senso r freq uency
• In-car entertainment fader -when the parking system is switched
on, the vol ume of t he active audio source is lowered.
The newly adjusted va lue is briefly heard from the signal generator . .,

_____________________________________________ S_a _f _e _t _y _b_ e_lt _ s __ _
[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

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& WARNING (conti nued)
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not come on and stay on,
immediately ins tall 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 come s on
and stays on all the time whenever the ignit ion is switched on .•
Advanced Airbag System components
T he front passenger seat in your veh icle has a lot of very important
parts o f the Advanced A irba g System in it. These parts incl ude t he
we igh t-sens ing ma t, sensors, wiring, brackets, and more. The func­
t ion o f th e sys tem in the fron t passenger sea t is chec ked by the elec ­
tron ic control unit w hen the ignit ion is on . The contro l u ni t mo nitors
the Advanced Airbag System and tu rns the airbag indicator light on
w hen a malfunct ion in t he system components is de tected. The func­
tion of the a irbag indicator light is descr ibed in greater detail below.
Be cau se the fr ont p assenge r se at con tain s im po rt an t p arts of th e
Advanced Airbag System, you m ust take care to prevent it from being damaged. Damage to the seat may prevent the Advanced A
irbag for
t he fro nt passenge r se at from do ing its job in a cr ash.
The front Advanced Airbag System consists of the
following:
• Cras h sensors in the front of t he veh icle that measure vehicle
a cc ele ra tion/de ce le ra tion to prov ide i nform ation to the Adv ance d
Airbag System about the severity of the crash .
• An e lec tron ic contro l uni t, w it h in tegr ate d cr ash sensor s fo r fron t
and side impacts. T he control unit "dec ides" w het her to fire the front
a irbags based on the info rm at ion rece ive d fr om t he c rash se nso rs.
The contro l unit also "decides" whether the safety be lt prete nsione rs
shoul d be activa ted .
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator for the driver inside the
s t eeri ng wheel hub.
• An Advanced Airbag with gas generator inside the inst rument
p an el f or the front p assenge r.
• A weight-sensin g mat under the upho lstery padd ing of the front
passe nge r seat c ushion t hat measu res the tota l we ight on the sea t.
T he informat io n registered is sent cont inuously to the elect ronic
con trol uni t to reg ula te deploymen t of t he fr ont Adv anced A irbag o n
the passenger side.
• An airbag mo nitoring syste m and indi cator light in the inst ru m ent
cl uster ~
page 222.
• Th e PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light com es on an d stays on in t he
center of the instr ument pane l=>
page 223, fig . 203 a nd tells you
w hen the fron t Advan ced A irbag on t he passe nger side has been
turned off.
• A senso r below t he saf ety belt la tc h for the front s eat p ass enge r
to meas ure the tens ion on the safety be lt . The tension on the safety
be lt a nd the we igh t regis tere d by the weig ht-sensing mat help t he
cont rol un it "dec ide" w hethe r th e front airbag fo r th e front
p assenge r seat should be turned o ff or not~
page 213, "Ch ild
restraints on the front seat -some important th ings to know" . ._

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
& WARNING (continued)
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. •
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fig. 203 Section from
the instrument panel:
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF light
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located in the center of the
instrument panel=> fig. 203.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will come on and stay on to tell
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 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 child 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
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come on and stay on if the
ignition 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 child restraint has been installed on the front
passengerseat,or
• a forward-facing child restraint has been installed on the front
passengerseat,or
• the weight registered on the front passenger seat is equal to or
less than the combined weight of a typical 1 year-old 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.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the front airbag will not
deploy, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will 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 213, "Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to know" and=>
page 233,
"Child Safety ".
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on when one of the
conditions listed above is met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG 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 it is safe to do so and
• reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning
it on again;
• remove and reinstall the child restraint . Make sure that the child
restraint is properly installed and that the safety belt for the front
passenger seat has been correctly routed through the child restraint
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 below the safety belt latch on the seat can
do its job=>
page 243. •
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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• make sure that thi ngs that may increase the weig ht o f the child
and ch ild safe ty se at are not be ing transported on t he front
passenger seat;
• make sure that the safety belt tens ion sensor is not blocked.
Shake the safety belt latch on the front passenger seatback and forth;
• If a strap or tether is being used to t ie the child safety seat to the
front passenger seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it causes
t he weight-sensing mat to meas ure more weight than is actua lly on
the seat .
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF l ight still doe s not come on and
does not stay on cont inuously (when the ignition is switched on),
• take the child restraint off the f ront passenger seat and install it
properly at one of the rear seat positions . Have the airbag sys tem
inspected by your authori zed Audi dealer immediately .
• move the child to a rea r seat position and ma ke s ure that the child
is properly restrained in a ch ild restraint that is appropriate for its
size and age .
The
PA SSENG ER AIR BAG OFF light should NOT come on when the
ignition is on and an adult is sitting i n a proper seating position on the
front passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on or flashes for abo ut 5 seconds while driving, under these
circumstances, make sure that:
• the adult on the front passenger seat is properly seated on the
c en ter of the sea t cushion wi th his or her back up against the backrest
and the backrest is not reclined::::;,
page 192, "Proper occupant
seating positions",
• the adult is not taking weight off the seat by holding on to the
passenge r assis t handle above the fron t passenger door or
supporting their weight on the armrest,
• t he safety bel t is be ing properly wor n and that the re is not a lot of
slack in the safety belt webb ing,
• accessory seat cove rs or cushions o r othe r th ings that may ca use
an incor rect read ing or impress ion on the weight-sensing mat under the upholstery of the seat have bee
n removed from the front
p assenge r seat,
• a safety belt extender has not been left in the safety belt latch for
t he front passenge r se at.
In add it io n to the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the center of the
instrument panel, the message
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF or
PASSENGER AIR BAG ON will br iefly appear in the instrument cluster
display . This is to inform the driver of the current front passenger
airbag status .•
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
& WARNING
An a irbag syst em that is not fun ction ing properly cannot provide
supplemental protect ion in a frontal crash.
• If th e airbag indic ator light comes on , it means th at there may
be something wrong with the Advanc ed Airbag S ystem . It i s
poss ible that th e airbag will inflat e when it is not suppos ed to , or
will not inflate when it should.
• Have the a irb ag system inspected immediately by your autho ­
rized Audi dealer .
& WARNING
If the front airb ag inflate s, a child without a child restraint, or in
a rearwa rd -facing child safet y seat, o r in a fo rwa rd-facing child
re straint that h as not b een properl y install ed will be seriou sly
i njured and can b e killed.
• Even though your v ehicl e is equipped with an Advan ced Airbag
S y stem , ma ke certain that all children , especi ally 1 2 yea rs and
y ounger, alway s ride on the back seat properly restra ined for their
a ge and size . .,,_

safety belt is being used but will inflate at the position where the
safety belt is not being used. It is impo rtant that nothing in terfere
with the safety belt buckles so that the sensors can send the correct information about safety belt use to the electronic control unit.
& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including use of unapproved
tire-rim combinations can change Advanced Airbag performance
and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
• Never install suspension components that do not have the
same performance characteristics as the components originally
installed on your vehicle.
• Never use tire-rim combinations that have not been approved
by Audi.
& WARNING
Items stored between the safety belt buckle and the center
console can cause the sensors in the buckle to send the wrong
information to the electronic control module and prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from working properly.
• Always make sure that nothing can interfere with the safety
belt buckles and that they are not obstructed .
W For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modules and pretensioners might be classified as
Perchlorate Material -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswas te/perchlorate . When the vehicle or
parts of the restraint system including airbag modules and safety
belts with pretensioners are scrapped, all applicable laws and regu la­
tions mus t be observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is familiar w ith
these requirements and we recommend that you have your dealer
perform th is service for you .•
Safety first Vehicle OP-eration
Airbag system
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental protection
to properly restrained occupants.
Fig. 204 Side airbag
location in the driver's
seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the front seat backrests
~ fig. 204 and the rear backrest* facing the doors . They are identi ­
fied by the word "AIRBAG" .
The side airbag system basically consists of:
• the electronic control module and external side impact se nsors
• the two side airbags located in the sides of the front backrests
• two rear side airbags (as an ordered
option)
• the airbag warning light in the instrument cluster.
Th e airbag system is monitored elect ronically to make certain that it
is functioning properly at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will come on for a few seconds
(self d iagnostics).
The side airbag system supp lements the safety belts and can he lp to
reduce the risk of injury to the dr iver 's, front and rear* passenger 's
upper torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a side collision.
The airbag deploys on ly in s ide impacts and only when the vehicle
acceleration registered by the control unit is high enough. If this rate
~
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data