2011 AUDI Q7 Owner´s Manual

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Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant safety always depends on the informed and careful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving always:
- Make sure that all lights and signals are operating
correctly.
- Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
- Make sure that all windows are clean and afford good visi-
bility to the outside.
- Secure all luggage and other items carefully::::>
page 107.
-Make sure that nothing can interfere with the pedals.
- Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors correctly for your height .
- Instruct passengers to adjust the head restraints according to their height.
- Make sure to use the right child restraint correctly to
protect children ::::,
page 233, "Child Safety".
- Sit properly in your seat and make sure that your passen­ gers do the same::::,
page 85, "General recommenda­
tions".
- Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly. Also instruct
your passengers to fasten their safety belts properly
=:> page 201. •
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of the
vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's ability to concen­
trate on the road without being distracted .
The driver is responsible for the safety of the vehicle and all
of its occupants. If your ability to drive is impaired, safety
risks for everybody in the vehicle increase and you also
become a hazard to everyone else on the road::::,,& . There­
fore:
Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers or by using
a cellular telephone.
NEVER drive when your driving ability is impaired (by
medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
- Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and speed limits
and plain common sense .
- ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and weather
conditions.
- Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive for more than two hours at a stretch.
- Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pressure or when
you are stressed .
& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used.•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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Proper occupant seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important for safe,
relaxed driving.
Fig. 186 Correct
seating position
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust the
driver's seat to the following position:
- Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily push the
pedals all the way to the floor while keeping your knee(s)
slightly bent~&.
- Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in an upright
position so that your back comes in full contact with it
when you drive.
- Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering wheel and
your breast bone~ fig. 186. If not possible, see your
authorized Audi dealer about adaptive equipment.
- Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and not at your face. -
Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your elbow(s)
slightly bent.
- Adjust the head restraint 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.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly~
page 205.
-Always keep both feet in the footwell so that you are in
control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the driver's seat, see
=> page 86.
& WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help reduce
the risk of serious personal injury:
• Always adjust the driver's seat and the steering wheel so that
there are at least 10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone and
the steering wheel.
• Always hold the steering wheel on the outside of the steering
wheel rim with your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions
to help reduce the risk of personal injury if the driver's airbag
inflates.
• Never hold the steering wheel at the 12 o'clock position or with
your hands at other positions inside the steering wheel rim or on
the steering wheel hub. Holding the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands , arms and head if the
driver's airbag deploys.
• Pointing the steering wheel toward your face decreases the
ability of the supplemental driver's airbag to protect you in a colli-
sion.
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& WARNING (continued)
• Always sit in an upright position and never lean against or
place any part of your body too close to the area where the airbags
are located.
• Before driving, always adjust the front seats and head
restraints properly and make sure that all passengers are properly
restrained.
• Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is moving. Your seat
may move unexpectedly and you could lose control of the vehicle.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury
due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
• Children must always ride in child safety seats~
page 233.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat~
page 211. •
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of injury in the
event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust the seat
for the front passenger to the following position:
- Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in an upright
position and your back comes in full contact with it when­
ever the vehicle is moving.
- Adjust the head restraint 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=>
page 194.
Controls and equip­
ment Safety first Vehicle operation
-
Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the front
passenger seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts correctly::::>
page 205.
For detailed information on how to adjust the front passenger's seat,
see ~
page 85.
& WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out of position or too
close to the airbag can be seriously injured or killed by the airbag
as it unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious personal injury:
• Passengers must always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
• Passengers 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.
• Always make sure that there are at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the front passenger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Before driving, always adjust the front passenger seat and
head restraint properly.
• Always keep your feet on the floor
in front of the seat. Never
rest them on the seat, instrument panel, out of the window, etc.
The airbag system and safety belt will not be able to protect you properly and can even increase the risk of injury in a crash.
• Never drive with the backrest reclined or tilted far back! The
farther the backrests are tilted back, the greater the risk of injury
due to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper
seating position.
II>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

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& WARNING (continued)
• Children must always ride in child safety seats=> page 233.
Special precautions apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat=>
page 211. •
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both feet on
the floor consistent with their physical size and be prop­
erly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect seating
position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an
accident, your passengers on the rear bench seat must
always observe the following :
- If there are passengers in the rear seat, fold the head
restraints up on the occupied seats or slide the center
head restraint upward at least to the next notch
~ page 93.
Make sure that the seatback is securely latched in the
upright position ~
page 96.
-Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of the rear seat.
- Fasten and wear safety belts properly~
page 205.
- Make sure that children are always properly restrained in a
child restraint that is appropriate for their size and age
~ page 233.
& WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the rear seat can be seri­
ously injured in a crash.
• Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and
properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
• Safety belts only offer maximum protection when the seatback
is securely latched in the upright position and the safety belts are
properly positioned on the body. By not sitting upright, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal injury from improperly
positioned safety belts!
• Always adjust the head restraint properly so that it can give
maximum protection. •
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an important part
of your vehicle's occupant restraint system and can help
to reduce the risk of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 187 Head
restraint: viewed from
the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to achieve the
best protection.
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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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• never p ut your feet on the instrument panel
• neve r rest y our feet on the se at cu sh io n o r back of the se at
• never ride in the footwe ll
• nev er ride in t he cargo area
& WARNING
Improper seating posit ions increase the risk of serious personal
injury and death whenever a vehicle is being used .
• Always make sure that all vehicle occupants stay in a p roper
seating position and are properly restrained whenever the vehicle is being used .•
Pedal area
Pedals
The ped als mus t alw ays be free t o move a nd must never
b e in terfe red with by a f loor mat o r any oth er objec t.
Make s ure that a ll pedals move freely without inte rference and t hat
no thing preven ts them from re tu rning to their origin al po sit ions.
On ly use floor mats t hat leave t he pedal area free and can be secured
w ith floor mat fastene rs .
If a brake cir cu it fails, in cre ase d br ak e ped al trave l is re quir ed to br ing
the vehicle to a fu ll stop.
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss of vehicle control
and increa se the risk of serious injury.
• Never place any objects in the driver 's footwell. An object could
get into the pedal area and interfere with pedal function. In case
& WARNING (co ntinued )
of sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake
or accelerate!
• Always make sure that nothing can fall or move into the
driver' s footwell. •
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats th at can be securely attached to
t he floor mat fasteners and do not interfere with th e fr ee
m oveme nt of t he pe dals .
- Mak e su re t hat th e flo or mat s a re pr oper ly se cured and
cann ot mov e and i nte rfere with t he ped als =>& .
Use on ly floo r m ats th at leave the pe da l area u nobst ructed and that
are firm ly secu red so that t hey cannot slip out of pos ition. You can
ob tain s uitabl e floor mats fr om you r auth o riz ed Audi de aler.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Aud i.
Floor mats used in your vehicle m ust be attached to t hese fasteners .
P roperly secur ing t he floor ma ts w ill preven t them from s liding into
positions that could interfere w ith the pedals or impair safe opera­
ti on of your ve hicle in o ther w ay s.
& WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a loss of vehicle
cont rol and increase the risk of serious personal injury .
• Always make sure that floor mats are properly secured.
• Never place or install floor mats or other floor coverings in the
vehicle that cannot be properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering with the pedals or the ability to control the vehicle. .,_

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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

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& WARNING (conti nu ed )
• Pleas e obse rve information on s afe driving => page 190.
& WARNING
To help prevent poi sonous exhau st ga s from being drawn into the
vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving.
• Never transport object s larger than tho se fitting completely
into the luggage area because the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
• If you ab solutely must drive with the rear lid open, observe the
following notes to reduce the ris k of po isoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Pano ramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Swit ch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the h ighest speed.
& WARNING
Alway s make sure that the doors, all windows, the Panorami c
sliding sunroof* and the rear lid are secur ely closed and locked to
reduce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not being used.
• After closing the rear lid, always make sure that it is properly
clo sed and locked .
• Never leave your vehicle unattended especially with the rear lid
left open . A child could crawl into th e vehicle through the luggage
compartment and close the rear lid becoming trapped and unable
to get out . Being trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious personal
injury.
• Never let children play in or around the vehicle.
• Never let passengers ride in the luggage compartment. Vehicle
occupants must alway s be properly restrained in one of the
vehicle 's seating positions.
W Tips
• Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Sta le air escapes
to the outside th rough vents in the trim panel. Be sure to keep these
slo ts free and open.
• Th e tire pressure m ust correspond to the load . The tire pressure is
shown o n th e t ire pressu re label. The tire pressure label is located o n
the driver's side 8-pillar . The tire p ress ure label lists the recom­
me nded co ld tire inflation pressures fo r th e ve hicle at its max imum
capacity weight and the tires that were on your vehicle at t he time it
was manufactured. For recommended t ire pressu re s for normal loa d
conditions, p lease see chapter=>
page 322. •
Tie-downs
The lug gage c omp artm ent is equ ipped with fo ur tie­
do wns to secur e luggag e and oth er items .
Use the t ie-downs to sec ure yo ur cargo properly => page 197,
"Load ing the l uggage comp artmen t".
In a co llision , the laws of physics mean that even smaller items that
are loose in the vehicle will become heavy m issi les t hat can ca use
ser ious injury. Items in the vehicle possess energy which va ry with
veh icle speed and the weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most
sign ifi cant factor .
For example, in a frontal coll is ion at a speed of 30 mp h (48 km/h),
the forces a cting on a 1 0-lb (4.5 kg) o bje ct are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that the weight of the item
wou ld sudden ly be abo ut 200 l bs. (9 0 kg). You can imagine the inju ­
r ies that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through the passenger
compar tment cou ld cause in a collision like this .
liJ,