2011 AUDI Q7 steering wheel

Airbag system -----------------=--=---
Airbag system
Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For airbags to
do their job, occupants must always properly wear their
safety belts and be in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passengers, before
driving off, always:
- Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel properly
=>
page 192,
- Adjust the front passenger's seat properly=> page 86,
-Wear safety belts properly=> page 204,
-Always properly use the proper child restraint to protect
children=>
page 233.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the blink of an eye and with
considerable force. The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated properly. Therefore in
order to help the airbag to do its job, it is important, both as a driver
and as a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the steering wheel and the
front of the passenger compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions =:,
page 192, "Proper occupant seating positions" . For
details on the operation of the seat adjustment controls=>
page 86.
It's especially important that children are properly restrained
=:,
page 233.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
There
is a lot that the driver and the passengers can and must do to
help the individual safety features installed in your Audi work
together as a system .
Proper seating position is important so that the front airbag on the
driver side can do its job. If you have a physical impairment or condi­
tion that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver seat with
the safety belt properly fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or operation of the
Advanced Airbag System, please contact your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer CARE at 1-800-822-
2834 for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator will fill the airbags,
break open the padded covers, and inflate between the steering
wheel and the driver and between the instrument panel and the front
passenger . The airbags will deflate immediately after deployment so
that the front occupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed . The airbags also
inflate with a great deal of force and nothing should be in their way
when they deploy . Front airbags in combination with properly worn
safety belts slow down and limit the occupant's forward movement .
Together they help to prevent the driver and front seat passenger
from hitting parts of the inside of the vehicle while reducing the
forces acting on the occupant during the crash. In this way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the head and upper body in the crash .
Airbags do not protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal collisions . The trig­
gering of the airbag system depends on the vehicle deceleration rate
caused by the collision and registered by the electronic control unit.
If this rate is below the reference value programmed into the control
unit, the airbags will not be triggered, even though the car may be
badly damaged as a result of the collision . Vehicle damage, repair
9J),
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

-Airbag system
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costs o r ev en t he lack of v ehicle da mage is no t necessar ily an ind ica ­
t ion of whe the r an a irbag should inflat e or not.
S ince th e cir cums tances will vary cons idera bly betw een one co llision
and another, it is not possible to define a range o f vehicle spee ds that
w ill co ver eve ry p oss ible kin d and a ngle o f im pact th at w ill alw ay s
tri gg er the a irba gs. Im portant facto rs inclu de, for examp le, the
n at ure (h ard or s oft) of th e obje ct whi ch th e c ar hits , th e ang le of
impact, vehicle speed, etc. The front air bags will also not inflate in
s ide or r ear coll isions , or in roll-ove rs.
Always remember: Airbags w ill deploy only once, an d on ly in certa in
kinds of co llisio ns. Your safety be lts are a lways there to offer protec­
t ion in those s ituatio ns in which airbags ar e no t sup pose d to d eploy,
or w hen they have alrea dy de ploye d; for examp le, when your ve hicl e
st rike s or is st ruc k b y ano ther veh icle a fter t he first collision .
T hi s is just one of the reasons w hy an airbag is a s upplementa ry
restra in t a nd is no t a su bst itute for a safe ty bel t. Th e air bag sy stem
works most effectively when used with the safety be lts . Therefore,
always p rope rly wear y ou r safety belts => page 20 1.
& WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel or instrument panel will
decrease the effectiveness of the airbags and will increase the risk
of personal injury in a collision.
• Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to the steering wheel or
instrument panel.
• If you cannot sit more than 10 inches (25 cm) from the
steering wheel, investigate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and increase your seating
distance from the steering wheel.
• If you are unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways or
out of position in any way , your risk of injury is much higher.
• You will also receive serious injuries and could even be killed if
you are up against the airbag or too close to it when it inflates - even with an Advanced Airbag.
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag inflates, always
wear safety belts properly=>
page 205, "Safety belts ".
• Always make certain that children age 12 or younger always
ride in the rear seat. If children are not properly restrained, they
may be severely injured or killed when an airbag infl ates .
• Never let children ride unrestrained or improperly restrained in
the vehicle. Adjust the front seats properly.
• Never ride with the backrest reclined.
• Always sit as far as possible from the steering wheel or the
instrument panel =>
page 192.
• Always sit upright with your back against the backrest of your
seat.
• Never place your feet on the instrument panel or on the seat.
Always keep both feet on the floor in front of the seat to help
prevent seriou s injuries to the legs and hips if the airbag inflates.
• 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 when an airbag inflates .
& WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced .
• Use only original equipment airbags approved by Audi and
installed by a trained technician who has the neces sary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace any airbag in your
vehicle and assure system effectiveness in a crash.
• Never permit salvaged or recycled a irbags to be installed in
your vehicle. •

........ _A_ ir_ b_ a-=g :..- s.:o.y _s _t _e_ m _______________________________________________ _
& WARNING (conti nued)
• Airbag work mo st effectivel y when us ed with p roperly worn
safety belts .
• Therefore, always wear your safety belts and make sure that
everybody in your veh icle is properly restrained .
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat , especially infants and small
c hildren, will receive seriou s injuries and can even be killed by
being too close to the a irbag when it inflates.
• Although the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle is
designed to turn off the front passenger a irbag if an infant or a
small child is on the front passenger seat, nobody can absolutely
guarantee that deployment under these special conditions is
impossible in all conceivable situations that may happen during
the useful life of your vehicle.
• The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in a ccordance with the
" low risk" option under the U.S. Federal Standard if a child that is
hea vier than the t ypical one-year old child is on the front
passeng er seat and the other condition s for airbag deployment
are met.
• Accident statistics have shown that children are generally safer
in the rear seat area than in the front seating position .
• For their own safety, all children , especially 12 years and
younger, should always ride in the back properly res trained for
their age and size. •
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced Airbag System in
compliance wit h Unit ed St ates Fe d er al Motor Vehi cle Safe ty Standar d
208 as applicab le at the time your vehicle was manufactured . The front Advanced A
irbag System supplements the safety belts to
prov ide ad ditional prote ct ion for th e d river's and front passenger's
heads and uppe r bodies in fro nta l crashes. The ai rbags i nflate only in
fronta l impacts when the vehicle dece leration is high enoug h.
Th e front Adva nced A irbag Sys tem for the fron t seat oc cupan ts is not
a s ubstitute for your safety be lts. Rathe r, it is part o f the overall occu­
p an t restr aint sy stem in y our ve hicl e. Always remembe r that the
airbag system ca n only help to protect you, if you are sitting upr ight,
we aring your sa fe ty be lt and we aring it prope rly. T his is why you and
your passengers must always be properly restra ined, not just because
t he law requires you to be.
Th e A dvan ced A irbag Syst em in your veh icle has been c ertified to
meet the "low r isk" req uir ements fo r 3 an d 6 year-old c hildren on the
pas senge r side and ve ry small ad ults o n the dr ive r side. T he low r is k
dep loyment cr iteria a re intended to help reduce the risk of injury
t hroug h in teraction wi th the front a irbag tha t can oc cur, fo r ex am ple,
by being too close to the steering wheel and instrument panel whe n
t he air bag i nflates .
In add it ion , the system has been cert ified to comply with t he
"supp ression" requirements of the Safety Standa rd, to t urn off the
front airbag for infants 12 mont hs old and young er w ho are
restrained on the front passenger seat in child restra ints that are
listed in the Standard=>
pag e 235, "Child restra ints and A dvan ced
Airbags".
"Su pp ression" req uires t he front a irbag on the passenger side to be
t ur ned off if:
• a child up to about one year of age is restra ined on the front
passenge r seat in one of t he rear-faci ng or forwa rd-facing infant
restraints listed in Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w it h
w hich the Adv anced Airbag Sys tem in yo ur vehicle w as ce rt ified. Fo r a
list ing of the child restra ints that were used to certify your vehicle's
c omp li a nce with the US Safety Stand ard =>
page 235,
• weight less than a thresho ld level stored in the contro l unit is
detec ted on t he fro nt p assenger se at.

Airbag system Ill
----------------=--=---
& WARNING (co ntinued )
• Always install forward or rear-facing child safety seats on the
rear seat - even with an Advanced Airbag System .
• If you must install a rearward-facing child safety seat on the
front passenger seat because of exceptional circum stances and
the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not appear and stay on ,
immediately install the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating pos ition and have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
• A tight tether or other strap on a rearward-facing child
restraint attached to the front passenger seat can put too much
pressure on the weight-sensing mat in the seat and register more
weight than is actually on the seat. The heavier weight registered can make the system work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advan ced Airbag when it must be suppres sed
caus ing serious or e ven fatal injury to the child.
• If, in exceptional circumstances, you must install a forward ­
facing child restraint on the front passenger seat, always move
the seat into its rearmost position in the seat' s fore and aft adju st­
ment range , as far away from the airbag as possible . 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.
& WARNING
• If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light doe s not go out when an
adult is sitting on the front passenger seat after taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posit ions.
• Have the airbag system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer before transporting anyone on the front passenger seat.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
(I] Tips
If the we
ight-se nsin g mat in the fro nt passenge r seat detec ts a n
empty seat , the front airbag on the passenger s ide will be t urned off,
a nd the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will sta y on .
a
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the ai rbag syste m are inst alled a t many diffe re nt pla ces on
your Audi. Installing, removing, serv ic ing o r repairing a part in a n
area of t he vehicle c an damage a par t of an a irbag sys tem and preve nt
that system from working proper ly in a coll is ion.
Th ere are some importa nt things you have to know to ma ke sure t hat
t he effectiv eness of the system will not be impai red and that
discarde d components do not cause injury or pollute t he env iron ­
m en t.
& WARNING
Improper care , servicing and repair procedures can increase the
risk of personal injury and death by preventing an airbag from
deploying when needed or deploying an airbag unexpectedly:
• Never cover, obstru ct, or change the steering wheel horn pad or
a irbag cover or the instrument panel or modify them in any way .
• Never atta ch any objects such as cupholders or telephone
mountings to the surfaces covering the airbag units .
• For cleaning the horn pad or instrument panel, use only a soft,
dry cloth or one moistened with plain wate r. Solvents or cleaners
c ould damage the airbag cover or change the stiffne ss or strength
of the mater ial so that the airbag cannot deploy and protect prop­
erly.
• Never repair, adjust , or change any parts of the airbag system .
• All work on the steering wheel, instrument panel, front seats
or electrical system (including the installation of audio equip -
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Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_________________________________________ I_ n_ t_ e_ ll_,igent technology ,__E~-
fore-and-aft and lateral directions, the brake pressure and the
steering angle are all measured.
The direction in which the driver wishes to travel is determined with
the aid of the steering angle and vehicle speed and is continually
compared with the actual behavior of the vehicle. If the two do not
match, for example, when the vehicle starts hydroplaning on a wet
road, ESP will automatically brake the appropriate whee l to correct
the problem.
The vehicle is then stabi lized by the forces acting on the whee l during
braking. If the vehicle is
oversteering (rear tends to skid out of the
turn), the brakes are main ly applied on the wheel that is on the
outs ide of the curve. In the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to slide out of the curve), the brakes are applied as needed
on the wheel that is on the inside of the curve or additionally on the
other wheels. An acoustic s ignal indicates when ESP brake application
cuts in=> &.
The system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system ~
page 260 . If the Anti -Lock Brake System
(ABS) ma lfunctions, the ESP wi ll be out of action as well.
Activating
When you turn on the engine, ESP will automatically be activated and
wi ll perform a self-test. As soon as the test is comp leted, the system
is in normal operating mode .
Offroad mode
ESP should normally be operated in normal mode because this
ensures maximum vehicle stability. If necessary, you can activate the
ESP offroad mode by pressing the button=>
page 256, fig. 222 to
obtain maximum traction and braking ability when driving off paved
roads at low speeds. In ESP offroad mode, the indicator light illu­
minates and the message
ESP Offroad Caution! Limited driving
stability
appears briefly in the d isp lay.
The ESP offroad mode can be useful in the following exceptiona l situ­
ations when slip or a highly effe ctive different ial loc king funct ion is
desirable. Examples:
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
•
when driving w ith tire chains,
• when driving in deep snow or on loose ground,
• when driving on uneven surfaces with the wheels severely
unloaded (articulation), and
• when rocking the vehicle loose a fter it has become stuck.
When the unusual situation is past, you should sh ift back to the
normal ESP operating mode by pushing the button again. The
message
ESP/ ASR on then appears briefly in the display.
Hill descent control
The hill descent control is switched on in ESP offroad mode. When
slowly descending steep gradients on loose ground or when the axles
are art iculated, hill descent control provides assistance by automati­
cally applying the brakes to keep vehicle speed constant. The vehicle
is also rende red easier to steer by select ive distribution of braking
force. Hill descent control intervenes when:
• the accelerator pedal is not pressed,
• the vehicle is travelling less than 12 mph (20 km/h),
• a steep gradient is detected,
• wheel behavior indicates loose ground or conditions with poor
adhesion (e.g. also axle articulat ion).
Hill descent control operates both dr iving forward and in reverse.
Active hi ll descent control is deactivated by pressing the accelerator
pedal until the conditions for activation already listed are met aga in.
& WARNING
• The Electronic Stabilization Program is nevertheless subject to
the laws of physics . It is particularly important to pay attention to
this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore important that
you always adapt your driving to the condition of the road and
traffic conditions. Do not allow the increased safety provided by
the Electronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into
accepting additional safety risks. ..
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

_________________________________________ I_ n_ t_ e_ ll_,igent technology ,__E~-
If an individual wheel begins to rotate too slowly in relation to vehicle
speed and tends to lock, the ABS automatically reduces brake pres­
sure to prevent that wheel from locking .
Thi s automatic adjustment process wi ll cause a
slight vibration of
the brake pedal and some noises to alert you that vehicle speed must
be adapted to existing road and traffic conditions.
_& WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always remember that braking
capability is limited by tire traction. Always adjust your driving
speed according to the road and traffic conditions. Do not let the
extra safety afforded by the ABS tempt you into taking extra risks.
The ABS cannot overcome the laws of physics .
(I) Tips
• If ABS is not funct ioning properly, a warning light will come on .
See ~
page 19.
• If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is also not functioning. This is
ind icat ed by the ABS warning light. •
Brake assistant
The brake assistant is designed to achieve the optimum
braking effect.
The brake assistant helps to increase the effective braking power and
thus to achieve a shorter stopping distance.
If the driver presses the
brake peda l very qu ickly , the brake assistant automatically boosts the
braking force to the maximum level, up to the point where the anti­
lock brake function (ABS) intervenes to stop the whee ls from locking.
You should then keep the brake pedal pressed until the vehicle has
braked to the required speed. The brake assistant switches itself off
as soon as you release the brake pedal.
Controls and equip­ ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Automatic full braking
assist
This function allows full braking in spite of high brake pedal forces
(e .g . when the brakes are severely stressed because the veh icle is fully
loaded). The driver notices this function through a reduction of pedal
force and increased pedal travel. When the brake pedal is released,
full braking assist switches off again automatically.
If there is an ABS failure, the brak e assistant and automatic full
braking assist are not available.
Th e brake assistant will not be operative if there is a ma lfunction in
the ABS .
_& WARNING
Please remember that the accident risk always increases if you
drive too fast, especially in corners or on a slippery road, or if you
follow the vehicle ahead of you too closely. Increased risk of an
accident cannot be compensated for even by the brake assistant ,
so always maintain a safe speed.•
Servotronic® -advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of the
running engine to allow precise steering with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering system senses the road
speed and electronically adjusts power assistance to provide
comfortable and safe steering response exactly matched to the
vehicle speed .
Power steering will not work if the engine is off. As a result , the
steering wheel will be hard to turn .
Th e power steering fluid level is checked during the scheduled main­
tenance services.
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data

Intelligent technology
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0
Note
If t he re is an elect ro n ic malfunc tion, servotroni c will still funct io n
like a conventional power steering system, provid ing a constant
steer ing suppo rt force tha t is no longer proportiona te to the vehi cle
speed. This is most noticeable when t urning the steer ing wheel at low
speeds (for ex ample when p arki ng), -m ore effo rt will be req uire d
than usua l.
• Be aw are of the d iffe ren t than usual steeri ng respo nse and adjust
your steering force accord ingly.
• Have t he pr oblem chec ked and set r igh t by a n Audi dea ler as soo n
as possib le .
[I) Tips
• When the engine is runni ng, neve r hold t he steering wheel turned
a ll the way to the r ig ht o r to t he left fo r longe r th an 1 5 seco nd s. The
powe r steering pump will over heat the hydraulic fluid if yo u keep
holding t he s teering w heel turne d all the w ay. This is likely to damage
the power steer ing system.
• If the powe r stee ring sys tem s ho uld fail entire ly, or if the engine
is not running (for examp le, while be ing towed), you will still be able
t o steer the vehicle. Howeve r,
considerably more effo rt will be
required to do so.
• If the powe r stee ring sys tem s ho uld have a leak, or is not func ­
tioning properly, contact your author ized Audi dealer immediately.
• Th e power s teeri ng system re quir es a specially fo rm ulated
hydraulic fluid. The power stee ring reservoir is the one located
f ar the st to the rea r on t he left side of the eng ine compa rtment
=> page 302. The correct fluid level in the reservo ir is important for
pr op er f unctio ning o f the power steer ing.•
Dr"v ing witr your quattro®
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Wit h All Wheel Drive, all four wheels are d riven .
General information
With All Wheel Drive, power is dist ribu ted to all fo ur wheels. This
hap pens a utomat ically depending o n your dr iv ing style and t he road
conditions at the time. See also =>
page 258, "Electronic different ia l
lock (EDL)" .
Winter tires
When d riving in the win ter, your vehicle with A ll Whee l Dr ive has an
advantage, even w ith regula r tir es. In w inter road con ditions i t may
be advisable to mou nt wi nte r ti res (or all-seaso n tires) for improve d
dr iveability and b raking: these tires m ust be mounted on
all four
wheels .
See also=:> page 334, "W inter tires".
Tire chains
Whe re tire chains are ma nda to ry on certa in roa ds, th is no rma lly a lso
ap plies to vehicles with A ll Whee l Drive =:>
page 335, "Snow chains" .
Replacing wheels/tires
Vehicles wit h All W heel Dr ive must a lways have t ires of the same si ze .
Also avoid tires with different tread depths. For details see page
=> pa ge 330, "N ew tires and rep lacing tires and wheels".
& WARNING
Always adjust your driving to road and traffic conditions . Do not
let the extra safety afforded by All Wheel Drive tempt you into
taking extra risks.
• Although the All Wheel Drive is very effective, always
remember that braking capacity is limited by tire traction. You
should therefore not drive at excessive speeds on icy or slippery
road surfaces.
• On wet road surfaces, be careful not to drive too fast because
the front wheel s could begin to slide on top of the water (aqua- ...

___ T_ i_ r_e _s_ a_ n_ d _ w _h _e_e_ l_ s _______________________________________________ _
Tire pressure indicator appears
The tire pressure indicator in the instrument cluster
informs you if the ti re pressure is too low or if there is a
system malfunction.
Fig. 2 46 Disp la y:
u nd erinfl ation
warni ng
Fi g. 2 47 Dis play:
Syst em m alf un ction
Us ing the ABS sensors, the tire pressure monitoring system compares
t he t ire tread c ircumference and vibrat ion characte rist ics o f the indi ­
vidual tires. If the pressure decreases in one or more tires, this is indi­
cated in the ins trument cl uste r wi th a warning symbol
1 and a
message=> fig. 246 . The dr iver message in the display goes o ut after
5 seconds . T he driver message can be disp layed again by p ressing the
[ CHECK ] button. If only one t ire is affected , the display will ind icate
its position . The tire press
ure monitoring must be reset via MMI each time the
pressu res are adju sted (e.g. when sw itching between partial and full
load pressure) or after chang ing or replacing a t ire on your veh icle
=>
page 339. You can find the recommended tire pressures fo r your
vehicle on the label o n the dr iver's door pillar=>
page 322.
Ti re tread circumference and v ibration characterist ics can change and
c ause a tire p ress ure warning if:
• the tire pressure in one or more tires is too low,
• t he ti re has s tructur al damage,
• the t ire pressure was changed, wheels rotated or rep laced but the
T PM S w as no t rese t=>
page 339.
Warning symbols
' ' Loss of press ure in at least one tir e=> .&. Chec k the t ire or t ires
and rep lace or repair if necessary. The indicator light in the instru-
me nt cluster a lso illumina tes=>
page 14. C heck/co rrect t he p res­
sures of all four ti res and reset TPMS via MMI.
( T ire Pressure Monitor ing System)
Tire pre ssure! System
malfunction .
If appears afte r sw itch ing the ignition o n or while
dr iv ing =>
page 338, fig. 2 47 and the indicator ligh t in the ins tru­
me nt clus ter blinks for approx imately one minu te and then s tays on,
there is a system ma lfunction . See your a uthorized Audi dealer as
soon as poss ible.
& WARNING
• If the tire pressure indicator appear s in the instrument cluster
display, one or more of your tires is significantly under-inflated.
Reduce your speed imm ediately and avoid any hard steering or
brak ing maneuvers . Stop as soon as possible and check the tires
and their pres sures. Inflate the tire pre ssure to the proper pres­
s u re as indicated on the vehicle 's tire pressure label=>
page 322.
Driving on a significantly under-inflated tire cau ses the tire to
overheat and can lead to tire failure . Under-inflat ion also is l ikely
to impair the vehicle 's handling and stopping ability .
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