2012 AUDI Q7 belt

Luggage compartment
Expanding luggage compartment
To expand the luggage compartment, the
seatbacks can be folded forward separately or together .
Fig. 86 Release lever for ou ter seatback
Fig. 87 Release leve r fo r cente r seatback
Folding the seatback forward
.. Pu ll the lever up ¢ fig. 86. The seatback piv­
ots fo rward .
.. Allow the sea tba ck to latch in the lowe r­
most posi tion.
Raising the seatback
.. Pull the lever up ¢ fig. 86 and ra ise the
seatba ck until it is secu rely latched ¢ _&. .
Folding center seatback down
.. Press the release button ¢ fig. 87. The red
mark on the release lever is visib le .
.. Tilt the seatback forward .
Raising c enter seatback
.. Raise the seatback unt il it is securely latch­
ed ¢_&. . It is securely latched when the red
mark on the release button is no longer visi­
ble .
Seats and storage 79
The cen ter seatback can be folded forwa rd
separately. Using this loading option, long ob­
jects (e.g. skis) can be carried in t he interior.
_& WARNING
-
- The backrest must always be secure ly
latched so that the safety belt of t he cen­
ter seating position ca n wo rk p roperly to
he lp p rot ect the occupant.
- The back rest must be securely latched in
position so that no items contai ned in
the l uggage compa rtment can s lide fo r­
ward upon sudden braking.
- Always check whether the latc h is fully
e ngaged by pull ing t he seatback for­
ward .
- On veh icles with third row seating*, the
cent er seatback must be i n the upr ight
posi tion and se curely la tched whe n pe r­
sons are being carried in t he thir d ro w
seats -danger injury!
- Never a llow safety belts to become dam ­
age d by be ing c augh t in door or sea t
ha rdware .
- Tor n or frayed s afety be lts c an t ear and
damage d be lt hardware can break in a
crash. I nsp ect the belts per io d ica lly.
Belts showi ng damage to webbing, b ind­
ings, buck les, or retractors m ust be re­
placed.
_& WARNING
A lways read and heed WARNINGS ¢.&. in
Loading the luggage compartment on
page 166 .
(D Note
-When fold ing the backrest back into
place, make sure the safety belt does not
get ca ught, because it can be damaged .
A damaged belt can fail to provide sa fe
restraint .
- The heat ing wires in the rea r window can
be damaged by abrasive objects on the
parce l shelf .

Lo adin g
"' Fo ld the center seatback forward
r=> page 79.
"' Remove the sack from the luggage com ­
partment and unfold it.
"' Place the empty sack over the lowered seat­
back so that the end wi th the z ip fastener is
i n the luggage compartment.
"' Load objects from the luggage compart ­
ment into the sk i sack
r=> &, .
Securin g
"' Insert the ski sack strap @ r=> fig. 94 into
the center seat belt buckle @.
"' Pull the securing strap t ight by the free end
of the belt @.
"' Vehicles with 6 seats* : The ski sack has two
straps with hooks on the unders ide . Hang
the hooks into the luggage compartment by
the rear fastening eyes and pull the secur ing
strap tight by the free end @.
Storage
"' Re lease the securing strap for the sack .
"' Pull the sack to the rear over the folded
down seatback.
"' Raise the seatback unti l it is securely latch­
ed .
"' Fo ld up the empty sack.
"' Stow the ski sack in the luggage compart­
ment so that it cannot slide around.
_&. WARNING
-
- The ski sack is intended only for the
transportation of skis, snowboards and
other light objects. To reduce the risk of
serious persona l injury never transport
heavy or po inted ob jects in the ski sack .
- When bra king rapidly o r during an acci­
dent the load cou ld be displaced and
ca use inj ury to occupants.
- Sharp edges on the load must be cove red
for protect ion. Always fas ten the belt
t igh tly around the sack and its contents
r=> fig. 94. S
eat s an d sto rage 8 3
(D Tips
Never stow the ski sack away if it's wet or
damp (for examp le, snow me lting from
skis). Let it dry complete ly before you stow
i t away.
Roof rack
First things first
A roof rack can be fitted to carry additional
luggage on the roof.
"' Always read and follow the instructions pro ­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when the roof rack system must be installed .
If you are transporting luggage or other ob­
jects on the roof, p lease note the following:
- Your vehicle has spec ially designed aerody-
namic roof rails. Only install a roof rack spe­
cifically designed for your model. Contact
the nearest authorized Aud i dealer fo r infor­
mation on approved modu lar roof racks for
your vehicle.
- These approved roof racks are the bas is for a
complete roof rack system. Additional at­
t achments for the basic roof rack a re neces­
sary to safely transpo rt luggage, bicycles,
surf boards, skis or sma ll boats. All necessa­
ry hardware for these systems is available at
your authorized Audi dealer.
- We recommend that you keep the installa­
tion instructions for your roof rack system
together with your Owner's literature in the
veh icle.
When sh ould the roof rac k be remov ed?
- Before going through an automatic car wash
(it is best to ask the car wash operator for
advice) .
- When not in use, to reduce fuel cons ump ­
tion, wind noise and to guard against theft.
_&. WARNING
- Use of an unapproved roof rack or incor­
rect mounting of an approved roof rack

160 Driving Safel y
Driving Safely
General notes
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need
to read and observe for your own safety, the
safety of your passengers and others . We have
summarized here what you need to know
about safety belts, a irbags, ch ild restra ints as
well as child safety. Your safety is for us
priori­
ty number 1.
Always observe the info rmat ion
and warn ings in th is sect ion -fo r yo ur own
safety as well as that of your passengers .
The information in this se ction app lies to all
model ve rsions of your veh icle . Some of the
feat ures desc ribed in this sec tions may be
standard equipment on some models, or may be optional equipment on others . If you are
not sure, ask your authorized Aud i dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
struct ions and heed the WARNINGS in
this Manual. It is in your interest and in
the inte rest of you r passengers.
- Always keep the complete Owner's Liter­
ature in your Audi when you lend or sell
yo ur vehicle so that this important info r­
mation will always be ava ilable to the
dr iver and passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy
so that you can find i t eas ily if you have
ques tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant
restraint system and work together to help
redu ce the risk of injury in a wide variety of
accident situations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advances in
technology have made a varie ty o f fea tures
avai la bl e to he lp re duce the risk of inj ury in an accident
. The following is a list of just a few of
the safety features in your Audi:
- sophis tic ated s afety be lts for d rive r and a ll
passenger sea ting pos it ions,
- be lt te nsione rs fo r th e fro nt sea ts a nd the
ou ter sea ting posit ions in the second row
seating,
- be lt h eight adjustment fo r th e front sea ts
an d the o ute r seat ing pos itions in the sec ­
ond row seating,
- he ad restra ints for e ach sea ting pos ition,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the fro nt seats and the outer
seating positions in the second row seat­ ing*,
- side curta in ai rbags,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child re-
st raints,
- ad justab le steering colum n.
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to he lp protect you and
your passengers in a wide range of accidents .
These features cannot work as a system if
they are not always correctly adjusted and cor­ rectly used .
Safety is everybody's responsibil ity!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody 's job! Vehicle and occu­
pant safety always depends on the informed
and careful driver.
For yo ur safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.. Make s ure that all lights and signa ls a re op ­
erati ng correctly .
.. Ma ke s ure that the tire pressure is correct .
.. Make s ure that all windows are clean and
afford good v is ibility to the o utside.
.. Secure a ll luggage a nd other items carefu lly
¢ page 87.
.. Make su re that nothing can in terfe re with
the peda ls.
.. Adjust fron t se at, head restraint and mir­
rors co rrec tly for you r heigh t.

.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re ­
straints according to their height.
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint
correctly to protect children
c:> page 200,
Child Safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passenge rs do the same
c:> page 71,
General recommendations .
.,. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly.
Also ins truc t your passengers to fasten their
safety belts properly
c:> page 170.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the
vehicle and a ll 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
c:> .&,. .
Therefore:
.. Do not let yoursel f be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (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 cond it ions .
.. 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 .
A WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a veh icle is being used.
Driving Safely 161
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 182 Correct seat ing pos it ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
follow ing position:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
wh ile keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
c:> .&,. .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact w ith it when you drive .
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and yo ur breast
bone ~
fig. 182. If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealer about adaptive equip­
ment .
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face.
.,. Grasp the top of the steer ing whee l 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 poss ible, try to adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
c:>page 174.

162 Driving Safely
• 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 72.
A 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 breast­
bone 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 per­
sonal 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. Hold­
ing the steering wheel the wrong way
can cause serious injuries to the hands,
arms and head if the driver's airbag de­
ploys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supple­
mental driver 's airbag to protect you in a
collision .
- Always sit in an upright position and nev­
er lean against or place any part of your
body too close to the area where the air ­
bags are located.
- Before driving, always adjust the front
seats and head restraints properly and
make sure that all passengers are prop­
erly restrained.
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle
is moving . Your seat may move unexpect­
edly and you could lose control of the ve­
hicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests
are tilted back, the greater the risk of in- jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
tion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats ¢
page 200. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat¢
page 179 .
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 recom ­
mend 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 whenever 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 163.
• Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of
the front passenger seat .
• Fasten and wear safety belts correct­
ly ¢
page 174 .
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see ¢
page 71.
A WARNING
-Front seat passengers who are unbelted,
out of position or too close to the airbag
can be seriously injured or killed by the air­
bag 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 po­
sition 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 instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of the ir own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt be longing to that
seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front
passenger seat and head restra int prop ­
erly .
- Always keep your feet on the f loor in
front of the seat. Never rest them on the
seat, instrument panel, out of the win­ dow, etc. The airbag system and safety
belt w il l not be ab le to protec t you prop­
er ly and can even increase the risk of in­
jury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined o r
ti lted far back! The farther the backrests
are ti lted back , the greater the risk of in ­
jury due to incorrect positioning of the
safety belt and improper seating posi­
t ion.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c> page 200 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat
on the front passenger seat
c> page 179 .
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 properly restrained whenever the vehicle is in use .
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incor ­
rect seat ing pos ition in the event of a sudden
brak ing maneuve r or an acc ident , your pas­
se ngers on the rea r bench seat must always
observe the fo llow ing :
~ If there are passengers in the rear seat, fold
the head rest ra ints up on the occupied seats
or slide the center head restrain t upward at
least to the next notch
c> page 77 .
Dr ivin g Sa fely 163
~ Make s ure that the seatback is secure ly
latch ed in the upright posi tion
c> page 79.
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front
of the rear seat.
~ F asten and wear safety be lt s properly
<=> page 174 .
~ Make sure that children are always properly
restrained in a child restraint that is appro­
pria te fo r the ir s ize and age ¢
page 200.
A WARNING
Passengers who are imp roperly seated on
the rear seat can be se riously inj ured in a
crash .
- Each passenger must always si t on a seat
of their own and properly fasten and
wear the safety belt belonging to that
seat .
- Safety belts only offer maximum protec­
tion when the seatback is sec urely latch­
ed in the upright position and the safety
be lt s are properly posit ioned on the
body . By not s itting up right, a rear seat
passenger increases the risk of personal
in jury from improperly positioned safety
be lts!
- Always adjust the head restraint p roperly
so that it can give maximum protection .
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re ­
straint system and can help to reduce the risk
of injuries in accident situations .
Fig. 1 83 Head restr ain t: v ie wed from th e front
The head restraints must be correct ly adjust-
ed to achieve the best protectio n. ..,.

164 Driving Safel y
• Adjust the head restraints so the upper
edge is as even as possible with the top of
your head. If that is not possib le, try to ad­
just the head restraint so that it is as close
to this position as possible
q fig. 183.
• If there are passengers in rear seat, fold the
head restraints up on the occupied seats or
s lide the center head restra int upward at
least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints
q page 76 .
A WARNING
-
Driv ing without head restraints or w ith
head restra ints that are not properly ad ­
justed increases the risk of serious o r fatal
neck injury dramatically. To help reduce
t he risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- E very pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int.
- Always make su re each pe rson in the ve­
hicle properly adjusts the ir head re­
straint. Ad just the head restraints so the
upper edge is as even as possib le with
the top of your head. If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have driven
off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
st rain t.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a ch ild restraint that is appro­
pr iate for their age a nd s ize
q page 200.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce 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 a re p roperly positioned on the body. Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness
of safety belts and will even in­
c rease the risk o f injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions also increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant w ho is
not in the proper s eating position. A dr iver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle o ccu­
pants and espec ially for child ren. The re fo re:
• Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
Q & .
The following bulletins list o nly some sample
pos itions tha t w ill increase the r isk of serious
i njury and dea th. O ur hope is that t hese exam­
ples will ma ke yo u more aware o f seat ing po­
s itions tha t a re dangerous.
Th erefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r sta nd up i n the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- neve r sit on the e dge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or
back of the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo a rea
A WARNING
Imp roper seating positions increase the
risk of ser ious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occ u-
pants stay in a proper seating position
and are properly restrained whenever the
veh icle is being used.

1 70 Safety belts
Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter exp lains why safety be lts a re nec ­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly .
.. Read a ll the informat ion that fo llows and
heed all of the instruct ions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of ser ious
personal in jury and death .
- Safety belts are t he sing le most effective
means avai lab le to red uce the risk of se­
r ious injury and dea th in a utomob ile acci ­
d ents . For your p rot ection and that of
yo ur passenge rs, alw ays co rrec tly wear
s afety belts when the vehicle is moving .
- P regnant wo men, injured, or physically
im paired perso ns mu st also use safe ty
bel ts. Lik e all veh icle occup ants, they are
more like ly to be ser iously injured if they
do not wea r safety be lts . 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 i n the t hird row. Each seating posi­
tion has a safety belt.
Vehicles with seven seats:* Your vehicles has
two front seats, three seats in the sec ond row
and two seats in the third row. Each seating
position has a safety belt .
A WARNING
Not wearing safety be lts or wear ing them
i mprope rly inc reases the r isk of serious
p ersonal injury and dea th.
- Never strap more than one person , in ­
cluding sma ll children, into a ny be lt . It is
esp ecia lly da nge ro us to p lace a safe ty
be lt ove r a ch ild sitt ing on your lap.
- Never let more p eopl e ride in th e vehicle
than there are safety belts availabl e .
- Be s ure everyone riding i n the vehicle is
p roperly rest rain ed w ith a separate sa fe­
ty belt o r chi ld restr aint.
Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importanc e
of buckling-up.
Fi g. 1 85 Safety be lt warning lig ht in the instr ument
cl uste r -e nlar ged
Before driving off, always :
.. Fasten you r safety belt and make sure you
are wear ing it properly .
.. Mak e sur e that you r passenge rs also buck le
up and prope rly wear their safety be lts.
.. Prote ct childre n wit h a child res train t sys-
t em app ro pr ia te for the s ize and age .
T he wa rn ing lig ht . in the instrument cluster
li ghts up w hen t he ignit ion is switched on as a
rem inder to f asten the sa fe ty belts. In addi ­
t ion, you will hear a w arning to ne for a cert ain
per iod of t ime.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your pa ssenger s also properly put on their
s afety belts .