2012 AUDI Q7 ECU

These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new chi ld seats.
I ns tal ling a child restraint that req uires a top
tether witho ut one can serio usly impair the
performance of the child restraint and its abil­
ity to protect the child i n a co llision . Installing
a child restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a vio lation of
state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower anchorages on their ch ild seats with
hook-on or push-on connectors attached to
adjustable straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these child restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to help keep the child
restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re­
st raint you intend to install in your veh i­
cle.
- Never install a child restraint witho ut a
properly attached top tether s trap if the
child restrain t manufacturer's instruc­
t ions requ ire the top tether strap to be
used.
- Improper use of c hild restra int LA TCH
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision . The LA TCH lower anchorage
points are des igned to w ithstand only
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anc horage point.
- Never secure o r attach any l uggage or
other item to the LATCH lower anchorag­
es.
(D Tips
- In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universa l anchorages" (or "lower
-
Child S afety 213
universal anchorage bars") a re used to
describe the system .
- In o ther coun tries, the term " ISOFIX" is
used to describe the lower anchorages .
Location
Fig. 208 Schemat ic overv iew : LA TCH anchorage po in t
l ocations
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your vehicle which are equipped with the low­
er anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating.
Fig. 209 Second row of seats: lower ancho rage bracket
l ocat io ns
Fi g. 210 Thi rd row of seats: locator buttons for lower
anc horages
II-

214 Child Safety
Attachment locator markers for lower
anchorages
The lower anchorage locations in the second
row of seats are indic ated by the attachment
locator marke rs of the lower anchorage brack­
ets
¢ fig. 209. Remove the covers to access
the lower anchorage brackets . C ircular locator
buttons on the th ird row of seats* ind icate the
l ower anchorage locations on the third row of
seats¢
fig . 210.
Lower anchorages
The lower anchorage attachment points are
located between the rear seatback and rear
seat cushion ¢
fig. 209 or¢ fig. 210 .
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety
belts. Anchorages prov ide a secure and easy­
to-use attachment and m inimize the possibili­
ty of improper chi ld restraint installation.
All child restra ints manufactured after Sep­
tember 1,
2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system.
Remember that the lower anchorage points
are only intended for installation and attach­
ment of child restraints specifically certified
for use w ith
LATCH lower anchorages . Child
restraints that are not equipped with the low­
e r anchorage attachments can still be instal­
l ed in compliance w ith the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions on using vehicle
safety belts.
_&. WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal injury in an ac­
cident.
- Always carefully fo llow the child re­
straints manufacturer's instruct ions for
proper installation of the child restraint
and proper use of the lower anchorages
or safety belts in your vehicle.
- Never secure o r attach any luggage or
other items to the
LATCH lower ancho­
rages . -
Always read and heed the important in·
formation about child restraints in this
chapter and WARNINGS ¢
page 200,
Child Safety.
Guidance fixtures for lower anchorages
App lies to vehicles: wit h third row seating
Special guidance fixtures increase the conven­
ience of the lower anchorages and are availa­
ble from your authori zed Audi dealer.
Fig . 211 Thir d row of seat s: in sta lling the guidance fix·
t u res
Fig. 212 Close-up : fitting the guida nce f ixture over t he
lowe r anchorage b racket
T he lower anchorage attachment poi nts are
located on the third row of seats between the
seatback and the seat cushion. Special guid­
ance fixtures increase the conven ience of the
lower anchorages and help protect the seat
material from possible damage when insta l­
ling child restraints.
Installing the guidance fixtures
" Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visible.
" Hold the guidance fixture with the part
number facing downward and push it in the
direction of the arrow onto the anchorage
¢ fig. 212 .

.. Make sure that each of the two guidance fix ­
tures per seat snaps into p lace.
Rem oving the guidance fi xture s
.. Remove the child restrai nt according the
child restra int manufacturer's instruct ions .
.. Push down on the seat cushion so that the
lower anchorages are visib le .
.. Pull
off the guida nee fix t u res from the low­
er anchorages.
.,. Always remove the guidance fixtures and
keep them in a safe place when not in use.
You may find it easier to install child re­
straints equipped with hooks attached to
straps without the guidance f ixtures in place.
If this is the case, remove the guidance fix­
tures by pull ing them
off the anchorages .
H owever, the guidance fixtures can he lp you
to locate the
LATCH anchorages.
_& WARNING
Improper use of tether anchorages or low­
er anchorages can cause serious personal
injury in a crash .
- Always carefully follow the ch ild re­
straint manufacturer 's instruct ions for
proper installation and use of child re­
straint systems.
- Never use the
LATCH or tether anchorag ­
es to attach safety belts o r other kinds of
occupant restraints .
- Child restraint tether attachments and
lower attachments are only designed to
secure a child restraint that has been equipped to use these anchorages.
- Tether anchorages and lower anchorages
are designed to withstand only those
loads imposed by correctly fitted chi ld
restraints. Under no circumsta nces can
they be used safely for adu lt or chi ld
safety belts o r harnesses .
- Never mount more than one ch ild re­
st raint to a sing le tether or to a lower an­
cho rage point. Attach ing two ch ild re­
st raints to a single anchorage point can
ca use the anchorage to fail and cause se­
rious persona l injury in a crash .
Child Safety 215
(D Note
-Remove the g uidance fixtures before
folding the rear seatback to prevent damaging the seat cushion .
- If you leave the guidance f ixtures instal­
led for several days , they could leave a
mark on the upholstery on the seat cush­
ion and backrest in the area that the
guidance fixtures were installed . The up ­
holstery would also be permanently
st retched a round the guidance fixtures.
T hi s app lies especia lly to leather seats.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in ­
structions.
F ig. 213 Lowe r anc horages : prope r mount ing
Mountin g
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in t he upright position and securely
latched in place .
.. Attach both hook-on co nnectors with the
spring catch release on the child safety seat
onto the LATCH lower anchorage so that the
connecto rs lock into place
~ fig. 213.
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH
lower ancho rage .
.. Pull straps tight fo llowing the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions.
Relea sing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following
the child restraint manufact urer's instruc ­
tions .

216 Child Safety
• Depress the spring catches to re lease the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag­
es.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restraint firmly in place.
A WARNING
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury
and death in an accident.
- These anchors were developed only for
child safety seats using the "LATCH" sys­
tem.
- Never attach other child safety seats,
belts or other objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click
when latching the seat in place. If you do
not hear a click the seat is not secure and
could fly forward and hit the interior of
the vehicle, or be ejected from the vehi­
cle.
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury in an acci­
dent.
- Always follow the child restraint system
man ufactur er's instr uctions for proper
installation of the child restraint system
and proper use of tether straps as we ll as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your vehicle.
-Always read and heed the important in­
format ion and WARNINGS about child
safety and the installation of child re­
straint systems¢
page 200, Child Safe­
ty.
-
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 214 T ether ancho rs for second row of seats: at­
tachment hook locations
Fig. 21S Tether anchors fo r th ird row of seats: attach­
m ent hook lo cations
T he tether anchors for the three rear seating
positions in the second row of seats are locat­
ed underneath the seats in the back
<=? fig. 214. For vehicles with third row seat­
ing*, the tether anchors for the two seating
pos itions in the third row of seats are stored
underneath a plastic cover cap in the floor
<=?fig. 215.
A tether is a stra ight or V-shaped strap that
attaches the top part of a ch ild restra int to
special anchorage po ints in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to reduce the for­
ward movement of the child restraint in a
crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by striking the ve­
hicle interior.
Forward facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new child
head movement performance requirements.
T hese new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats.

_& WARNING
Improper installation of child restraints
w ill increase the risk of injury and death in
a crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re­
st raint you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of ch ild restraint anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in­
jury in a co llision. The anchors are de­
signed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correct ly fi tted ch ild restraints.
- Never mount two child restrai nt systems
on one LA TCH lowe r ancho r po int.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tethe r strap or te ther anchorage.
- Never attach a tether st rap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use ch ild restra int tether ancho­
rages to secur e safety belts o r other
k inds of o ccupant rest ra ints.
- Never secure o r attach any l uggage or
other items to the LATCH lowe r ancho­
rages or to t he tethe r ancho rs.
- If a tether o r othe r strap is used to at­
ta ch a child rest raint to the front passen­
ger seat, make sure that it is not so
t ight, th at it c auses the weigh t-sensing
mat to measure mo re weig ht than is ac ­
t u ally on the seat.
- T he heav ier we ig ht reg iste red can make
the Advanced Airbag System work as
though an ad ult were on the seat and de­
ploy the Advanced Airbag w hen it must
be suppressed causing serious or even
fatal injury to the child .
- If you must install a rearward facing child safety seat on the front passenger
seat beca use of exceptional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
med iate ly install the rear -facing child
sa fety seat in a rear seating posi tion and
have the a irbag sys tem inspec ted by you r
Audi dealer .
Child Safety 21 7
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig . 21 6 Tet her s trap: prope r rout ing a nd m ounti ng
Fi g. 217 Tet her st rap fo r seco nd row se ats: prope r
rou ting and moun tin g
Installing the tether strap
... Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child res traint accord ing to the child re ­
st raint manufacture r's ins tructions .
... Guide the upper tether strap
und er the rear
head restraint and into the rear ca rgo area
(raise the head restraint if necessary) .
... Fo r the second row o f seats: Pull the floor­
ing back, in order to reach the anchor brack­
et
c:::> fig. 217 .
... For the third row of seats :* Remove the
plastic cover cap with a screw drive r, in orde r
t o reach the anchor bracket
c:::> page 216,
fig . 215.
... Slide the tether s trap hoo k over the anchor
bracket .
... Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly fo llow ing
the child restra int manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
.,. For the second row of seats: Push the floor­
ing forward into place again.

232 Driving o ff road
Driving off road
Driving in difficult road
conditions and offroad
General information
The operation of the E lectronic Stability Con­
trol (ESC) is expanded for operation away
from paved roads. In situations where slip or a
d ifferential locking function is required, the
ESC offroad mode can be act ivated
c::;, page 219 . Hill descent control is also availa­
ble in the ESC offroad mode, which automati­
cally b rakes the vehicle and thereby keeps
speed constant when diffe rent wheel speeds
a re detected when descending a hill
c::;, page 220. Your Audi also has permanent
a ll-whee l drive in addition.
H oweve r, your Aud i is not a pure off road vehi­
cle .
It was no t built for d riving unde r extreme
conditions, e .g. fo r trips that are in the natu re
of an expedit ion .
Dri ve only on road s and offroad section s
which match the de sign of y our vehicl e and
y ou r abilitie s as a dri ver. Never take risks!
Before driving offroad
- Check the eng ine oil level, ti re p ressu re ,
coolant level , and the fluid level in the w ind­
shield washe r reservo ir.
- Stow luggage items and o ther objects in the
luggage compartment, and secure t hem
against s liding aro und .
After driving offroad
- After trips offroad, remove any twigs and
othe r foreign objects from the grill, the un­
derbody and the wheels. Pay spec ia l atten­
t ion to fo re ign objects (stones) which have
be come lodged in the tire tread.
- Clean t he body a nd the veh icle unders ide,
and in spec t the veh icle for poss ible damage.
- Clean dirty w indows , headlamp lenses , rear
l ights, and li cense plates .
- Perfo rm a brake check (part icularly after
t ravel ling th rough water) .
A WARNING
-Drive especially attentively and plan
a head in d iff icu lt road conditions and
when off road. Excessive speed o r inco r­
rect maneuvers can cause injuries and
damage to the vehicle.
-
- Always adapt your speed and driving
style to road, offroad, t raff ic, and weat h­
er cond itions. Drive e specially slowly off­
ro ad when you r view is res tricted.
- Please be awa re that in ESC off road
mo de, particularly on a smoo th and s lip­
pe ry road, the wheels may have an in­
crease d tendency to sp in and the vehicle
may b reak away - danger of skidding!
- Stabili ty is limited in the ESC off roa d
mode .
@) For the sake of the environment
Avoid damage to t he environmen t an d re­
s pect na tu re .
(D Tips
Only d rive w here it is permitte d and stay
on marked road s and pat hs.
Explanation of some technical terms
The following data refe r to ideal cond itions.
Depend ing on veh icle load and gro und condi ­
tions and the environment, the numbers may
vary. It is the driver's responsibility to decide
whether a vehicle can overcome a specific s it­
uat io n
c::;, ,&. .
Gradient angle
The number of meters in alt itude ga ined over
a distance of 109.4 yards or 100 meters
(grade) are given as a percentage or degrees.
Information about the gradient the vehicle
can climb under its own power (depends in
part on the road surface and engine power) .
Max imum pe rm itt ed grade : 3 1
°
Later al angle (slope of vehicle )
Indicates the angle up to which the vehicle
can be driven diagonally or across the fall line ..,.

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen­
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, p lease remember
that the additional load will affect durability,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra­
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, always fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
activate the trailer operation mode
q page 154, Towing a trailer.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suita­ ble for your vehicle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on the vehicle's chassis at a
technically sound location. Use only a trailer
hitch with a removable ball mount. A lways
check with the trai ler hitch manufacturer to
make sure that you are using the correct
hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that
it does not interfere with the impact-absorb­
i ng bumper system. No mod ifications should
be made to the vehicle exhaust and brake sys­
tems . From time to time, check that all hitch
mounting bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer, remove the
trai ler hitch ball mount. This prevents the
hitch from causing damage should your veh i­
cle be struck from behind~.&.
Trailer towing 235
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing sys­
tem, check to be sure that it conforms to all
regulations.
T he trailer hydraulic bra ke system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system
q .& .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your veh icle
and the trai le r.
Trailer lights
Trailer lights must meet all regulations. Be
sure to check with your authorized Audi dealer
for correct wiring, sw itches, and relays.
M irr ors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you
using the regular outside mirrors, then you
must install extended mirrors.
It is important
that you always have clear v is ion to the rear.
_&. WARNING
- If a trailer has electrical brakes please
note that these brakes are not activated
by the factory-fitted control unit -risk of
accident!
- After removing the trailer hitch, do not
store it in you r vehicle. In case of sudden
brak ing, the hitch could fly forward and
injure you or your passengers.
- The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for your
Audi Q7 vehicle, found on the safety
compliance labe l on the driver's side 8 -
pillar, must never be exceeded under any
circumstances. Exceeding the Gross Vehi­
cle Weight Rating of your vehicle is likely
to damage your veh icle, and such dam­
age will not be covered by your Limited New Vehicle Warranty. Exceeding the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rat ing will a lso
change the performance and handling
characteristics of your vehicle, which
could cause a crash resulting in serious
injury or death.
-
•
•

236 Trailer to wing
-The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating for yo ur
Audi Q7 would be exceeded if your vehi­
cle is simultaneously equ ipped w ith Pan­
oramic sl iding sunroof; th ird-row seat­
ing; trailer towing equipment (factory or
dealer-installed), and running boards
(dea le r-installed) . UNDER NO C IRCUM­
STANC ES MAY AL L SUC H ITE MS BE IN­
STALLED ON THE SAM E VEH ICLE.
Operating instructions
MAX 6 .9 "
MAX175mm
E
"' E
"' .... a)
rt
Fig. 219 Permi tted ball p osit ion of the t ra iler hitc h
Traile r to wing we ight s
W it h a fac tor y-ins talled trailer hitch, the
maximum permissible trailer we ight is 6 ,615
lbs (3,000 kg) . The maximum permissible un­
braked trailer weight is 1,650 lbs (750 kg) .
W ith an aft er mar ket trailer hitch, the maxi­
m um permissible trailer we ight is 5,512 lbs
(2,500 kg) . These specifica tions apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Perm issible tongue load
F or best vehicle handli ng u nder these
changed condit ions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maxim um al ­
l owable or slightly lower. Yo u can get an ap­
proximation of the tongu e load with a bath­
room scale o r you c an measu re the load at a
trucking company or weighing s ta tion.
With a factory-in stalled trailer hitch, the
maximum permissib le load on the ball hitch
may not exceed 662 lbs (300 kg). With an af­
termarket trailer hi tch, the maximum permis­
sib le load on the ball h itch may not exceed 551
lbs (250 kg) . It is recommended to use
the maximum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the t ra iler is held secure ly
in place to prevent it from shift ing forward,
backward or sideways.
Nev er allow a pas seng er t o rid e in a trai ler
¢&. in Driving instructions on page 23 7.
Ball m ount
The trailer hi tch may only be used w ith suita­
ble ball mount and ball¢
fig. 219 . Installa ­
tion of the h itch ball must be carried out in ac­
cordance with the manufacturer's inst ruc­
tions . At the height dimens ion of 1.5 in
(38 .5 mm) a tolerance of+/- 0.5 in ( 12. 7 mm)
is permissible .
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­ er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
T ire pressur e
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold ti re pressu re listed under
" F u ll load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the drive r's side B­
pillar . Inflate trailer tires to t railer and tire
manufacturers' specifications.
Lights
T he headlight settings should be checked wi th
t h e trai ler attached before d riving
off. Check
to make s ure both vehicle and trailer lights
are worki ng properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trai le r to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the ch ains to pe r­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving. ..,.