2012 AUDI Q7 ESP

filled out, the vehicle is at high level 2 and has
the greatest amount of ground clearance pos­
sib le.
Wh ile the vehicle is be ing raised or lowered,
the target level is indica ted by an arrow@
¢ fig. 174 or a white border @~ fig. 175 . The
arrow/border disappears aga in when the vehi­
cle is at the target level.
Limitation s to MMI s ettin gs
Please note that not eve ry dr iving mode can
be selected in every driving situation . For ex­
ample , it is not possible to switch to "lift"
mode at speeds above 12 mph (20 km/h) .
This mode is then shown
greyed out in the
MMI Display .
The vehicle can only be lowered when
a ll of
the vehicle's doors are closed. If one door is open, all driving modes whose level setting is
belo w the current vehicle level appear
greyed
out
in the MMI Display . If a door is opened
while the veh icle is being lowered , the lower­
ing process is inte rrupted until all doors are
closed again.
If the system is temporarily unava ilable due
to, for instance, an empty compressed air
tank, the driving modes that cannot be set ap­ pear
greyed out in the MM I Disp lay. As soon
as the system is available again, the drivi ng
modes can once more be selected in the dis­
p lay.
@ Tips
- For additional informat io n on the driving
modes ~
page 150, Chassis controls .
-When the compressed air tank is empty,
the comp ressor can be switched on by
starting the engine. The Adaptive Air
Suspension is once again available, after
waiting a few minutes.
- To prevent overload, the system switches off temporarily if several adjustments
are made in a row. The Adaptive Air Sus­pension is once again available, after
waiting a few m inutes.
Ad apti ve A ir Sus pension 15 3
Appearance in the instrument cluster
d isplay
Appl ies to vehicles: wi th Adaptive A ir Suspensio n
You can view the current vehicle level in the
instrument cluster display.
Fi g. 17 6 Disp lay: Adapt ive A ir Suspensio n
Fig. 177 Disp lay: Adapt ive A ir Suspension
Repeated, brief tapping of the I RESE T I button
on the windshield wiper lever allows you to
select whether information concerning the
trip computer, digital tachometer, navigat ion *
or "Adapt ive A ir Suspens ion" is to appear in
the instrument cluster d isp lay.
Display of the Adaptive Air S uspension is auto­
matic when the offroad or lift mode is select­
ed, or when the vehicle is automatically low­
ered in lift mode.
Rai sing and lowe ring
If arrow (Dis
white¢ fig. 176 or~ fig. 177,
the vehicle is raised .
If arrow @is
white, the vehicle is lowered .
The respective arrow stays on until the level
c hange is complete. The time required for a
level cha nge can va ry, depending on the cur -
ren t driving conditions . .,..

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.

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.

to reduce the risk of injury when the vehi­
cle is not be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make
sure that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended es­
pecially with the rear lid left open . A
child could crawl into the vehicle through
the luggage compartment and close the
rear lid becoming trapped and unable to
get out . Be ing trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious persona l injury .
- Never let children play in or around the vehicle .
- Never let passe ngers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Ve hicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air c irculation helps to reduce window
fogging . Sta le air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re
to keep these slots free and open .
-The t ire pressure must correspond to the
load. The t ire pressur e is shown o n the
tire p ress ure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is loc ated on the d river's s ide B-pi ll a r.
The t ire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold ti re inflat ion pressu res for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weig ht and the tires that were on you r
vehicle at the time it was man ufactured .
For recommended t ire pressures fo r nor­
mal load conditions, please see chap ter
c:> page278 .
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with
four tie-downs to secure luggage and other
items .
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo prop­
erly
c:> page 166, Loading the luggage com ­
partment.
In a coll is ion, the l aws of phys ics mean that
even smalle r items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
Dr iving S afel y 167
serious injury. Items in the ve hicle possess en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and th e
weight o f the item . Vehicle speed is the most
s ignificant factor.
Fo r example, in a fronta l collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10 -lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 t imes the
no rmal weight of the item. This means t hat
the weigh t of the item would sudden ly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imag ine the
i njur ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing
fr eely th ro ugh the passenger compar tme nt
c ould cause in a co lli sion like this.
A WARNING
We ak, dam aged or imprope r str aps used
to secure items to tie -downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serio us personal injury .
-Always use s uita ble mount ing stra ps and
properly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtme nt to he lp pre­
vent items from shift ing or f ly ing fo r­
ward as dangerous missiles .
-When the rea r seat backrest is folded
down, a lways use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to hel p prevent items from fly ing for­
ward as da ngerous missiles into the pas­
s enger compartment .
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat te th er
s trap to a t ie- down .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you b elieve that your v ehi cle
has a d efe ct whi ch could cause
a crash or could cause injury or
d eath, you should imm ediately
inform the National Highway
Tr affic Safet y Admini stration ..,.
•
•

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 .

17 4 S afet y belt s
damaged, have belts replaced by an au­
thorized Aud i dealer or qualified
workshop.
- Safety belts that have been worn and
loaded in an accident must be replaced
with the correct rep lacement safety be lt
by an authorized Audi dea le r. Replace­
ment may be necessary even if damage
c anno t be clear ly seen. Anchorages that
we re loaded m ust also be inspected.
- Never remove, modify, disass emble, or
t ry to repa ir t he safety be lts yourself.
- Always keep the belts clean . Dirty belts
may not wo rk p roperly and can impa ir
the funct io n of t he in ertia ree l
¢ page 248, Safety bel ts.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Seat first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 191 Belt buckle and to ngue o n th e dr iver 's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the
wearer 's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restra int
properly¢
page 71, General recommenda­
tions .
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
b ench is in a n upright pos ition and securely
l atched in p lace before using the belt ¢&_ .
.. Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest and pe lvis ¢
.&,.
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hea r it latc h securely
¢ fig . 191.
.. Pull on the belt to ma ke sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buck le .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Eve ry safety belt is equipped with an automat­
i c be lt r etractor on t he shou lde r belt. This fea­
tu re loc ks the belt when t he be lt is pulled out
fast, during hard braking and in an accident .
The be lt may a lso lock when you drive up or
down a steep h ill or thro ugh a sharp curve.
D uring normal driving the belt lets you move
freely .
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre­
tensioner that he lps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac ­
tivated. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a war ning light¢
page 16.
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the d river
seat is equipped with a sw itchab le locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety be lt is
used to attach a c hild safety seat. Be sure to
read the important information about this
feature ¢
page 209 .
A WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts can
cause ser ious injury in an accide nt
¢ page 17 5, Safe ty belt po sition .
-
-Safety b elts offer opt imum p rotect ion
only whe n the sea tbac k is u prigh t an d
be lts ar e pr operly posit ioned on the
body .
- Always ma ke sure that the rear sea t
b a ckrest to wh ich the center rear safety
be lt is at tached is secure ly latched when ­
ever the rear center safety belt is being
used . If the backrest is not secure ly
latched, the passenger w ill move for­
ward with the backrest dur ing sudden
brak ing, in a sudden maneuver and espe­
cially in a c rash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck-
le for another seat . Attaching the belt to .,_

Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries .
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause se­
rious injury or death. Safety belts can only
work when they are correctly positioned on the body . Improper seating positions reduce
the effectiveness of safety belts and will even increase the risk of injury and death by mov­
ing the safety belt to critical areas of the
body . Improper seating positions also in­
crease the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion . A driver is responsible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for chil­
dren . Therefore:
... Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
sitting position in the vehicle while traveling
¢ ,& .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occu­
pants are correctly restrained and stay in
a correct seating posit ion whenever the
vehicle is be ing used.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
c:>page 173.
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear -end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety
belts are tensioned automatically.
The safety belts are equipped with safety belt
pretensioners . The system is activated by sen­
sors in front, side and rear-end collisions of
great severity and in a rollover. This tightens
the belt and takes up be lt sla ck
c:> .& in Service
Safety belts 177
and disposal of safety belt pretensioner on
page 178.
Taking up the slack helps to reduce
forward occupant movement dur ing a colli­
sion.
@ Note
Never let the belt remain over a rear seat­
back that has been fo lded forward.
(D Tips
The safety belt pretensioner can only be
activated once.
- In minor frontal and side collisions, in
rear-end collisions and in accidents in­
volving very little impact force, the safe­
ty belt pretensioner are not activated.
- When the safety belt pretensioners are
activated, a fine dust is re leased. This is
normal and is not caused by a fire in the
vehicle.
- The re levant safety requirements must
be observed when the vehicle or compo­
nents of the system are scrapped. An au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop is familiar w ith these regulations
and w ill be pleased to pass on the infor­
mation to you.
- Be sure to observe all safety, environ­
menta l and other regulations if the veh i­
cle or ind ividual parts of the system, par­
ticularly the safety belt or airbag, are to
be disposed. We recommend you have
your authorized Audi dealer perform this
service for you.
Service and disposal of safety belt
pretensioner
The safety belt pretens ioners are parts of the
safety belts on your Audi. Insta lling, remov­
ing, servic ing or repair ing of belt pretension­
ers can damage the safety belt system and
prevent it from working correctly in a colli­
s ion .
T he re are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of .,. •
•