2013 AUDI Q7 window

~ 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
j ust the head restraint so that it is as close
to this position as possible ¢
fig. 196.
~ If there are passengers in rear seat, fo ld the
head restraints up on the occupied seats or
s li de the center head restra int upward at
least to the next notc h.
Adjust ing head restraints ¢
page 76.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
st raints. Dr iv ing without head restra ints or
w it h head restra ints that a re not properly
adjusted incre ases the risk of ser ious or fa­
t al neck injury dramat ica lly. To help reduce
the risk of injury:
- Always drive wit h the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- E very person in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Alw ays make sure e ach pe rson in the ve­
hicle properly adjus ts the ir head re­
st raint . Adj ust the head rest rain ts so the
upper edge is as even as possib le wit h
the top of your head. If that is not possi ­
ble, try to adjust the head restra int 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 dr iver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
st ra in t.
- Children must always be properly re­
strained in a ch ild restrai nt that is app ro­
pr iate for their age and s ize
c> page 205.
Examples of improper seating posit ions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly seated.
Improper seat ing posit ions can cause serious
inju ry or death . Saf ety belts can on ly work
Dr iving S afel y 169
when they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions red uce the
effectiveness of safety belts and will even in ­
crease the r isk of injury and death by moving
the safety belt to crit ica l areas of the body.
Improper seating positions a lso increase t he
risk of serious in ju ry and death when an a ir­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the p roper sea ting posit ion. A dr iver is
responsible for the s afe ty of all ve hicle occu­
pan ts and espec ially for children . There fore:
~ Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating posi tion when the vehicle is being
used¢ &.
The following bullet ins list o nly some samp le
pos itions t hat will i ncrease the risk of se rio us
injury and dea th. O ur hope is that t hese exam­
ples will make yo u more aware o f seating po­
s itions tha t are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- neve r stan d up in the vehicle
- neve r stand on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride w it h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- neve r lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out the window
- neve r put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat cush ion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Imp roper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious 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
a nd are p roperly rest rained whenever the
veh icle is being used .
-
•
•

Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com­
partment.
Fig . 197 Safe load pos ition ing: place heavy objects as
low and as far forward as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the risk of serious personal injury in a sudden
veh icle maneuver or in a collision .
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage
compartment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy
items in the luggage compartment as low
and as far forward as possible
<=>fig. 197.
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid­
ed
¢ page 80.
.. Make sure that the rear seatback is secure ly
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle causing serious
personal injury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an acc ident. To help reduce the risk
of serious personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage
compartment us ing the tie-down eye lets
and suitable straps .
Drivin g Sa fely 1 71
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your ve­
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
injury:
-Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change in the cen­
ter of gravity can also cause changes in
veh icle handling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in
the luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rat­
ing or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
specified on the safety compliance stick­
er on the left door jamb. Exceeding per­
missible weight standards can cause the
veh icle to slide and handle differently.
- Please observe information on safe driv­
ing
<=>page 165 .
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, a lways
keep the rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than
-
those fitting comp letely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fu lly
closed .
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Panoramic sliding sunroof *,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument panel,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh a ir fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the Pano ramic s liding sunroof* and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked

172 Driving Safel y
to reduce the risk of inj ury 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 p lay in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupan ts must
always be proper ly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window
fogging . Sta le air escapes to the o utside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re
to keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load . The t ire pr essure is shown on the
tire p ressu re label. The tire pressure la­
bel is loc ate d on the driver's s ide B-pi lla r.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­
men ded cold t ire inflat ion pressu res for
the veh icle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufact ured.
For recommended t ire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
Q page284.
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 ¢ page 171 , Loading the luggage com ­
partment .
In a coll is ion, the laws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause se
rious injury. Items in t he vehi cle possess en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of t he item . Vehicle speed is the most
s ignificant factor.
F or example, in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10 -lb (5 kg) object a re abo ut 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would sudden ly be
about 200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imag ine the
injur ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing
fr ee ly t hro ugh the passenger compa rtment
cou ld cause in a col lision like this.
_& WARNING
We ak, damaged or imprope r straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
i ng hard braking or in a collision and cause
se rious pe rsonal injury.
-Always use s uita ble mo unt ing straps an d
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp pre­
vent items from shift ing or fly 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 dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat t ether
s trap to a t ie-down .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u b eli eve that your vehi cle
has a def ect whi ch could cau se
a crash or could cau se injury or
death, you should immediately
inform the National Highway
Traffic Safet y Administration ""

178 Safety belts
forces on the body more "tolerable" and less likely to cause injury.
Although these examples are based on a fron­
tal collision , safety belts can also substantial­
ly reduce the risk of injury in other kinds of
crashes . So, whether you're on a long trip or
just going to the corner store, always buckle
up and make sure others do, too. Accident sta­
tistics show that vehicle occupants properly
wearing safety belts have a lower risk of being injured and a much better chance of surviving
an accident . Properly using safety belts also
greatly increases the ability of the supplemen­
tal airbags to do their job in a collision. For
this reason, wearing a safety belt is legally re­
quired in most countries including much of
the United States and Canada.
Although your Audi is equipped with airbags ,
you still have to wear the safety belts provid­
ed. Front airbags, for example, are activated
only in some frontal collisions . The front air­
bags are not activated in all frontal collisions,
in side and rear collisions, in roll overs or in
cases where there is not enough deceleration
through impact to the front of the vehicle .
The same goes for the other airbag systems in
your Audi. So, always wear your safety belt
and make sure everybody in your vehicle is
properly restrained!
Important safety instructions about
safety belts
Safety belts must always be correctly posi­ tioned across the strongest bones of your
body.
.. Always wear safety belts as illustrated and
described in this chapter.
.. Make sure that your safety belts are always
ready for use and are not damaged.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death. Safety belts can
work only when used correctly . -
Always fasten your safety belts correctly
before driving off and make sure all pas­
sengers are correctly restrained.
- For maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned properly on
the body.
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt .
- Never place a safety belt over a child sit­
ting on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front
of the seat while the vehicle is being driv­
en.
- Never let any person ride with their feet
on the instrument panel or sticking out
the window or on the seat.
- Never remove a safety belt while the ve­
hicle is moving. Doing so will increase
your risk of being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
- Never wear belts over rigid or breakable
objects in or on your clothing, such as
eye glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these
may cause injury .
-Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat
hardware.
- Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of posi­
tion .
- Several layers of heavy clothing may in­
terfere with correct positioning of belts
and reduce the overall effectiveness of
the system.
- Always keep belt buckles free of anything that may prevent the buckle from latch­
ing securely .
- Never use comfort clips or devices that create slack in the shoulder belt . Howev­
er, special clips may be required for the
proper use of some child restraint sys­
tems .
- Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an
accident. Inspect belts regularly. If web-
bing , bindings, buckles, or retractors are .,,.

away by getting out of the vehicle or
opening windows or doors.
-If you are in a collision in which airbags
deploy, wash your hands and face with
mild soap and water before eating.
- Be careful not to get the dust into you r
eyes, or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue should get into your eyes,
flush them with water.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag
System
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function
of the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag
monitoring indicator light and the
PA SSEN ·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the
e lectronic control unit, sensor circuits and sys­
tem wiring) is monitored cont inuously to
make sure that it is functioning properly
whenever the ignit ion is on . Each t ime you
turn on the ignition, the airbag monitoring in­
d icator light
I will come on for a few seconds
(sel f diagnos tics) .
The system must be inspected when the
indicato r light
I:
- does not come on when the ignit ion is
switched on
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have swi tched o n the ignition, o r
- comes on w hile driving
If an airbag system malfunct ion is detected,
the indicator light will first start flashing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminde r
to have the system inspected immediately.
If a malfunction occurs that tur ns the front
a irbag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light w ill come on and stay
on w henever the ignition is on.
A irbag system 195
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
p roperly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light comes on, it
means that there may be something
wrong with the Advanced Airbag System .
I t is poss ible that the ai rbag w ill inflate
when it is not supposed to, or will not in­
fla te when it sho uld.
- Have the airbag system inspe cted imme­
diate ly by yo ur aut ho rized Aud i dea ler.
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
Fi g. 212 Sec tion fro m th e in str um ent pa nel: PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG O FF light
-
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is loca ted
i n the center of the instrument pa ne l
¢ fig. 212 .
The PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht will come
o n and stay on to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electronic control unit. Each
t ime yo u turn on the ignition, the
PASSEN·
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flash for a few
seconds and:
- w ill stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied
- w ill stay on if there is a small chi ld or child
restraint on the front passenger seat
- w ill go out if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the
weight-sensing mat
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must
come on and sta y on
if the ignition is on and ..,.
•
•

not work properly when the vehicle
acceleration in a side collision is high
enough to activate the airbag.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­ duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 214 Inflated side airbags on left side of veh icle,
rear side airbag optional equipment
When the system is triggered, the airbag is
filled with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIR­
BAG". It expands between the side trim panel
and the passenger . In order to help provide
this additional protection, the side airbag must inflate within a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force. The sup­
plemental side airbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
plemental side airbag expands. This applies
especially to children
¢ page 205, Child Safe­
ty.
Supplemental side airbags inflate between
the occupant and the door panel on the side
of the vehicle that is struck in certain side col­
lision
~ fig . 214.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper
part of the body .
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­ ploys. This is normal and does not mean there
is a fire in the vehicle.
Airbag system 201
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Al­
ways properly wear safety belts and ride in a
proper seating position.
There is a lot that you and your passengers
must know and act accordingly to help the
safety belts and airbags do their job to pro­
vide supplemental protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a vehicle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and
never lean against the area where the
supplemental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest
their head against the side trim panel
in the area where the supplemental
side airbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window.
-Always make sure that the side airbag can inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replace­
ment upholstery over the front seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags deploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.

202 Airbag system
-Objects between you a nd the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an acc ident
by interfering wit h the way the airbag
unfolds or by be ing pushed into you as
the a irbag inflates .
- Never p lace or a ttach accessories or
other objects (such as cupholders, tele­
phone brackets, or even large, bulky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat
backrests.
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous projectiles and cause
injury when the supplemental s ide air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in t he
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this posit ion.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only
for lightwe ight clothing . Never leave any
heavy o r sharp-edged objects in the
poc ke ts that may in terfere with side air­
bag dep loyment and can cause personal
injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knoc king
against o r hitti ng the sides of the seat ­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the a irbag has been triggered ,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the origina l seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Aud i dealer.
- If children a re seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
acc ident
q page 205, Child Safety.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in a ny way.
- In a side co llision, s ide airbags will not
f unction properly if senso rs cannot cor­
rect ly measure increasing air p ressu re in­
s ide the doors when air escapes t hro ugh larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never dr ive with inte rior door t rim pan­
els removed.
- Never dr ive when parts have bee n re­
moved from the inside door pane l and
the ope nings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never dr ive when loudspe akers in the
doo rs have been removed unless the
speake r holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain tha t openings are
cove red or f ille d if ad dit iona l speakers
o r other equipment is insta lled in the
inside door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by
an a uthorized Audi dea ler or q ualified
wor kshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbags can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants .
Fig. 21S Side curtain a irbags, driver 's side : locat ion
T he side c urtai n airbags are located on bot h
s ides of the interior above the front and rear
s ide windows
c!;J fig . 215. They are identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar .
T he side c urtain airbag system s upplements
t h e safety be lts and can he lp to red uce the
risk of in jury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side collision. The side curtain airbag ..,.

inflates in side impacts and only when the ve­
hicle acceleration registered by the control
un it is high enough. If this rate is below the
reference value programmed into the contro l
unit, the side airbags will not be triggered,
even though the car may be badly damaged as
a result of the coll ision.
It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that will
cover eve ry possible angle of impact, since the
circumstances w ill vary considerably be tween
one co llision and another . Important factors
include, for examp le, the natu re (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
veh icle speed, etc. c::>
page 203, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe ­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in posit ion in the event of a co lli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a s ubstitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it prope rly. Thi s
i s another reason why you sho uld always wear
your safety bel ts, not just beca use the law re­
q ui res you to do soc::>
page 175, General
notes.
It is important to rememb er that while the
side curta in a irbag sys tem is designed to he lp
r educe the like lihood of se rious injur ies, other
in ju ries, for example, swell ing, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these a irbags w ill dep loy on ly once and
only in certain kinds of accidents - your safety be lts are a lways there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag sy stem ba sicall y
consi sts of:
- The electronic control mod ule and external
s ide impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side windows
A irba g sy stem 203
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itored e lec tronically
to make ce rtain i t is func tioning prope rly at all
times . Each time you turn on the ignit ion, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (self diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag i s not activat ed :
- if the ignition is turned off
- in side co llisions whe n the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in rea r-end collisions.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro te ction when occup ants
are in the proper seating posi tion
c::>
page 71, General recommendations.
- If th e air bag ind icator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized A udi dealer . The side curtain
airbag may not work properly even when
the vehicle acce lerat ion in a side collision
is high enough to activate the airbag.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
ore properly restrained.
Fi g. 216 Illustrat io n of pr incip le: Inflated side curtai n
a irbags on the left s ide
-
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
IIJ,,