2013 AUDI Q7 Media

194 Airbag sys te m
- when the weight on the front passenger
seat as sensed by the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem indicates that the front airbag on the
passenger side has to be turned off by the
electron ic control unit (the
PA SSEN GER AIR
BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on)
A WARNING
Sitting in the wrong position can increase
the risk of serious injury in crashes.
- To reduce the r isk of injury when the air­
bags inflate, the driver and passengers
must always sit in an upright position,
must not lean against o r place any pa rt
of the ir body too close to the area where
the airbags are located .
- Occ upants who are unbelted, out of posi­
t ion or too close to the airbag can be se­
riously injured by an airbag as it unfolds
with great force in the blink of an eye
¢page 186.
A WARNING -
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat installed on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
the front a irbag inflates -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- The inflating a irbag will hit the child
safety seat or infant carrier with great
force and w ill smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armres t, door or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward-fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of excep tional circ umstan­
ces and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im­
mediately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will
i nc rease the r isk of injury in a crash by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds
or by be ing pushed into you as the airbag
i n flates.
- Never hold things in yo ur hands or on
your lap when the veh icle is in use.
- Never transpo rt items on or in the area
of the front passenger seat. Objects
could move into the a rea of the front air­
b ags du ring bra king or other sudden ma­
neuvers and become dangero us projec­
tiles that can cause serious personal in­
jury if the ai rbags inflate.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or oth­
er objects (such as cupholde rs, tele­
phone brackets, large, heavy or bulky ob­
jects) on the doors, ove r or near the area
marked "AIRBAG" on the steer ing whee l,
instrument panel , seat backrests or be­
tween those areas and yourself . These
objects could ca use in jury in a c rash, es­
pecially when the airbags infla te.
- Never recline the front passenger 's seat
to transpo rt objects . Items can a lso
move into the a rea of the s ide airbag or
the front airb ag d uring bra king or in a
sudden maneuve r. Objects nea r the air­
bags can become projectiles and cause
in ju ry, partic ularly when the seat is re­
clined.
- Never tilt the front passenger seat back­
rest forward when the vehicle is moving .
An inflating a irbag w ill force the back­
rest backward and can injure rear seat oc­
cupants.
A WARNING
The fine dust created when airbags deploy
can cause breathing prob lems for people
with a history of asthma or other breath­ i ng cond itions.
-
- To reduce the risk of breath ing problems,
those with asthma o r othe r respiratory
....__ c_ o_ n_ d_ it_ i_o _ ns_ s_ ho _u_ l_ d ....:g:_ e_ t_ f_re _s_ h _ a_ i_r _ri ..::g :....h _t __
_J .,.

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 ..,.
•
•

198 Airbag system
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light will stay on.
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi . Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working p roperly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis­
carded components do not cause injury or pol­
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal in­
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cu­
pholders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the material so that the airbag cannot de­
ploy and protect properly.
- Never repair , adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru­
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys­
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- 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
inflate.
- 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. - The airbag system can be activated only
once. After an airbag has inflated, it
must be replaced by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified technician who has
the technical information, training and
special equipment necessary.
- The airbag system can be deployed only once . After an airbag has been deployed,
it must be replaced with new replace­
ment parts designed and approved espe­
cially for your Audi model version . Re­
placement of complete airbag systems
or airbag components must be per­
formed by qualified workshops only. Make sure that any airbag service action
is entered in your Audi Warranty
& Main­
tenance booklet under
AIRBAG REPLACE­
MENT RECORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech­
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter­
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified dealer - risk of an accident!

200 Airbag system
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests ¢
fig. 213 and the rear
backrest* facing the doors. They are ident ified
by the word "AIRBAG".
The side airbag system basically consists of:
-the e lectronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags (as an ordered
option)
-the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument
cluster .
The airbag system is monitored electron ically
to make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times. Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the driver's, front and rear* passeng­
er's upper torso on the side of the veh icle that
i s struck in a side collision . Th e airbag deploys
on ly in side impacts and only when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control unit is
high enough . If this rate is below the refer­
ence value programmed into the control unit,
the side airbags will not be triggered, even
though the car may be badly damaged as a re­
sult of the collision. It is not possible to de­
f in e an a irbag tr igger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact ,
vehicle speed, etc . ¢
page 201, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function , safe­
ty belts work to help keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
coll ision so that th e side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety be lt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc ­
cupant restraint system in your vehicle . Al­
ways remember that the side airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wearing it properly. This
is another reason why you should a lways wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re­
quires you to do so¢
page 175, General
notes .
It is important to remember that wh ile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injur ies, for example, swelling, bru is in g,
and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags . Remember too,
s ide airbags will dep loy only once and only in
certain kinds of accidents - your safety belts
are always there to offer protection.
Vehicle damage , repair costs or even the lack
of vehicl e damage are not necessarily an indi­
cation of over-sensitive or failed airbag activa­
t ion. In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, that air ­
bags will deploy only once and only in certain
k inds of co llisions -yo ur safety belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acc i­
den ts in which airbags are no t supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is t urned off
- in side collisions when the acceleration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rea r-end collisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front airbags ,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
triggered together .
A WARNING
-
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
ar e in the proper seating position
¢page 201.
- If the airbag indicator light comes on
when the vehicle is being used, have the
system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. The airbag may

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,,

206 Child Saf ety
- Always install rear-facing child safety
seats on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward facing
ch ild safety seat on the front passenger
seat in exceptiona l circumstances and
the
PAS SENGER AIR BA G OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately
install the rear-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating posit ion and have the air­
bag system inspec ted immediately by
yo ur Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If, in exceptional c ircumstances, you mus t
install a forward -facing child restra int on
the front passenger's seat:
- Always make su re the forward-fac ing
seat has been designed and certified by
its manufacturer for use on a front seat
with a passenger front and side airbag.
- Always follow the man ufacturer's in­
struct ions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move t he passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat 's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible before installing
the ch ild restraint. The backrest must be
adjusted to an upr ight position .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays
on all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
(D Tips
Always rep lace child rest raints that were
installed in a vehicle during a crash. Dam­
age to a child rest raint that is not visible
could cause i t to fail i n another collisio n
si tua tion.
Advanced front airbag system and
children
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced
A irbag System" in compliance w ith United
States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time you
r
vehicle was manufacture d.
T he Adv anced Airbag system in yo ur vehicle
has been certified to mee t the "low-risk" re­
quirements for 3-and 6-year old children on
the passenger side and sma ll adults on the
drive r side. The low r is k dep loyment cr iteria
are intended to red uce the risk of in jury
through interact ion w it h the airbag that can
occur, for example, by being too close to the
steering wheel and instrument panel when
the a irbag inflates . In addition, the syst em
has been ce rtified to comply wit h the "sup­
pression" re quirements o f th e Safety Sta nd­
ard, to t urn off the fron t airbag for infan ts up
to 12 months who are res trained on the front
passenger seat in child restraints that a re list­
ed in the Standard.
E ven though your veh icle is eq uipped wit h an
Advanced Airbag system , a ll children, espe­
cia lly those 12 years and yo unger, should a l­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained
for their age and size. The airbag on the pas­
senger side makes the front seat a potentially
dangerous place for a ch ild to ride . The front
seat is not the safest p lace for a ch ild in a for­
ward-fac ing ch ild safety seat. It can be a ve ry
dange rous place fo r an infan t or a large r child
i n a rea rward-f acing se at.
Advanced Airbags and the weight­
sensing mat in the front seat
The Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle
detects the presence of an infant or child in a
c h ild restra int on the front passenge r seat us­
i ng the weig ht-sens ing mat in the seat cush ­
ion and the sensor be low th e safe ty belt latch
o n the front passenge r seat that measures t he
tens ion on the s afety be lt.
T he we ight -sensi ng mat measures total
we ight of t he chi ld and the ch ild safety seat
and a c hild b la nk et on the front passenger
seat. The we igh t on the fron t pa sse nger se at
is re late d t o the desig n of the ch ild res trai nt
and its "f ootprint", the s ize and shape o f the
bottom of the chi ld restraint as it sits on the .,..