2014 AUDI Q7 page 27

168 Driving Safely
• 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 adjust
the head restraint so that it is as close to
this position as possible
Q fig . 194.
• If there are passengers in rear seat, fo ld the
head restraints up on the occupied seats or
s lide the cent er head restra int upward at
least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints
Q page 77 .
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Dr iv ing without head restraints or
w ith head restra ints tha t are not properly
adjusted incre ases the risk of ser io us or fa­
t al neck injury dramat ically. To help reduce
the risk of inju ry:
- Always drive with the he ad restraints in
place and proper ly adjusted.
- E very pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly ad justed head restra int .
- Alw ays m ake su re e ach pe rso n i n the ve­
hicle proper ly adjusts the ir head re­
st raint . Ad just the head restrain ts so the
upper edge is as even as possi ble 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 rest raint
wh ile driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the dr ive r head rest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safe ly be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
s t rain t.
- Children must always be properly re­
stra ined in a ch ild restrai nt tha t is appro­
pr iate for their age a nd s ize
Q page 204.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only re­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are
properly sea ted.
Imp roper sea ting posit ions can ca use serio us
in ju ry or death . Safe ty belts can on ly work when they are properly positioned on the
body. Improper seating positions red uce the
effectiveness of safety belts and wi ll 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 inc rease the
risk of ser ious in jury and death when an a ir­
bag dep loys and str ikes an occupant w ho is
not in the p roper seating posi tion. A dr iver is
responsible fo r the s afety of all ve hicle occu­
pan ts and espec ially for child ren . There fore :
• Never allow anyone to assume an incor rect
seating posi tion when the vehicle is bei ng
used
Q .&, .
The following bulle tins list o nly some sample
pos it ions that 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 that are dangerous .
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never sta nd up in t he vehicle
- neve r sta nd on the seats
- neve r kneel on the seats
- neve r ride wit h the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- neve r lean up against the instrument panel
- neve r sit on the edge of the seat
- neve r sit sideways
- neve r lean out t he window
- neve r put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cush ion or
back of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the ca rgo a rea
A WARNING ._
Improper seating posit ions 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 p roperly rest rained whenever the
veh icle is being used .
-

1 7 0 Dr iving Safel y
Stowing luggage
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be prop­
erly stowed and secured in the luggage com ­
partment.
Fig . 195 Safe load position ing: place heavy objects as
low a nd as far forward as possible.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling
characteristics . Loose items can also increase
the r isk of serious personal injury in a sudden
vehicle 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. 195.
,. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provid­
ed
¢ page Bl.
,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
l atched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items
can fly through the vehicle caus ing serious
personal inj ury in the event of hard brak­
ing or an acc ident. To help reduce the r isk
of serious personal injury :
- Always put objects, for example, luggage
or other heavy items in the luggage com­
partment.
- Always secu re objects in the luggage
compartment using the tie-down eyelets
and suitable straps.
A WARNING
-Heavy loads wi ll influence the way your ve-
hicle handles. To help reduce the risk of a
loss of control leading to serious personal
in jury:
-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
r=;,page 164.
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 fully
closed.
- If you absolutely m ust 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
pane l,
- Switch off the air recirculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof * and
the rear lid are securely closed and locked
-

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 play in or around the vehicle .
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle 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 sure
to keep these slots free and open .
-The t ire pressure must correspond to the
load. The t ire pressure is shown on the
tire p ress ure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the d river's s ide B-pi llar.
The t ire pressure label lists the recom­
mended cold tire inflat ion pressures for
the vehicle at its maximum capacity
weight and the tires that were on your
vehicle at the time it was manufactured .
For recommended t ire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions, please see chapter
c:> page277 .
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 1 70, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a coll is ion, the l aws of phys ics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
Dr iving S afel y 171
serious injury. Items in the veh icle possess en ­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and th e
weight of the item . Vehicle speed is the most
s ignificant factor.
For example, in a fronta l collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a
10 -lb (5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means th at
the weigh t of the item would suddenly be
about 200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the
i njur ies that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying
freely th rough the passenger compartment
could cause in a co llision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used
to secure items to tie-downs can fail dur­
ing hard braking or in a collision and cause
serious personal injury.
-Always use s uitable mount ing straps and
properly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compartment to he lp pre­
vent items from shift ing or f lying fo r­
ward as dangerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded
down, a lways use suitable mounting
straps and properly secure items to the
tie-downs in the luggage compartment
to help p revent items from fly ing for­
ward as dangerous missiles into the pas­
senger compartment .
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat tether
strap to a t ie-down .
Reporting Safety
Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u b elieve that your vehicle
ha s a defec t w hi ch could cau se
a c rash or co uld cause i njur y or
d ea th, you sh ould imm ediat ely
inform th e National Hi ghwa y
Tr affi c Sa fet y Admini strati on ..,.
•
•

178 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 reel¢
ta­
ble Cleaning in terior on page 246.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 2 02 Belt buckle and tongue 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 72, General recommenda­
tions .
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in a n upright pos ition and securely
l atched in place before using the belt ¢&_ .
.. Hold the belt by the to ngue and pull it even­
l y across the chest and pelvis
c:::> &, .
.. Inse rt the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hea r it latc h securely
¢ fig . 202.
.. Pull on the belt to ma ke sure t hat it is se -
curely latched in the buck le .
Automatic safety belt retractors
Eve ry safety belt is equipped with an automat­
ic be lt r etractor on t he shou lde r belt. This fea­
tu re locks the belt when the 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 hi ll 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 ­
t ivated. 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
c:::> page 214.
A WARNING
Imp roperly posit ioned safety be lts can
cause ser ious injury in an accide nt
c:::> page 179, Safe ty belt posi tion.
-
- Safety b elts offer opt imum protect ion
only whe n the sea tbac k is u prigh t an d
be lts a re pr operly posit ioned on the
body .
- Always m ake sure that the rear sea t
b a ckrest to wh ich the center rear s afety
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 .,_

the wrong buckle will reduce safety belt
effectiveness and can cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- A passenger who is not properly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by the safety
belt i tself when it moves from the stron­
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen .
- Always lock the convertible locking re­
tractor when you are secur ing a child
safety seat in the vehicle~
page 216.
Safety belt position
Correc t bel t posi tion is the key to ge tting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 203 Safety belt pos it io n
Standard features on your vehicle help you ad­
just the position of the safety belt to match
your body size.
- belt height adjustment for the front seats
and the outer seating positions in the sec­
ond row seating,
- height-adjustable front seats.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
-
- The shoulder belt should lie as close to
the center of the collar bone as possible
and should fit well on the body. Ho ld the
belt above the latch tongue and pull it
evenly across the chest so that it sits as
low as possible on the pelvis and there is
no pressure on the abdomen . The belt
Safety belts 179
should always fit snugly= fig. 203. Pull
on the belt to tighten if necessary.
- The lap belt portion of the safety belt
must be positioned as low as possible
across pelvis and never over the abdo­
men . Make sure the belt lies flat and
snug ¢
fig. 203 . Pull on the belt to tight ­
en if necessary .
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause seri­
ous injuries by shifting its pos ition on
your body from the strong bones to more
vulnerable , soft tissue and cause serious
injury.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information
¢ page 177 .
Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make
sure that expectant mothers always wear
saf ety belts correctly -throughout the preg­
nancy.
Fig. 204 Safety belt pos ition du ring pregnan cy
To provide max imum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body
¢ page 179 .
... Adjus t the fron t seat and head restra in t cor­
rectly ¢
page 72, General recommenda ­
tions .
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat
bench is in an upright position and securely
latched in place before using the belt.
... Hold the belt by the tongue and pu ll it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis¢
fig. 204,
=A . ~

180 Safety belts
• Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your sea t until you hear it latch securely
¢ page 178, fig. 202.
•Pullon the belt to make sure that it is se ­
curely latched in the buckle .
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause serious personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the
lap portion of the safety belt as low as
possible across the pelv is and be low the
rounding of the abdomen.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information¢ .&.
in Fas­
tening safety belts on page 178.
Unfastening safety belt s
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only after the vehicle has stopped .
Fig. 205 Releasing the to ngue from th e buckle
• Push the red release button on the buckle
¢
fig. 205 . The belt tongue will spring out
of the buckle
c:> ,& .
• Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position.
On vehicles with
third row seat* : an unfas­
tened safety belt can be secured in the retain­ ing clip in the luggage compartment side
tr im . In this way, the luggage compartment
cover can be removed without obstruction . Al­
so, the belt tongue height can be adjusted so
that luggage compartment can be loaded
without obstruction with the backrest folded
forward .
A WARNING
-Never unfasten safety belt while the vehi-
cle is mov ing . Do ing so will increase your
risk of being injured or killed.
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strap rout­
ing can be fitted to the shoulder area , accord ­
ing to body size .
Fig. 206 Safet y bel t heigh t adju stm en t- loop-a roun d
f itt ings
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possible and
should fit well on the body¢.&.
in Safety belt
position on page 179.
• Push
the loop-around fittings up c:> fig. 206
@,or
• squeeze together the (D button, and push
the loop-around fittings down@.
• Pull the be lt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important information ¢
page 177.
(D Tips
With the front seats, the he ight adjust­
ment of the seat can also be used to adjust
the position of the safety belts.

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 177.
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 181
and disposal of safety belt pretensioner on
page 182.
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, env iron­
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 impo rtant things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of .,. •
•

Airbag system Important things to know
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job , occupants must al­
ways properly wear their safety belts and be
in a proper seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
"" Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
¢ page 165,
"" Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢ page 73 ,
""Wear safety be lts properly r::::> page 177,
""Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect chi ldren
r::::> page 204.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the driver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . T herefore in order to help the
a irbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
driver and as a passenge r to s it properly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steer ing whee l and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp lete ly and provide supp lemental protec­
tion in certain frontal collisions
r::::> page 165,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or detai ls
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
trols ¢
page 73.
It's especially important that children a re
properly restrained
r::::> page 204.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individual
safety features installed in your Aud i work to­
gether as a system.
Prope r seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver side ca n do its
job. If you have a physical impa irment or con-
A irbag system 183
dition that prevents you from sitting properly
on the driver seat with the safety belt properly
fastened and reaching the pedals, or if you
have concerns with regard to the function or
operation o f the Advanced Airbag System,
please contact your author ized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer Re­
l ations at 1-800-822-2834 for poss ible modi­
ficat io ns to your veh icle.
When the airbag system dep loys, a gas gener ­
ator will fill the a irbags, break open the pad­
ded covers, and inflate between the steer ing
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru­
ment panel and the front passenger. The a ir­
bags will deflate immediately after dep loy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
through the windshield again witho ut inter­
ruption .
A ll of th is takes place in the blink o f an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that
the airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a great dea l of force and nothing
should be in their way when they deploy.
Front a irbags in combinat ion with properly
worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc ­
cupant's forward movement . Together they
help to prevent the driver and front seat pas­
senger from h itti ng pa rts of the inside of the
vehicle while reducing the forces acting on the
occupant during the crash . In this way they
help to reduce the risk of injury to the head
and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle de ce lerat ion rate
caused by the collision and regis te red by the
elec tron ic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con ­
trol unit, the airbags will not be trigge red,
even though the car may be bad ly damaged as
a res ult of the co llision . Ve hicl e damage, re­
pair costs or even the lack of ve hicle damage
is not necessarily an indication of whether an
airbag should inflate or not . •
•