2014 AUDI Q7 page 27

194 Airbag sys te m
aw ay by ge tting out of the vehicle or
o pening 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 your
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
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced Airbag System (including the
e lectronic control un it, 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 fo r a few seconds
(self diagno stics) .
The system mu st be inspected when the
indicator light
I :
- does not come on when the ignit io n is
switched on
- does not go out a few seconds after you
have swi tched on the ign ition, o r
- comes on while driving
If an airbag system malfunct ion is detected,
the ind icator light will fi rst start flash ing to
catch the driver's attention and then stay on
continuously to serve as a constant reminder
to have the system inspected immediately .
If a malfunction occurs that turns the front
a ir bag on the passenger side off, the
PAS SEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght w ill come on and stay
on whenever the ignition is on.
A WARNING
An a irbag system that is not functioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag ind icator light¢
page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed Audi dealer. It is pos­
sib le that the airbag will infla te when it
is not supposed to, or will not infla te
when it should .
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
-
.r--------------,
------------------
Fig. 210 Sect io n from the instru men t pa nel: PASS EN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF lig ht
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light is located
in the center of the instrument pane l
¢fig . 210.
T he PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light wi ll come
on and stay on to tell you w hen the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by the electron ic contro l unit. Each
t ime you turn on t he ignition, the
PASSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light will flas h for a few
seconds and:
- w ill stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied
- will stay on i f the re is a small chi ld or child
restraint on the front passenger seat
- will 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
- a car bed has been ins talled on the fron t
seat, or

-a rearward-facing child restraint has been
installed on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward -facing child restraint has been in­
stalled on the front passenger seat, or
- the weight registered on the front passen­
ger seat is equa l to or less than the com­
bined weight of a typical 1 year-old restrain­
ed in one of the rear-facing or forward-fac­
ing infant restraints listed in Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith which the
Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
certified .
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front airbag will not deploy, and the
PAS ·
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Nev­
er install a rearward-facing child restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child restraint is at one
of the seating positions on the rear seat
¢ page 185, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 204, Child Safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regularly to
make certain that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght stays on continuous ly whenever the
ignition is on. If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not appear on and does not
stay on all the time, stop as soon as it is safe
to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinstall the chi ld restraint .
Make sure that the child restraint is properly
installed and that the safety be lt for the
front passenger seat has been correctly
routed through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint manufacturer's in­
st ructio ns;
- make sure that the convert ible locking fea­
ture on the safety belt for the front passen­
ger seat has been activated and that the
sa fety belt has been pulled tight. The belt
must not be loose or have loops of slack so
that the sensor below the safety belt latch
on the seat can do its job
¢ page 214.
Airbag system 195
-make sure that things that may increase the
weight of the child and chi ld safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make s ure that the safety belt tension sen ­
sor is not blocked. Shake the safety belt
latch on the front passenger seatback and
forth;
- If a strap or tether is be ing used to tie the
child safety seat to the front passenger
seat, make sure that it is not so tight that it
causes the weight-sensing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
t inu ously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen-
ger seat and install it proper ly at one of the
rear seat positions . Have the airbag system
inspected by you r authorized Aud i dealer
immed iate ly.
- move the ch ild to a rear seat position and
make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a child restraint that is appropriate for
its size and age.
The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignition is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
the front passenger seat. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un ­
der these circumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is
properly seated on the cente r of the seat
cushion with his or her back up against the
backrest and the backrest is not reclined
¢ page 165, Proper occupant seating posi­
tions,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or support­
ing their weight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is being properly worn and
that there is not a lot of slack in the safety
be lt webb ing, .,..
•
•

196 Airbag sys te m
- accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impress ion on the weight-sens ing mat
under the upholstery of the seat have been
removed from the front passenger seat,
- a safety belt extender has not been left in
the safety belt latch for the front passenger
seat.
In addition to the
PA SSENGER AIR B AG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASS ENGER AIR B AG O FF or
PASS ENGER AIR B AG O N will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster display . T his is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
a irbag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
_&. WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning
prope rly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tect ion in a frontal crash.
- If the airbag indicator light
c::> page 16
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by you r authorized Aud i dea ler.
It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it should .
_&. WARNING
If the front airbag inflates, a child witho ut
a child restraint, or in a rearward-facing
child safety seat, or in a forward-facing
child restraint that has not been properly
installed will be seriously injured and can
be killed .
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that all children, especially 12
years and younger, a lways ride on the
back seat properly restrained for their
age and size.
- Always install forwa rd or rear-facing
child safety seats on the rear seat -even
with an Advanced Airbag System. -
If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional c ircumstan­
ces and the
PA SS ENGER AIR BA G OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme­
diate ly install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your au­
thorized A udi dealer.
- A tight tether or other strap on a rear­ ward-facing child restraint attached to the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch pressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and register more weight
than is actually on the seat. The heavier
weight registered can make the system
work as though an adult were on the seat
and deploy the Advanced Airbag when it
must be suppressed causing ser ious or
even fata l injury to the ch ild.
- If, in exceptional circumstances, you
must install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al ­
ways move the seat into its rearmos t po­
sition in the seat's fore and aft adjust­
ment range, as far away from the airbag
as possible. The backrest must be adjust­
ed to an upright position. Make sure that
the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignit ion is switched on .
_&. WARNING
r-
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenger seat after taking
the steps described above, make sure the
adu lt is properly seated and restra ined at
one of the rea r seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
port ing anyone on the front passenger
seat.
('D Tips
If t he weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat de tects an empty seat, the
front airbag on the passenger side wi ll be
jll,,

The side a irbag syste m basicall y consists o f:
-the e lectronic control module and external
s ide impact senso rs
- the two side airbags located in the sides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags (as an ordered
option)
-the a irbag warning light in the in strument
cluster .
The airbag system is monitored electron ically
t o make certain that it is functioning properly
at all times . Each time you turn on the igni­
tion, the airbag system indicator l ight will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) .
The s ide a irbag 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. The a irbag dep loys
only in s ide impacts and on ly 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
fine an airbag trigger ing range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances will vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the natu re (hard o r soft)
of the impacting object, the ang le o f impact ,
vehicle speed, etc.
¢ page 200, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system .
Aside from their normal safety function , safe­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
coll ision so that the side airbags can provide
protection.
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt . 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 wear ing
your safety belt and wear ing it properly . Th is
i s another reason why you should always wear
your safety belts, not just because the law re-
A irbag system 199
quires you to do so c;> page 174, General
notes .
It is important to remembe r that w hile the
s u pplementa l side airbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injuries,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
and minor abrasions can also be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too,
s ide airbags will deploy 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 veh icle damage are not necessarily an indi­
cation of over -sensitive or failed airbag activa ­
t ion. In some collis ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate. Remember too, that air­ bags will deploy only once and only in ce rtain
ki nds of col lis ions -yo ur safe ty belts are al­
ways there to offer protection in those acc i­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have a lready deployed.
The side airbag system will n ot deploy:
- when t he ignit io n is tu rned off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
side curtain airbags and side ai rbags may be
triggered together.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide protection when occupants
are in the proper seating position
¢page 200.
-If the airbag ind icator light ¢ page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authori zed Audi dealer.
It is pos­
sible tha t the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not infla te
when it should. •
•

200 Airbag system
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and con help re­
duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who ore properly restrained.
Fig. 212 Infl ated sid e airbags o n left side of vehicle,
r ea r sid e airbag optional equipment
ID
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 . T hi s applies
especially to children
c::> page 204, 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
c::> fig . 212.
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.
Important safety instructions on the
side airbag system
Airbags ore 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.

-Objects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfering with the way the airbag
unfolds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach 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 side air­
bag deploys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the airbags or allow children or other
passengers to travel in this position .
- Always use the built -in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any
heavy or sharp-edged objects in the
pockets that may interfere with side air­
bag deployment and can cause personal
injury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting the sides of the seat­
backs.
- The airbag system can only be trigge red
once.
If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealership .
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc .) to
the original seat covers or to the seam in
the area of the side airbag module must
always be repaired immediately by an au­
thorized Audi dealer .
- If children are seated improperly, their
risk of injury increases in the case of an
accident ~ page 204 , Child Safety .
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way .
- In a side collision, side airbags will not
function properly if sensors cannot cor­ rectly measure increasing air pressure in ­
side the doors when air escapes through
Airbag system 201
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim pan­
els removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the open ings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been p roperly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additiona l speakers
or other equipment is installed in the inside door panels .
- Always have work on the doors done by
an authorized Audi dealer or qualified
workshop.
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbags can provide supple­
mental protection to properly restrained oc ­
cupants .
Fig. 213 Side curta in a irbags, driver's s ide: locatio n
The side c urtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side w indows ~fig . 213 . They ar e identified
by the word "AIRBAG" on the windshield
frame and the center roof pillar .
The side curtain airbag system supplements
the safety belts and can help to reduce the
risk of injury for occupants' heads and upper
torso on the side of the vehicle that is struck
in a side collision. The side cur tain airbag ..,.

202 Airbag system
inflates in side impacts and only when the ve­
hicle acceleration registered by the control
unit 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 collision . It is not possible to
define an airbag triggering range that will
cover every possible angle of impact, since the
circ umstances w ill vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another. Important factors
include, for examp le, the nat ure (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. c:>
page 202, How side cur­
tain airbags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safe ­
ty belts work to he lp keep the driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a co lli ­
sion so that the side curta in airbags can pro­
vide protection.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt a nd wear ing it prope rly. Th is
is ano ther reason why you shou ld a lways wear
your safety bel ts, not just beca use the law re ­
qu ires you to do soc:>
page 174, General
notes.
It is important to remember that whi le the
side curta in a irbag system is des igned to he lp
redu ce the like lihood of serious injuries, othe r
injuries, fo r example, swell ing, bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated wit h
these airbags upon deployment. Remember
too, these a irbags w ill deploy 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 system basically
con sists of :
-The electronic control module and external
side impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and rear side w indows - The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
T he airbag system is mon itore d elec tronically
to make certain i t is func tioning properly at all
times . Each t ime you turn on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (sel f diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is turned off
- in side co llision s when the accele ration
meas ured by the sensor is too low
- in rear-end col lisions .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro te ction when occupant s
are i n the proper seating posi tion
<=>page 72, General recommendations.
- If th e airbag ind ica tor light <=>page 16
comes when the veh icle is being used,
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized A udi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should .
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained .
Fig. 2 14 Illust rat ion of p rincip le : I n flated side curtai n
airbags o n th e left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
IJ>

vehicle that is struck in a side collision
~fig. 214.
When the system is triggered , the side curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In or­
der to help provide this additional protection,
the side curtain airbag must inflate within the
blink of an eye at very high speed and with
great force. The side curtain airbag could in­
jure you if your seating position is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curtain airbag
inflates . This applies especially to children
~ page 204.
Although they are not a soft pillow, side cur­
tain airbags can "cushion" the impact and in
this way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head and the upper part of the
body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag de­
ploys. This is quite normal and does not mean
there is a fire in the vehicle.
Important safety instructions on the
side curtain 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 do to help the safety belts and
airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
- Never let occupants place any parts of
their bodies in the area from which the
side curtain airbags inflate.
-A lways make sure that the side curtain
airbags can inflate without interference.
Unsuitable accessories fitted inside the
Airbag system 203
expansion range of a side curtain airbag
can dangerously interfere with its func­
tion. A deploying head airbag develops
enough force to catapult any piece of
add-on component out of its path of in­
flation and into the passenger compart­
ment. An occupant hit by such a projec­
tile can suffer serious injury or death
~ page 319, Technical Modifications.
- Do not swivel the sun visors to the side if
you have any objects clipped onto them
(for example pens). If the airbag should
deploy, you could be injured by these ob­
jects.
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere with airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an acci­
dent.
- Never use hangers to hang clothing from
the hooks.
- Only use factory-installed sun shades or,
in the case of shades installed after the
vehicle leaves the factory, only Audi roll­ up sunscreens may be used~ page 318,
Additional accessories and parts re­
placement.
- Always sit in proper seating position and
wear safety belts while traveling so that
the side curtain airbags can help provide
protection.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered,
the system must be replaced by an au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop.
-Always have work involving the side cur­
tain airbag system, removal and installa­
tion of the airbag components, or other
repairs performed by an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop. Otherwise
the airbag system may not work correct­
ly.
- Never attempt to modify any compo­
nents of the airbag system in any way.
•
•