2014 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK ESP

124 Driving Safel y
• Make sure to use the right child restraint
correct ly to protect children¢
page 168,
Child Safety .
• Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page 53,
General recommendations.
• Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly .
Also instruct your passengers to fasten their
safety belts proper ly
r:::;, page 133 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condi­
tion of the vehicle, the driver as well as the
driver 's ability to concentrate on the road
without being distracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the
vehicle and all of its occupants.
If you r ability
to drive is impa ired, safety r isks for everybody
i n the vehicle increase and yo u also become a
hazard to everyone else on the road
r::::> .&_ .
Therefore:
• Do no t let yourself be distracted by passen­
gers or by using a cellular telephone.
• NEV ER drive when your driving ability is im­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
• Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road
and speed limits and plain common sense .
• ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic
and weather condit ions .
• Take frequent breaks on long trips . Do not
dr ive for more than two hours at a stretch.
• Do NOT drive when you are t ired, under
pressure or when you are stressed.
_8. WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk
of serious personal injury and death when­
ever a vehicle is being used.
Proper occupant
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is impor­
tant for safe, relaxed driving.
Fig. 146 Correct seat ing posit ion
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of
injury in the event of an accident, we recom­
mend that you adjust the driver's seat to the
following position:
• Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easi­
ly push the pedals all the way to the floor
while keeping your knee(s) slightly bent
r:::;, A.
• Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is
in an upr ight position so that your back
comes in full contact with it when you drive.
• Adj ust the steering wheel so that there is a
distance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) be­
tween the steering wheel and your breast
bone
r:::;, fig. 146. If not possible, see your au­
thorized Audi dealership about adaptive equipment.
• Adjust the steering wheel so that the steer­
ing wheel and airbag cover points at your
chest and not at your face .
• Grasp the top of the steer ing wheel with
your elbow(s) slightly bent.
• For adjustable head restra ints: Adjust the
head restraint so the upper edge is as even
as possible with the top of yo ur head . If that
is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position
as possible. Move the head restraint so that it is as close to the back of the head as pos-
sible . .,,.

Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adj ustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints ore on im­
portant port of your vehicle's occupant re­
straint system and con help to reduce the risk of injuries in occident situations.
F ig . 147 H ead r estr ain t: v ie w ed fro m the front
The head restraints must be correctly adjust ­
ed to achieve the best protection .
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the uppe r edge
is as even as possib le 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 . 147. Move
the head restraint so that it is as close to the back of the head as possible.
Adjusting head restraints
¢ page 56.
_&. WARNING
All seats are equipped with head re­
straints. Driving without head restraints or
w ith head restraints that are not properly
adjusted increases the risk of ser ious or fa­
tal neck injury dramat ica lly. To help reduce
the risk of inju ry:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every pe rson in the veh icle must have a
properly adjusted head restra int .
-Always make sure each person in the ve­ hicle properly adjusts their head re­
straint. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is as even as possib le w ith
the top of your head .
If that is not possi­
ble, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as pos-
Dr ivin g Sa fely 12 7
sible. Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as pos­
sible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and must adjust the driver headrest for any
reason, first stop the vehicle safely be­
fore attempting to adjust the head re­
s traint .
- Ch ildren must always be prope rly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appro­
pria te fo r their age and size
¢ page 168.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only re ­
duce the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore
properly seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious
injury or death . Safety belts can only work
when they are properly positioned on the
body . Improper seating positions reduce the
effectiveness of safe ty belts and will even in­
c rease the r isk o f injury and dea th by moving
the safety belt to critica l areas o f the body .
Improper seating positions a lso increase the
risk of serious injury and death when an air­
bag deploys and str ikes an occupant who is
not in the proper seating position. A driver is
responsible for the safety of all veh icle occu ­
pants and espec ially for children . The refore :
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being
used
q _& .
The following bulletins list only some samp le
pos itions that will increase the risk of serio us
injury and death. Our hope is that these exam­
ples will make you more aware of seating po ­
s itions that are dangerous.
Th erefore , whenever the vehicle is
moving:
- never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride wit h the seatback reclined
- neve r lie down on the rear seat

130 Driving Safely
&_ WARNING
-
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas
from being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than
those fitting completely into the luggage
area because the rear lid cannot be fully
closed.
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear
lid open, observe the following notes to
reduce the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the power roof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument
panel,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest
speed.
&_ WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are
securely closed and locked to reduce the
risk of injury when the vehicle is not being
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 . Being trapped in a vehicle can
lead to serious personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the
vehicle .
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment . Vehicle occupants must
always be properly restrained in one of
the vehicle's seating positions.
(D) Tips
- Air circulation helps to reduce window fogging. Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure
to keep these slots free and open .
-
-The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the
tire pressure label. The tire pressure la­
bel is located on the driver's side B-pillar.
The tire pressure label lists the recom­ mended cold tire inflation 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 tire pressures for nor­
mal load conditions , please see chapter
r::!) page 232.
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 129, Loading the luggage com­
partment.
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that
even smaller items that are loose in the vehi­
cle will become heavy missiles that can cause
serious injury. Items in the vehicle possess en­
ergy which vary with vehicle speed and the
weight of the item. Vehicle speed is the most
significant factor.
For example , in a frontal collision at a speed
of 30 mph (48 km/h), the forces acting on a 10-lb (4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the
normal weight of the item. This means that
the weight of the item would suddenly be about 200 lbs. (90 kg). You can imagine the
injuries that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item flying
freely through the passenger compartment
could cause in a collision like this.
&_ 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 suitable mounting straps and properly secure items to the tie-downs in ..,.

Safety belts
General notes
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are nec­
essary, how they work and how to adjust and
wear them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and
heed all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, or physically
impaired persons must also use safety
belts. Like all vehicle occupants, they are
more likely to be seriously injured if they
do not wear safety belts. The best way to
protect a fetus is to protect the mother -
throughout the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seat­ ing position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them
improperly increases the risk of serious
personal injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, in­
cluding small children, into any belt. It is
especially dangerous to place a safety
belt over a child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
Safety belts 13 3
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safe­
ty belt or child restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the
driver and front seat passenger (on USA mod­
els only) to remind you about the importance
of buckling-up.
Fig. 148 Safety belt warning light in the instr ument
cl uster -enla rged
Before driving off, always:
~ Fasten your safety belt and make sure you
are wearing it properly.
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle
up and properly wear their safety belts.
~ Protect children with a child restraint sys-
tem appropriate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignition is on as a reminder
to fasten the safety belts. In addition, you will
hear a warning tone for a certain period of
time .
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that
your passengers also properly put on their
safety belts.
A WARNING
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of se­
rious injury and death in automobile acci­
dents. For your protection and that of
your passengers, always correctly wear
safety belts when the vehicle is moving.
•
•

To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the
wearer's body .
... Adjus t the front seat and head restraint
properly
c::> page 53, 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
c::> ,&. .
... Hold the be lt by the tongue and pull it even­
ly across the chest and pelvis
c::> ,&..
... Insert the tongue into the co rrect buckl e of
your seat until you hea r it latch securely
c::>fig . 154.
... Pull on the belt to make sure that it is se-
curely latched in the buckle.
Automatic safety belt retractors
Every safety belt is equipped w ith an automat­
i c belt retractor on the shoulder be lt. T his fea­
ture locks the belt when the belt is pulled out
fast, dur ing hard braking and in an accident.
The belt may also lock when you drive up or
down a steep hill or through a sharp curve.
During normal driving the belt lets you move
freely.
Safety belt pretensioners
The safety belts are equipped with a belt pre­
tensioner that helps to tighten the safety belt
and remove slack when the pretensioner is ac­
tivated
c::> page 139. The function of the pre­
tensioner is mon itored by a warning light
c::> page 18 .
Switchable locking feature
Every safety belt except the one on the driver
seat is equipped w ith a switchable locking fea­
ture that
must be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this feature
c::> page 179.
A WARNING
Improperly positioned safety belts can
cause se rious injury in an accident
c::> page 13 7, Safety belt position.
Safety belts 13 7
-Safety belts offer optimum protection
only when the seatback is upright and
be lts are properly posit ioned on the
body .
- If the rear seat backrest is not securely
latched, the passenger will move for­
ward with the backrest during sudden braking, in a sudde n maneuver and espe­
cially in a crash.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buck­
l e for another seat . Attaching the belt to
the wrong buckle will reduce safety be lt
effec tiveness and can cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- A passenge r who is not properly restrain­
ed can be seriously injured by the sa fety
be lt itself when it moves from the stron ­
ger parts of the body into critical areas
like the abdomen.
- Always lock the conve rtible locking re­
tractor when you are securing a child seat in the veh icle
~ page 181.
(D Tips
For info rmat ion on safety belt pretension­
e rs, refer to
c::> page 139.
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting
maximum protection from safety belts .
Fig. 155 Safe ty belt posit ion
Use the height adjustment to change the posi­
tion of the shoulder belt
of the front safety
belts.
~

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 . 158 Saf ety belt he ight ad justment for the front
seats -loop -aro und f itt ings
The shoulder belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fit well on the body¢,&.
in Safety belt
position on page 138 .
.,. Push
the loop -a round fittings up c> fig . 158
@ , or
.,. squeeze together the@button, and push
the loop-around fi ttings down @.
.,. Pull the belt to make sure t hat the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c> page 136 .
@ Tips
With the front seats, the height adjust­
ment of the seat can also be used to adjust
the posit ion of the safety be lts .
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause
severe injuries.
Wear ing safety be lts improperly can cause se­
rio us in jury or death. Safety belts ca n only
work when they are correct ly positioned on
the body. Improper seating positions reduce the effectiveness of safety belts and wi ll even
increase the r isk of injury and death by mov-
Safety belts 139
ing the safety be lt to critica l areas of the
body. Improper seat ing positions also in­
crease the r isk of serious injury and death
when an airbag dep loys and strikes an occu­
pant who is not in the correct seating posi­
tion . A driver is respons ible for the safety of
all vehicle occupants and especially for ch il­
dren . Therefore:
.,. Never perm it anyone to assume an incorrect
sitt ing pos ition in the vehicle while trave ling
~ .&. -
A WARNING
Imp roperly worn safety belts increase the
risk of serious persona l injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- Always ma ke s ure that all vehi cle occu­
pa nts are co rrec tly restra ined and stay in
a correct seating position whenever the
veh icle is being used .
- Always read and heed al l WARNI NGS a nd
other important informat ion
r:::> page 136 .
Safety belt preten­
sioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collis ions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety
belts are tensioned automati cally .
Reve rsible s afety belt tensioners
The safety belts on the front seats are equ ip­
ped with powe r reversible tensioners . The fol­
low ing functions a re ava ilab le when the driv­
er's/front passenge r's safety belts are fas­
tened :
- Automatic tens ioners : at the start of a drive,
the saf ety belts automat ica lly adjust to the
passe nger afte r a certa in time per iod or ve­
hicle speed . To switch the automatic ten­
sioners off, select the following in the MMI: .,..

142 Airbag sys te m
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.
F or your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always:
• Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly ¢
page 124,
• Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢ page 54,
• Wear safety be lts properly ¢ page 136,
• Always properly use the proper child re-
straint to protect children¢
page 168.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force .
The supplemental airbags can cause injuries if
the dr iver or the front seat passenger is not
seated properly . Therefore in order to he lp the
a irbag to do its job, it is important, both as a
d river and as a passenger to sit prope rly at all
times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
comp letely and provide supp lemental protec­
tion in ce rtain frontal collisions
¢ page 124,
Proper occupant seating positions.
F or detai ls
on the operation of the seat adjustment con­
t rols ¢
page 54.
It's especially important that children are
properly restrained ¢
page 168.
There is a lot that the driver and the passen­
gers can and must do to help the individua l
safety features installed in your A udi work to­
gether as a system.
Proper seat ing pos ition is important so that
the front airbag on the driver s ide can do its
job. If yo u have a physical impa irment or con- 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 of the Advanced Airbag System ,
please contact your author ized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop, or call Audi Customer Re­
lations at 1-800-822-2834 fo r poss ible modi­
ficat ions to your veh icle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas gener ­
ator will f ill the a irbags, break open t he pad­
ded cove rs, and inflate between the steering
whee l and the dr iver and between the instru­
ment pane l and the fron t passenger. The a ir­
bags will deflate immediately after dep loy­
ment so that the front occupants can see
t h rough the windshie ld again witho ut inter­
ruption .
All of th is takes p lace in the b link of an eye, so
fast that many peop le don't even realize tha t
the airbags have deployed. The airbags a lso
inflate with a great dea l of force and nothing
shou ld be in their w ay when they deploy.
Front airbags in combination with properly
worn safety belts slow down and lim it the oc ­
cupant's forward movement . T ogether they
help to prevent the drive r and front seat pas­
senger from hitting 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. A irbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the
body.
Both front airbags wi ll not inflate in all fronta l
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system
depends on the vehicle dece lerat ion rate
caused by the co llision and registered by the
electron ic control unit. If th is rate is below
the reference value programmed into the con ­
t rol unit , the airbags will not be trigge red,
even though the car may be badly 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 necessari ly an indication of whether an
airbag shou ld inflate or not .
IJll-

144 Airbag sys tem
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
• Be sure to read the important information
and heed the WARNINGS for important de­
ta ils about ch ildren and Advanced Airbags
i=> page 168.
Even though your vehicle is equipped with an
Advanced Airbag System, make certain that
all children, especially those 12 years and
younger, always ride in the back seat properly
restra ined for their age and size. The airbag
on the passenger side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to r ide .
The front seat is not the safest place fo r a
chi ld in a fo rward-facing chi ld seat.
It can be a
ve ry dangerous p lace for an infant or a c hild in
a rearward -facing seat.
The Advanced Airbag System i n your veh icle
has been certified to comply with the require­
men ts of United States Federa l Mo to r Veh icle
Safety Standard 208 as applicable at the time
your ve hicle was manufact ured.
The Standa rd requires the fron t air bag on t he
passenger side to be turned off ("sup­
p ressed") if a child up to about one yea r of
age restrained in one of the rear-facing or for­
ward-facing infant restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced A irbag System in your vehicle
was certified has been installed on the front
passenger seat. For a listing of the child re­
straints that we re used to certify compliance
with the US Safety Sta ndard
c> page 170.
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light in the in­
strument panel tells you when the front Ad­
vanced A irbag on the passenger side has been
turned off by t he e lectronic control unit.
Each time you sw itch on the ignit ion, the
PAS­
SENGER AIR BAG OFF
l ight will come on for a
few seconds a nd:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance
measured by the capacitive passenger de­
tection system for the fro nt passenger seat equa
ls the combined capacitance of an in ­
fant up to about one year of age and one of
the rearwa rd-facing or forward-fac ing ch ild
restraints listed in Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 208 with which the Ad­
vanced Airbag System in your vehicle was
cert ified. For a listing of the ch ild restraints
that w ere used to certify you r vehicle 's com­
plia nce w it h the U.S. Safety Standard
i=>page 170.
- w ill stay on i f the re is a small c hild or child
restrai nt on the front passenge r seat,
- w ill go off if the front passenger seat is oc­
cupied by an adult as registered by the ca­ pacitive passenge r de tection system
c> page 154, Monitoring the Advanced Air ­
bag System.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
whe n electr ica l capacitance regis tered on the
front passenger seat is eq ua l to or less than
t h e comb ined capacitance of a typical 1 year ­
o ld infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing child restraints listed in Feder ­
al Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with
which the Advanced Airbag System i n your ve­
hicle was cert ified .
If the total e lectr ica l capacitance registered
on the front passenger seat is more than that
of a typical 1 year-old child but less than the
we ight of a small adu lt, the front airbag on
the passenger side can deploy (the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on).
If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on, the front airbag on the passen­
ger side has not been turned off by the e lec­
t ron ic cont ro l unit and can deploy if the con­
t ro l u nit se nses an impa ct that mee ts the con­
di tions s to red in its memory.
For example, the airbag may deploy if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier th an a typical 1
year-old child is on the front passenger seat
(regard less of whether the child is in one of
the ch ild seats listed
c::;, page 170), o r
- a child who has outgrown child restraints is
on the front passenger seat. ..,.