2015 AUDI Q7 airbag

194 Airbag sys te m
- a rearward-facing ch ild restraint has been
insta lled on the front passenger seat, or
- a forward-facing child restraint has been in­
sta lled 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 with 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
P A S­
S ENG ER AIR BA G OFF
light will stay on . Nev­
er install a rearward-fac ing ch ild restra int on
the front passenger seat, the safest place for
a child in any kind of child rest raint is at one
of the seat ing positions on the rear seat
¢ page 184, Child restraints on the front seat
- some important things to know
and
¢ page 203, Child Safety.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light c om es
on
when one of the conditions listed above is
met, be sure to check the light regular ly to
make certain that the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG
OF F
light stays on cont inuo usly whenever the
ignit ion is on. If the
PA SSENGER AIR BA G
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
- react ivate the system by turning the ignition
off and then turning it on again;
- remove and reinsta ll 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 ro uted through the child restraint as descri­
bed in the chi ld restraint manufactu rer's in­
stru ctions;
- make sure that the convertible locking fea­
tu re on the safety be lt fo r 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 senso r below the safety be lt latch
on the seat can do its job
¢ page 213.
- make sure that things that may increase the weight of the child and ch ild safety seat are
not being transported on the front passen­
ger seat;
- make sure 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-sens ing mat to measure
more weight than is actually on the seat.
If the PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light still
does not come on
and does not stay on con­
t inuously (when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off the front passen- ger seat and install it properly at one of the rear seat positions . Have the airbag system
inspected by your autho rized Aud i deale r
immed iate ly.
- move the child to a rear seat position and make sure that the child is properly restra in­
ed in a c hild restra int that is approp riate for
its s ize and age.
The
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF light should
NOT come on when the ignit ion is on and an
adult is s itting in a proper seating position on
t h e front pas senge r sea t. If the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or
flashes for about 5 seconds wh ile driving, un ­
der these ci rcumstances, make sure that:
- the adult on the front passenger sea t is
prope rly seated on the cente r of the sea t
cushion with his or her back up aga inst the
backrest and the backrest is not reclined
¢ page 164, 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 belt is being proper ly worn and
that there is not a lot of s lack in the safety
be lt webb ing, .,..

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-accessory seat covers or cushions or other
things that may cause an incorrect reading
or impression 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
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light in the center of the instrument panel,
the message
PASS ENGER AIR BA G OFF or
PAS SENGER AIR B AG ON will briefly appear
in the instrument cluster display . Th is is to in­
form the driver of the current front passenger
a ir bag status .
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not funct ioning
properly cannot provide supplemental pro­
tection in a frontal crash .
- If the airbag indicator l ight
c> page 16
comes when the vehicle is be ing used,
have the system inspected immediately
by you r autho rized Aud i dea ler. It is pos­
sible that the a irbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or w ill not inflate
when it sho uld .
A WARNING
If the front airbag inflates , a ch ild without
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 serious ly inju red and can
be killed.
- Even though your veh icle is equipped
with an Advanced Airbag System, make certain that al l children, especially 12
years and younge r, a lways rid e on the
back seat properly restr ained fo r their
age and size.
- Always install forward or rea r-facing
c hild safety seats on the rear se at - even
with an Advanced Airbag System.
A irbag sys tem 195
-If you must install a rearward-facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circumstan­
ces and the
PASS ENG ER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and stay on, imme­
diate ly install the rear-facing child safety
seat in a rea r seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspe cted by your au­
thorized A udi dealer.
- A t ight tether or other strap on a rea r­
ward- facing child rest raint attached to
the front passenger seat can p ut too
m uch pressure on the weight-sensing
mat in the seat and registe r 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 exceptiona l circumstances, you
must install a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
straint on the front passenger seat, al­
ways move the sea t into its rearmost 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 pos ition. Make sure that
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on all the time when­
ever the ignit ion is switched on.
A WARNING
...---
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not go out when an adult is sitting
on the front passenger sea t after taking
the steps described above, make su re the
adu lt is prope rly seated and restr ained at
one o f the rear seat ing pos itions.
- Have the airbag system inspe cted by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger
seat.
(D Tips
If the weight-sensing mat in the front pas­
senger seat detects an empty sea t, the
front airbag on the passenger side wi ll be ..,.
•
•

196 Airbag system
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 properly 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.
& 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!
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter
is scrapped , all applicable safety pre­
cautions must be followed.

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@ For the sake of the environment
Undep loyed airbag modu les and preten­
sioners might be classified as Perchlorate Material -special handling may app ly, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/per­ chlorate. When the vehicle or parts of the
restraint system including airbag modules
and safety belts w ith pretens ioners are
scrapped, a ll applicable laws and regula­
tions must be observed. Your authori zed
Aud i dea ler is familiar w ith these require­
ments and we recommend that you have
your dea ler perform this service for you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag Sys­
tem pe rforms in a crash. For example, us ing
tire-r im combinations not approved by Aud i,
l owering the vehicle, changing the stiffness of
the suspension, including the springs, suspen­
sion struts, shock absorbers etc. can change
the forces that are measured by the airbag
sensors and sent to the electronic control
unit. Some suspension changes can, for exam­
ple, increase the force levels measured by the
se nsors and make the airbag system deploy in
crashes in wh ic h it would not dep loy if the
changes had not been made. Other k inds of
changes may reduce the force levels meas ­
ured by the sensors and prevent the airbag
from deploying when it sho uld .
A WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension includ­
ing use of unapproved tire-rim combina ­
tions can change Advanced Airbag per­
formance and increase the risk of serious personal injury in a crash.
- Never install suspens ion components
that do not have the same performance characteristics as the components origi­
nally installed on you r vehicle.
- Never use tire- rim combinat ions that
have not been approved by A udi.
A irba g sy stem 19 7
A WARNING
Items stored between the safety be lt
buckle and the center console can cause
the sensors in the b uckle to send the
wrong informa tion to the e lectronic con­
trol module and prevent the Advan ced Air­
bag System from wo rking properly.
- Always ma ke sure that nothing can inter­
fe re with the safety belt buckles and that
they are not obs truc ted.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 212 Side airbag location in t he drive r's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests~ fig. 212 and the rear
backrest* facing the doors . They are identified
by the wo rd "AIRBAG".
Th e side a irbag sy stem ba sic ally consi st s of :
-the electron ic control module and external
side impact sensors
- the two side airbags located in the s ides of
the front backrests
- two rear side airbags (as an ordered option)
- the airbag warn ing light in the instrument
cl uster .
T he airbag system is mon itored e lec tronically
t o m ake ce rtain that it is f unction ing pro perly
at all times . Each time you turn on the ig ni­
tion, the airbag system indicator light will
come on for a few seconds (self diagnostics) . ..,.

198 Airbag system
The s ide airbag system supplements the safe­
ty b elts 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 vehicle that
is struck in a side collision . The airbag deploys
only in s ide impacts and on ly when the veh icle
acceleration registered by the control un it is
h igh enough .
If this rate is below the refer­
ence va lue programmed into the control u nit,
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 triggering range that will cover
every possible angle of impact, since the cir­
cumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important fac tors
include, for examp le, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehi cle speed, etc.
9 page 199, Important
safety instructions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir normal safety function, safe ­
ty belts work to help keep t he driver or front
passenger in position in the event of a side
coll is io n so that the side a irbags can provide
p rotec tion .
The airbag system is
not a substitute for your
safety belt. Rather, it is pa rt of the overall oc­
cupa nt res traint system in your ve hicle. Al­
ways remember tha t 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 w hy you sho uld a lways wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re­
quires you to do so
9 page 173, General
notes.
It is important to remember that whi le the
supp lemental s ide a irbag system is designed
to reduce the likelihood of serious injur ies,
other injuries, for example, swelling, bruising,
a nd minor abras io ns can also be associated
with deployed side a irbags . Remember too,
side ai rbags wi ll deploy on ly once and on ly in
cer tain k inds of acc idents -your safety belts
ar e a lways there to offer protect io n.
Vehicle damage, repa ir costs or even the lack
of vehicle damage are not necessar ily an indi­
cation of over -sensitive or failed airbag activa- t
io n. In some coll is ions, both front and side
airbags may inflate . Remember too, that air­
bags will deploy only once and on ly in certain
k inds of co llisions -yo ur safety be lts are a l­
ways there to offer protection in those acc i­
dents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have al ready deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit ion is t urned off
- in side co llisions when the acce leration
measured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end collisions
- in rear -end co llisions
- in rollove rs.
In some types of accidents the front airbags,
s ide curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be
t rigge red togethe r.
A WARNING
- Safety belts and the airbag system will
only provide pro te ct ion when occup ants
are in the proper sea ting posi tion
9 page 199.
- If th e air b ag ind icator light 9 page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used,
have the system ins pected immediately
by your authorized Audi dealer. It is pos­
sible that the airbag will inflate when it
is not supposed to, or will not inflate
when it should .
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.
Fi g. 213 In flated s ide a irbags on le ft side of ve hicle,
rear sid e airba g opt io na l eq uipment

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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 withi n a fraction of a second at
very high speed and with great force . The sup­
p lemental side a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upr ight or if
items are located in the area where the sup­
p lemental side airbag expands. This applies
especia lly to children
c::, page 203, 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 . 213 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the r isk 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 are only supplemental restraints. Al­ways 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 a irbags do the ir job to pro­
v ide supp lemental protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause ser ious
or fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety
belts and improper seating positions in ­
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death whenever a veh icle is being
used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
A irbag system 199
-Always sit in an upright position and
never lean aga inst the area where the
supplementa l side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest
their head aga inst the s ide trim panel
i n the area where the supplemental
s ide a irbag inflates.
- Always make sure that safety be lts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone s itting in the front
seat put their hand or any other parts
of their body out of the window .
- Always make sure that the s ide a irbag
can inflate without inte rference.
- Never install seat covers or rep lace­
ment upholste ry over the fron t seat­
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side a irbags
deploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat cove rs or
to the seam in the area of the side air­
bag module must a lways be repaired
i mmediately by an author ized Audi
dealer.
- Ob jects between you and the airbag can
increase the risk of injury in an accident
by interfer ing with the way the airbag
unfo lds or by being pushed into you as
the airbag inflates .
- Never place or attach accessor ies or
other objects (such as cup ho lders, tele­
phone brackets, or even large, bu lky
objects) on the doors, over or near the
area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat
backrests .
- Such objects and accessories can be­
come dangerous project iles and cause
i njury when the supplementa l side air­
bag deploys.
- Never carry any ob jects or pets in the
deployment space between them and
the ai rbags or allow ch ild ren or other
passengers to trave l in th is position.
- Always use the bu ilt-in coat hooks only
for lightweight clothing . Never leave any ...,
•
•

200 Airbag system
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 airbags from be­
ing damaged by heavy objects knocking
against or hitting 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 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 203, 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
larger, unclosed openings in the door
panel.
- Never drive with inter ior door trim pan­
els removed.
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and
the openings they leave have not been
properly closed.
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker holes have been properly
closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or filled if additional 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. 214 S ide curtain air bags, driver's side: location
The side curtain airbags are located on both
sides of the interior above the front and rear
side windows ~
fig. 214. They are 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 curtain airbag in­
flates in side impacts and only when the vehi­ cle 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 curtain airbag 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
circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important factors
include, for example, the nature (hard or soft)
of the impacting object, the angle of impact,
vehicle speed, etc. ¢
page 201, How side cur­
tain airbags work .
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 colli­
sion so that the side curtain airbags can pro­
vide protection.

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The airbag system is not a substitute for yo ur
safety be lt. Rathe r, it is part of the overall oc­
cupant restraint system in your veh icle. Al­
way s remember that the airbag system can
only help to protect you if you are wearing
your safety belt and wear ing it prope rly . Th is
i s another reason w hy you shou ld always wear
your safety belts, not just beca use the law re­
qu ires you to do so~
page 173 , General
notes.
It is important to remember that while the
side curta in a irbag system is designed to he lp
r educe the like lihood of serious injur ies, other
i nj uries, fo r example , swelling , bruising, and
minor abrasions can also be associated w ith
these airbags upon deployment . Remember
too, these airbags wi ll dep loy on ly once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection.
The side curta in airbag system basically
con sist s o f:
- The electronic contro l mod ule and externa l
s ide impa ct sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side w indows
- The airbag indicator l ight in the instrument
panel
The a irbag system is monitored ele ct ron ically
to make certain it is functioning proper ly at a ll
times. Eac h time you t urn on the ignition, the
a irbag system indicator light will come on for
a few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The side curtain airb ag is not activated:
- if th e ign it io n is turned off
- i n s ide collisions when t he accelerat ion
measure d by the sensor is too low
- in rear-end co llisions.
_& WARNING
- Sa fe ty belts and t he a irbag sys tem w ill
only p rov ide p rotection whe n occu pan ts
are in the proper seating position
~ page 74, General recommendations .
- If the airbag indicator ligh t¢ page 16
comes when the vehicle is be ing use d,
.
A irba g sy stem 201
have the system inspected immediately
by your authorized Audi 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 wi th
side airbags to help reduce the risk of head
and upper torso injuries for occupants who
are properly restrained .
Fig. 2 15 Illus trati on of p rinc ip le: I nflat ed s ide curtain
a ir bags o n the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the
occupant and the windows on the s ide of the
vehicle that is struck in a side coll is ion
Q fig . 215 .
When the system is triggered , the side curta in
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG labe l. In or­
der to he lp p rovide this additional protection,
the side curta in a irbag m ust in flate withi n the
blink of an eye at ve ry high speed and with
great fo rce. The side curta in a irbag could in ­
jure you if your seating posit io n is not proper
or upright or if items are located in the area
where the supplemental side curta in a irbag
inflates. This applies especially to ch ildren
¢ page 203.
Although they are not a soft p illow, side cur ­
ta in ai rbag s can "cushion" the impact and in
th is way they can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury to the head and the upper part of the
bod~
~