2016 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

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.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rect ly to protect children ¢
page 167, Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same ¢
page 52, Gen­
eral information.
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly . Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty belts properly ¢
page 135.
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is respons ible for the safety of the ve­
hicle and all of its occ upan ts. If your ability to
drive is impaired , safety r isks for everybody in the
vehicle increase a nd you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢,A .Therefore:
.. Do not let yourself be distracted by passengers
or by using a cellular telephone .
.. NEVER drive when your driv ing 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 cond itions.
.. 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 pres­
sure or when you a re stressed.
_& WARNING
Impaired driving safety increases the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
.
Driving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
Fig. 144 Correct se ating position
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver's seat to the following pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slightly bent¢,&. .
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
fu ll contact wi th it when you dr ive .
.. Adjust the steer ing wheel so that there is a dis­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
steering whee l and your breast bone¢
fig. 144.
If not possible, see your authorized A udi deal­
ership about adaptive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
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 possi­
b le with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint 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 possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 138. IJJ,-
127

Driving safety
"'Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in control of the vehicle at all times.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
driver's seat, see
¢ page 53.
.&_ WARNING
Drivers who are unbelted , out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re­
duce the risk of serious personal injury :
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between your breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always adjust the driver's seat and the
steering wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees and the lower part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering wheel on the out ­
side of the steering wheel rim with your
hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock posi­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates .
- Never hold the steering wheel at the
12 o'clock position or with your hands at
other positions inside the steering wheel
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serious injuries to the hands, arms and head if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­
sion.
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
properly and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained .
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving. Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle .
128
-
-Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position .
- Children must always ride in child seats
¢
page 167 . Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas­ senger seat¢
page 143.
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
"' Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
"'For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c:> page 129 . Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as possible.
"' Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat .
"'Fasten and wear safety be lts correctly
¢ page 138.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
¢ page 52 .
.&_ WARNING
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious per­
sonal injury :
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
Ill>

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"'
-Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too dose to the airbag can be seri­
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen­
ger's knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat properly.
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
c> page 167. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front pas­ senger seat
c> page 143.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright with both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve­
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an incorrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking
maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow-
~ 1ng: rl
Driving safety
.,. For adjustable head restraints : adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible, try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
c>page 129 .
.,. Keep both feet flat in the footwell in front of
the rear seat.
.,. Fasten and wear safety belts properly
c> page 138.
.,. Make sure that children are always properly re­
strained in a child restraint that is appropriate
for their size and age
c> page 167.
A WARNING
-
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat .
- Safety belts only offer maximum protection when the safety belts are properly posi­
tioned on the body and securely latched. By not sitting upright, a rear seat passenger in­
creases the risk of personal injury from im­
properly positioned safety belts!
- For adjustable head restraints: always ad­
just the head restraint properly so that it
can give maximum protection .
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Applies to vehicles: with adjustable head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor ­
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fig. 145 Head restra int: v iewed from the front
129

Driving safety
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
.,. Adjust the head restraint so the upper edge is
as even as possible with the top of your head.
If
that is not possible, try to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this position as
possible
c:::> fig. 145. Move the head restraint so
that it is as close to the back of the head as
possible.
.,. If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing position*, slide the center head restraint*
upward at least to the next notch.
Adjusting head restraints
c:::> page 55.
A WARNING
All seats are equipped with head restraints. Driving without head restraints or with head
restraints that are not properly adjusted in­
creases the risk of serious or fatal neck injury
dramatically. To help reduce the risk of injury:
- Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
-Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraint so the upper edge is as
even as possible with the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restraint 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.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at­
tempting to adjust the head restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrained in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
c:::> page 167 .
130
-
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious in­
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when they are properly positioned on the body . Im­
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit­
ical areas of the body. Improper seating positions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children. Therefore:
.,. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seating position when the vehicle is being used
c:::> A .
The following bulletins list only some sample po­
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death . Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating positions that
are dangerous.
Therefore, whenever the vehicle is moving:
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area

A WARNING ,~
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is be ing used.
- Always make sure that all vehicle occupants
stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
being used.
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
A WARNING
Always make sure that the knee a irbag can in­
flate without interference . Objects between
yourself and the airbag can increase the risk of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the airbag deploys or by being pushed in­
to you as the airbag deploys.
- No persons (chi ldren) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat. If the airbag deploys, this can result in
serious or fatal injuries.
- No objects of any k ind shou ld be carried in
the footwe ll area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's seat. Bulky objects (shopp ing
bags, for example) can hamper or p revent
proper deployment of the airbag . Small ob­
jects can be thrown thro ugh the vehi cle if
the a irbag deploys and injure you or you r
passenge rs .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely witho ut in-
~ terference and that noth ing prevents them from
j returning to their original pos it ions .
'SI:
~ Only use floor mats that leave the peda l area free 1.1'1
~ and can be secured with floor mat fasteners . ......
Drivin g s afet y
If a brake circuit fai ls, increased brake pedal trav­
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop.
A WARNING
-Pedals that cannot move free ly can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of ser i­
ous injury.
- Never p lace any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal function. In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would
not be able to b rake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the d river's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at­
tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not in­
terfere with the free movement of the pedals .
.. Make sure that the floor mats are properly se-
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
pedals¢ .&,.
Use only floor mats that leave the peda l area un­
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position . You can obtain
su itable floor mats from your authorized Aud i
Dealer .
Floor mat fasteners are insta lled in your Audi.
Floor mats used in yo ur vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly sec uring the floor
mats will prevent them from s liding into posi­
t ions that could interfere with the pedals or im­
pair safe operation of your vehicle in other ways .
A WARNING ~
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
l oss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
se rious pe rsonal injury.
- Always ma ke sure that floor mats a re prop­
erly secured .
- Never p lace or install floor mats or other
f loor cove rings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secu red in p lace to prevent them
from slipp ing and in terfering wi th the ped-
als o r the ab ility to cont rol the vehicle.
~
1 3 1

Driving safety
-Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other coverings will reduce the size of the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning .
- Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving . Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­ ing a loss of veh icle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly
stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac ­
teristics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma­
neuver or in a collision.
.. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment.
.. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as far forward as
possible.
.. Secure luggage using the tie-downs provided
¢ page 63, Luggage compartment.
.,. Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
_& WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down hooks and
suitable straps.
132
_& WARNING ~ -
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the r isk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
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 Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 126.
_& WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed wh ile driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause 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 a ir outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air rec irculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
_& WARNING
Always make sure that the doors, all windows,
the power roof* and the rear lid are securely
closed and locked to reduce the risk of injury
when the vehicle is not be ing used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
-
that it is properly closed and locked. ~

M N <( (.J
'SI: ,...., \!) 1.1"1
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-Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially w ith the rear lid left open. A chi ld
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out . Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
persona l inju ry.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment . Veh icle occupants m ust al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
-Air c irculation helps to reduce window fog­
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the trim pane l. Be su re to
k eep the se slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad. The t ire pressure is shown o n the tire
pres sure label. T he tire pressure l abe l is lo­
cated on the d river 's side B-pi llar . The t ire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its max imum capacity weight and the t ires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured. For recommended tire pressures
for normal load cond it ions, please see chap­
te r
c:> page 244.
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 properly
c:> page 132, Loading the luggage compartment.
I n a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle wi ll
become heavy miss iles that can cause serious in­
jury . Items in the vehicle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Vehicle speed is the most s ignificant factor .
For example, in a frontal collis ion 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 we ight
Dr ivin g s afet y
of the item would sudden ly be about
200 lbs. (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying freely through
the passenger compartment co uld cause in a col­
li sion like this.
A WARNING
=
Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail during ha rd
b raking o r in a coll is ion and cause serious per­
sona l injury.
- Always use su itable mount ing straps and
p roperly secu re items to the tie-downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from sh ifting or flying forw ard as dan­
ge ro us m issi les.
- W hen the rea r seat backrest is folded down,
always use s uitable mo unt ing straps and
properly secu re items to the tie -downs in
the l uggage compa rtment to he lp prevent
items from f ly ing forward as dangerous mis­
siles into the passenger compartment.
- Never attach a chi ld safety seat tether strap
to a tie-down.
-
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If you belie ve that your vehicle
has a def ect which could cause a
c rash or could cau se injur y or
de ath, you should imm ediately in­
form the National High way Traffic
S afet y Adm ini stration (NHTSA) in
a ddition to notif yin g Audi of
America, In c.
If NHT SA re ceive s similar com­
pl aint s, it may open an inv estig a­
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defe cts exists in a group of
ve hicles, it may ord er a recall and .,
133

Driving safety
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you,
your dealer, or Audi of America ,
Inc.
To contact the NHTSA, you may either call:
Tel.: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY:
1-800 -424 -9153) or
1-800-424-9 3 9 3
or you may write to: NHTSA
U .S. Department of Transporta­
tion 1200 New Jersey Ave., S. E.
West Building
Washington, DC 20590
You can also obtain other infor­ mation about motor vehicle safe­
ty from:
http://www.safercar.gov
Applicable to Canada
If you live in Canada and you be­lieve that your vehicle has a de­
fect that could cause a crash, in­
jury or death, you should immedi ­
ately inform Transport Canada,
Defect Investigat ions and Recalls.
You should also notify Audi Cana­
da.
1 34
Canadian customers who wish to
report a safety-related defect to
Transport Canada, Defect Investi­
gations and Recalls, may either
call Transport Canada toll-free at :
Tel. : 1-800-333-0510 or
Tel.: 1-8 19-994-3328 (Ottawa re­
gion and from other coun tries)
T TY for hearing impa ired : Tel.:
1-888-675-6863
or contact Transport Canada by mail at:
Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Investiga­
tions Laboratory
80 Noel Street
Gatineau, QC
J8Z OAl
For additional road safety infor­
mation, please visit the Road
Safety website at:
http:/ /www .tc.gc.ca/eng/
roadsafety/menu.htm