2016 AUDI A7 Owners Manual

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@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Mater ial
- special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate. When the vehicle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts w ith pretens ioners are scrapped,
all applicable laws and regulations must be
observed. Your authorized Audi dealer is fa­
miliar with these requirements and we recom­
mend that you have your dealer perform this
service for yo u.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced A irbag System
performs in a crash. For example, using tire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
vehicle, changing the stiffness of the su spension,
including the springs, suspension struts, shock
absorbers etc . can change the forces that are
measured by the airbag sensors and sent to the
e lectronic control un it. Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in which it would not deploy if
the changes had not been made . Other kinds of
changes may reduce the force levels measured by
the sensors and prevent the airbag from deploy­
ing when it should.
_& WARNING
Changing the vehicle's suspension including
use of unapproved tire-rim combinations can
change Advanced Airbag performance and in ­
crease the risk of ser ious personal injury in a
crash.
- Never install suspens ion components that
do not have the same performance charac­
teristics as the components originally instal­
led on your veh icle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to vehicles: with knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 161 D river 's knee a irbag
T he driver knee airbag is in the instrument panel
underneath the steering wheel
¢fig.161, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument panel underneath the
glove compartment.
The knee airbag offers additional protection to
the driver's and passenger's knees and upper and
lower thigh areas and supplements the protec­
tion provided by the safety belts.
If the front airbags dep loy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the dep loyment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 152 , More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in
position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection .
The airbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly. This is why you should a l­
ways wear your safety belt, not just because the
law requires you to do so¢
page 135, General in-
formation .
IJI>
159

Airbag system
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
examp le when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collision .
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is
not a substitute for the safety belt. The airbag
system works most effectively when used with
the safety belts. Therefore, always wear your
safety belts correctly .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plemental knee airbag system is des igned to re ­
duce the likelihood of serious injuries, other inju­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising and minor
abrasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control modu le
- Two inflatable airbags (airbag and gas genera-
tor), one for the driver and one for the front
passenger
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The knee airbag system will not deploy:
-when the ignition is switched off
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in s ide collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warning/
indicator light is on) ¢
page 18.
.&, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢page 152.
-If the airbag indica tor lig ht ¢page 18
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possible that
the airbag will inf late when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inflate when it should.
160
How knee airbags work
App lies to vehicles: wi th kne e airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 162 Inflated airbags protect ing in a frontal collis ion
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger dep loy in certain but not all fronta l co llisions .
If the front airbags deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met.
When the system deploys, the airbags fill with a
propellant gas, and inflate between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the driver and
the lowe r part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger ¢
page 152, fig. 159.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
tremities .
A ll of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the
airbags have deployed . The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and it is important for
occupant safety that nothing should be in their
way when they dep loy .
F ull y inflated airbags in combination with proper ­
l y worn safety belts s low down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury .

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Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
Applies to vehicles: with k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraint s. Always
wear safety belts correctly 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
to prov ide supplementa l protection.
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause ser ious in­
jury. Wearing safety belts incorrect ly and im­
proper seating positions increase the risk of
serious personal injury and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
- The knee airbag system cannot protect you
properly if you are seated too close to any of
the a irbag locat ions . When adjust ing their
seat positions, it is important that both the
dr iver and the front passenger keep the ir
upper bod ies and knees at the followi ng
mi nimum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instr ument
panel.
- at least 4 inc hes (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of persona l injury increases if yo u
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly pos it ioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the airbag deploy .
- Always make sure that the knee airbag can
inflate without inte rference . Objects be ­
tween you and the a irbag can increase the
risk of i nju ry i n an accident by inte rfe ring
w ith the way the ai rbag dep loys o r by be ing
pushed into you as the airbag dep loys.
- Never let anybody, especially ch ildren o r
animals ride in the footwell in front of the
passenger seat . If the airbag deploys, th is
can result in ser ious or fatal injuries .
- Never carry objects of any kind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat . Bul ky objects (shopping
-
Airb ag system
bags, for examp le) can interfere with or
prevent proper deployment of the airbag .
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers.
- Make sure the re are no cracks , deep scratch­
es o r other damage in the area of the instru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated .
- I f chi ldren are inco rrectly seated, their ris k
of injury increases in a coll is ion
c::> page 167, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 163 Sid e airbag location in the driver's seat
The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests
c::> fig. 163 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors . They are ident ified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags insta lled for the front seat ing
pos it ions have been des igned and certified to
help reduc e the r isk of injury that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, particularly when
t h e occ upant s itting next to it is not seated p rop­
erly. The s ide a irbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly insta lled child re ­
straints. P lease be sure to read the important in­
formation and warn ings whenever using a ch ild
restraint in a vehicle : Safety be lts
c::> page 135,
Airbag system c::> page 143, Child safety
<=>page 167.
The side airbag sy stem basi cally consi st s of: ..,.
161

Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic control module and external side
impact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear backrest
- the ai rbag warning light in the inst rument cl us-
ter .
The a irbag system is monitored electron ica lly to
make certa in that it is function ing properly at a ll
times. Each time you switch on the ignition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
The s ide a irbag system supplements the safety
be lts and can he lp to reduce the risk of injury to
the driver 's, front and rear passenger 's upper tor­
so on the side of the vehicle that is struck in a
side collision. The airbag deploys only in side im­
pacts and on ly when the vehicle accelera tion reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the contro l unit , the side airbags will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision.
It is not pos ­
sible to def ine an a irbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
t he impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
speed, etc. ¢
page 163, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from the ir norma l safety function, safety
be lt s work to help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in pos it ion in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide protect ion.
The airbag system is
not a subst itute for your
safety belt. Ra ther, it is part o f the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
member that the s ide a irbag system can only
he lp to protect you if you are wear ing your safety
be lt and wearing it p roperly. This is another rea­
son why you shou ld always wea r you r safety
be lts, not just because the law requ ires you to do
so ¢
page 135, General information.
It is important to remember that while the sup­
p lemental side airbag system is des igned to re-
162
duce the like lihood of serious injur ies, other inju­
ries , for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abrasions can a lso be associated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certain
k inds of accidents -your safety belts are always
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are no t necessarily an indication
of over-sensitive or failed airbag activation . In
some collis ions, both front and side ai rbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill deploy
o nl y once and on ly in certa in kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts a re a lways there to offer p rotec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not s u pposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The side airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is swit ched off
- in side co llisions when the accele rat ion meas-
ured by the senso r 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 airbags 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 163.
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized Audi dealer .
It is possible that
the airbag will in flate when i t is not sup­
posed to, or will not infla te when it should.

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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 164 Inflated side a irbags on left side of veh icle, rea r
side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger . 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 supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children
r:::.>page 167, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
coll ision
r:::.> fig. 164.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion " 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 deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag system
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 airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase 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 supple­
mental 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 replacemen t
upholstery over the front seatbacks 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 airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
~
163

Airb ag syst em
by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never p lace or attach accessories or other
objects (such as cup holders, telephone brackets, or even large, bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the seat backrests.
- Su ch ob jects and ac cessories can become
dangerous projecti les and cause injury
when the supplemental side airbag de ­
p loys .
- Never carry any objects or pets in t he de ­
p loyment space between them and the
airbags or allow chi ldren or other passen­
gers to trave l 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 airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury in an accident .
- Always prevent the side a irbags from be ing
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
o r hitting the sides of the seatbacks .
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once . If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be rep laced by an authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (c racks, deep scratches etc.) to the
o rig inal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must a lways
be repaired immedia tely by an authori zed
Audi dealer .
-If children a re seated improperly, their risk
of injury i ncreases in the case of an a cciden t
~ page 167, Child safety .
-Never a ttempt to modify any com po nents of
the a irbag sys tem in any way .
- In a side collision, s ide a irbags w il l not fu nc­
t ion prope rly if sensors canno t correc tly
measure increas ing air pressure inside the
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r doo r tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re ­
moved from the ins ide door panel and the
open ings they leave hav e not bee n prope r­
ly closed.
164
- Never drive when loudspeakers in the
doors have been removed unless the
speaker ho les have bee n properly closed.
- Always make certain that openings are
covered or f illed if add itiona l speakers or
other equipment is installed i n the inside
doo r panels.
- Always have work o n the doors done by an
autho rized Aud i dea le r or q ualified work­
shop .
Side curtain airbags
Description of side curtain airbags
The side curtain airbag system can provide sup­
plemental protection to properly restrained oc­
cupants .
Fig. 16 5 Sid e curt ain airba gs, dr iver's s ide: side cur tain air­
bag loca tion
The side curtai n airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the front and rear side win­
dows
~ fig. 165 . They are identif ied by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windsh ield frame and the cen ­
ter roof pi llar.
The side curtai n airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi ­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle
interior in certa in side impacts and ve hicle roll­
ove rs.
The side c urtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can he lp to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupan ts' heads and upper torso . The
side curtain airbag inflates in s ide impacts and
on ly when the ve hicle acceleration registered by
the control un it is h igh enough . If this rate is ..,.

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below the refe rence value p rogrammed into the
control unit, the side curtain airbag will not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be badly
damaged as a result of the co llision. It is not pos ­
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every poss ible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between one co llision and another. Important factors in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.¢
page 165, How side curtain air­
bags work.
Aside from the ir normal safety function , safety
be lts work to help keep the dr iver or front pas­
senger in posit ion in the event of a co llision so
that the side curtain a irbags can provide protec­
tion.
The airbag system is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wear ing your safety be lt
and wearing it properly. Th is is another reason
why you should always wear your sa fety bel ts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 135, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curta in airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injur ies,
for example , swelling , b ruising, fr iction burns
and minor abras ions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certain k inds of accidents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protectio n.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consis ts of :
- The elec tronic contro l mod ule and externa l side
impact sensors
- The side c urtain a irbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea­
tures
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored elect ron ically to
make certa in it is function ing properly a t all
Ai rb ag sy stem
times . Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
airbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diagnostics).
Th e s ide curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions 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
p rovide p rotection when oc cupan ts are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 52, Gen­
eral information.
- If the airbag ind ic a tor light~ page 18
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags con work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re­
strained .
Fig. 166 Illust rat ion of pr incip le : I n flated si de curtai n air­
bags o n th e le ft side
The side curtain airbags inflate betwee n the oc­
cupant and the w indows on the side of the veh i-
cle that is struck in a side collision ¢
fig. 166 .
When the system is triggered, the side curtain
airbag is filled wi th propellant gas and breaks
t h rough a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the A IRBAG label. In order
ll>-
165

Airbag syste m
to help provide this additiona l 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 injure you if your seating position is not p roper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supp le ­
mental side curta in a irbag inflates . Th is applies
especia lly to children
c::> page 167 .
Although they a re not a soft pillow, side curtain
airbags can "cushion" the impact and in this way
they can help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and the upper part of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys.
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fire in the veh icle .
Important safety instructions on the side
curtain 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 do to help the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental p rotection.
,& WARNING
Improperly wear ing safe ty belts and imp roper
seating positions increase the risk of serious
perso nal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occ upants p lace any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
ta in a irbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate witho ut interference .
- Use the built-in coat hooks only for lig ht­
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 a co llision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the hooks.
- Only use factory- insta lled sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use on ly genu ine Audi su n shades.
166
- Never swing the sun visors over to the s ide
w indows if things such as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at­
tached to the sun v isors. They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cur­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fraction of a second and with great force.
- Never attach objects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The a irbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at al l times. Make sure there are no ob­
jects, pets, or other persons in the space be­
tween any vehicle occupant and any a irbag
at anyti me.
- Do not attach any accesso ries to the doors.
,& WARNING
- The a irbag system can deploy on ly once. If
the airbag has been t rigge red, the system
m ust be repl aced by an aut ho rized Aud i
dea le r o r qualified wor kshop.
- Always have wor k involving the side cu rtain
ai rbag system, removal and installation o f
the airbag componen ts, or other rep air s per ­
formed by a qualified dea le rship . Othe rwise
the airbag system may not work correctly .
- Never attempt to mod ify any components of
the airbag system in any way .