2016 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK Owners Manual

@ For the sake of the environment
Undeployed airbag modu les and pretension­
ers might be classified as Perchlorate Materi­
al -special handling may apply, see
www.dtsc .ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlo­
rate . When the veh icle or parts of the re­
straint system including airbag modules and
safety belts with pretensioners 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 you.
Other things that can affect Advanced
Airbag performance
Changing the vehicle's suspension system can
change the way that the Advanced Airbag System
pe rforms in a crash. For examp le, using tire-rim
comb inat ions not approved by Audi, lowering the
veh icle, changing the stiffness of the suspension,
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 unit . Some suspension changes
can, for example, increase the force levels meas­
ured by the sensors and make the airbag system
deploy in crashes in wh ich 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 serious 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 vehicle.
- Never use tire-rim combinations that have
not been approved by Audi.
Airbag system
Knee airbags
Description of knee a irbags
Applies to: vehicles wit h knee airbags
The knee airbag system can provide supplemen­
tal protection to properly restrained front seat
occupants .
Fig. 158 Driver 's knee air bag
The driver knee airbag is in the inst rument panel
u nderneath the steering wheel¢
fig. 158, the
airbag for the passenger is at about the same
height in the instrument pane l 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 deploy, the knee airbags also
deploy in frontal collisions when the deployment
threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 144, More important things to know
about front airbags .
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the dr iver or front passenger in
pos ition 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 wear ing your safety be lt
and wea ring it properly. This is why you shou ld
always wea r your safety belt, not just because
t h e law requires you to do so ¢
page 12 7, Gener-
al information.
IJJ>-
151

Airbag system
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
example when your vehicle strikes or is struck by
another after the first collis ion .
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
ab rasions and friction burns can also occur when
an airbag inflates.
The knee airbag system basically consists of:
-The electronic control module
- 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 side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunct ion (warning/
indicator light is on) ¢
page 17 .
_&, WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position¢
page 144.
-If the airbag indicator light ~ page 17
comes when the vehicle is be ing 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 will not inflate when it should.
152
How knee airbags work
Applies to : vehicles wit h knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags .
Fig. 159 Inflated airbags protec ting in a fronta l co llis io n
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 frontal 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 fi ll with a
prope llant gas , and infla te between the lower
part of the instrument panel and the d river and
the lower part of the instrument panel and the
front passenger ¢
page 144, fig. 156.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion" the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the lower ex­
tremities.
All of th is takes pla ce 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 deploy .
Fully inflated airbags in combination with proper­
ly worn safety be lts s low down and limit the oc­
cupant's forward movement and help to reduce
the risk of injury.

Important safety instructions on the knee
airbag system
App lies to: ve hicles with k nee a irbags
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. 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 be lts and airbags
to provide supplemen tal protection .
A WARNING
An inflating knee airbag can cause serious in­
jury . Wearing safety belts incorrectly and im ­
proper seating positions increase the risk of
ser ious 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 adjusting their
seat positions , it is important that both the
driver and the front passenger keep their
upper bod ies a nd knees at the followi ng
min imum safe distances :
- at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the
chest and the steering wheel/instrument
panel.
- at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the
knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- The risk of personal injury increases if you
lean forward or to the s ide, or if the seat is
improperly positioned and you are not wear­
ing your safety belt . The risk increases even
more should the a irbag 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 in an accident by interfer ing
w ith the way t he a irbag deploys o r by being
pushed into you as the airbag deploys .
- Never let anybody, especially chi ldren or
animals ride in the footwell in front of the
passe nger seat. If the airbag deploys, this
can resu lt in se rious or fatal injur ies.
- Never carry objects of any k ind in the foot­
well area in front of the driver's or pas­
senger's seat . Bu lky objects (shopping
-
Airb ag sys tem
bags, for example) can interfere with or
prevent proper dep loyment of the airbag.
Small objects can be thrown through the
vehicle if the airbag deploys and injure you
or your passengers .
- Make sure there are no cracks , deep scratch­
es or other damage in the area of the instru­
ment panel where the knee airbags are lo­
cated.
- If c hildren are incorrectly seated, their risk
of injury inc reases in a coll is ion
¢ page 159, Child safety.
Side airbags
Description of side airbags
The airbag system can provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained occupants.
Fi g. 160 Side airb ag locat io n in t he drive r's sea t
The side airbags are located in the s ides of the
front seat backrests ¢
fig. 160 and the rear back­
rest fac ing the doors . They a re identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the fro nt seating
pos it ions have been des igned and certified to
help reduce the risk of inju ry that can be caused
by a irbags when they inflate, pa rtic ularly when
t h e occ upant sitting next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The side airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used wit h properly installed ch ild re ­
straints . Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and warnings whenever using a chi ld
restra int in a vehicle : Safety belts ¢
page 12 7,
Airbag system¢ page 135 , Child safety
<=>page 159.
The side airbag sy stem basi cally consi st s of: Ill>-
153

Airbag syste m
-the e lectronic contro l modu le 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 airbag warning light in the instrument cl us-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certa in that it is functioning properly at all
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 help 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 only when the vehicle acceleration reg­
istered by the control unit is high enough . If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in­
to the control un it, the side airbags w ill not be
tr iggered , even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision.
It is not pos­
sible to def ine an airbag tr iggering range that
will cover every possible ang le of impact , since
the circumstances wi ll vary considerably betw een
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 155, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos ition in the event of a s ide collision
so that the side a irbags can provide 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 s ide airbag system can only
he lp to protect you if you are wearing your safety
be lt and wea ring it p roperly. This is another rea­
son why you shou ld always wear yo ur safety
be lts , not just because the law requires you to do
so ¢
page 12 7, General information.
It is important to remember that whi le the sup­
p lemental side a irbag system is des igned to re-
154 duce the likelihood of ser
ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bruising, friction
burns and m inor abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed side airbags. Remember too, side
airbags will dep loy only once and only in certain
k inds of acc idents -your safety belts are always
there to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs or even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necessar ily an ind ication
of over -sens itive or fa iled airbag activat ion. In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
i nflate . Remember too, that a irbags w ill dep loy
o nl y once and on ly in certain kinds of collisions -
you r safety be lts are always there to offer protec­
tion in those accidents in which airbags are not supposed to deploy or when they have a lready
deployed.
The s ide airbag system will not deploy:
- when the ignit io n is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end coll is ions
- in rear-end collisions
-in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front ai rbags, side
curtain airbags and side airbags may be triggered
together .
A WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protect ion when occupants are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 155 .
-If the airbag ind icator light¢ page 17
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 inflate when i t is not sup­
posed to, or wi ll not inflate when it should.

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.
F ig . 161 In fla ted side airbags o n left s ide of v ehicle , rea r
side a irbag
When the system is triggered, the a irbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG ". It ex­
pands between the s ide trim pane l and the pas­
senger. In order to he lp prov ide this add itiona l
p rotection, 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 ­
p lies especially to children
c::> page 159, Child
safety .
Supplemental side a irbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
coll is ion
c::> fig . 161.
A lthough they are not a soft pi llow, they can
" cu shion" the impact and in th is way they can
he lp to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fi ne dust may deve lop when the airbag dep loys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
i n the vehicle .
Airbag sys tem
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 yo ur passengers must
know and act acco rding ly to he lp the safety belts
and airbags do their job to prov ide supplementa l
pro tect ion .
A WARNING
An inflating side ai rbag can cause se rious or
fata l injury. Improperly wearing safety be lts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of ser ious 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 s it in an upr ight posi tion and never
lean agains t the area where the supp le­
mental s ide airbag is located .
- Neve r let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head ag ainst the side tr im pane l in the
area where the s upplementa l side airbag
inflates.
- Always make s ure tha t safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do no t 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 th at the side airbag can
inflate without interference .
- Never install seat covers or replacement
upholste ry over the front seatbacks that
have not been specif ically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de­ ploy.
- Damage to the orig inal seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the s ide airbag
mo dule must a lways be repaired immedi­
ate ly by an authorized Audi dealer .
-
-Objects between you and the a irbag can in­
crease the r is k of injury in an a cciden t by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds o r _,.
155

Airbag syste m
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.
- Such objects and accessories can become
dangerous projectiles and cause in ju ry
when the supplemental side airbag de­ ploys.
- Never carry any objects or pets in the de­ ployment space between them and the
airbags or allow children or other passen­
gers to travel in this position.
- Always use the built-in coat hooks only for
lightweight clothing. Never leave any heavy
or sharp-edged objects in the pockets that
may interfere w ith side airbag deployment
and can cause personal i njury in an accident.
- Always prevent the side airbags from being
damaged by heavy objects knocking against
or hitting the sides of the seatbacks.
- The airbag system can only be triggered
once. If the airbag has been triggered, the
system must be replaced by an author ized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
orig inal seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side a irbag mod ule m ust always
be repa ired immed iate ly by an authorized
Audi dealer .
- If children are sea ted improperly, their r is k
of injury increases in the ca se of an ac ciden t
~ page 159, Child safety .
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the a irbag sys tem in any way.
- In a side collision, side a irbags w il l not fu nc­
t ion properly if sensors cannot correct ly
measure increasi ng air pressure ins ide the
doo rs when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive w ith inter io r door tr im panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside doo r panel and the
open ings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
156
- 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 i n the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Aud i dealer 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. 162 S id e curt ain airbags, driver's sid e: side curtain a ir ­
bag locatio n
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the inter ior above the fro nt and rear side win­
dows~
fig. 162. T hey are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshie ld frame .
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent veh i­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle i nterior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll­
overs .
The side c urtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
j ury for occupants' heads and upper torso . The
s ide curtain airbag inflates in side impacts and
only when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the control unit is high enough. If th is rate is be-
low the reference va lue 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 pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr iggering range that
will cover every possib le angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision and another. Important facto rs in­
clude, for example, the nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle speed, etc.
c:::, page 15 7, How side curtain air­
bags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to he lp keep the driver or front pas­
senger in posit io n in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec ­
tion.
The a irbag sys tem is not a s ubst itute for yo ur
safety bel t. Rat her, it is part of the overa ll occu­
pant restraint system in your veh icle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect yo u if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is another reason
why you should always wear your safety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
c:::, page 127, General information .
It is important to remember that while the s ide
curta in airbag system is designed to help reduce
the likelihood of serious injuries, other injuries,
for example, swelling, bruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be associated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in cert ain kin ds of ac ciden ts -you r safe ty belts are
a lways there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically
consists of:
- The elec tronic contro l module and external s ide
impact sensors
- The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear s ide windows w it h ejection mi tigation fea­
tures
- T he airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored e lectronically to
make certain it is fu nct ion ing properly at all
t imes. Each time you sw itch on the ig nition, the
Airb ag sys tem
airbag system ind icator light wi ll come on for a
few seconds (se lf diagnostics).
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
- if the ignition is sw itched off,
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions .
A WARNING
-
-Safety bel ts and the airbag system will only
p rov ide pro tect io n when occupants are in
the proper seat ing position
c:::, page 52, Gen ­
eral information.
- If the ai rbag ind icator light c:::, page 17
comes when the veh icle is being used, have
the system ins pected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer . It is possib le that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late w hen it should.
How side curtain airbags work
Side curtain airbags can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who ore properly re­
strained.
F ig. 163 Illustration of p rinciple: Inflated s ide curta in air·
bags o n the left side
The side curtain airbags inflate between the oc­
cupant and the windows on the side of the vehi­
cle that is struck in a side collision
c:::, fig. 163.
When the system is triggered, the s ide curtain
airbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identified by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this additional protect io n, the
liJ,
157

Airbag syste m
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very high speed and with great force .
The s ide curta in a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are located in the area where the supp le­
mental side curtain airbag inflates . This applies
especially to children
c:> page 159.
Although they are not a soft pi llow, 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 protect ion.
_& WARNING
Improperly wea ring safety belts and imprope r
seating pos it ions increase the ris k of serious
persona l injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used.
- Never let occupan ts p lace any parts of their
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain airbag inflate .
- Always make sure that the side curtain air ­
bags can inflate witho ut interference .
- U se the buil t- in coat hooks on ly for light­
weight clothing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
interfere w ith airbag deployment and can
cause personal injury in a collision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on the
hooks.
- Only use factory-installed s un shades or, if
shades installed after the veh icle leaves the
factory, use only genuine Aud i sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the side
windows if things such as pens, garage door
158
opene rs, hands-free speakers, etc. are at­
tached to the sun visors. They could come
loose and cause serious injury if the side cur­
tain airbag inflates.
- A deploying airbag inflates in a fract ion 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 airbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all times. Make sure there are no
objects, pets, or other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any time .
- Do not attach any accessories to the doors.
_& WARNING
-The airbag system can deploy on ly once. If
the airbag has been triggered, the system
must be rep laced by an author ized A udi
dea le r o r qualified wor ksh op.
- Always have wo rk involv ing the side curtain
airbag system, remova l and installat ion of
the airbag componen ts, or other repairs
pe rformed by a q ualified dea lership. Other ­
w ise the airbag system may not work cor­
rectly.
- Never attempt to mod ify any componen ts of
the airbag system in any way .