2016 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK sensor

-An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve for the driver inside the steering
wheel hub.
- An Advanced Airbag with gas generator and
control valve inside the instrument panel for
the front passenger.
- A capacitive passenger detection system under­
neath the front passenger seat cover. This sys­
tem measures the electrical capacitance of the
person in the seat. The information registered
is sent continuously to the electronic control
unit to regulate deployment of the front Ad­
vanced Airbag on the passenger side .
- An airbag monitoring system and indicator
light in the instrument cluster
~ page 146.
-A sensor in each front seat registers the dis­
tance between the respective seat and the
steering wheel or instrument panel. The infor­
mation registered is sent continuously to the
electronic control unit to regulate deployment
of the front Advanced Airbags.
- The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
and stays on in the center of the instrument
panel ~
page 147, fig. 157 and tells you when
the front Advanced Airbag on the passenger side has been turned off.
- A sensor in the safety belt latch for the driver
and for the front seat passenger that senses
whether that safety belt is latched or not and
transmits this information to the electronic control unit.
A WARNING
Damage to the front passenger seat can pre­
vent the front airbag from working properly.
- Improper repair or disassembly of the front
passenger and driver seat will prevent the
Advanced Airbag System from functioning properly.
- Repairs to the front passenger seat must be
performed by qualified and properly trained
workshop personnel.
- Never remove the front passenger or driver
seat from the vehicle.
- Never remove the upholstery from the front
passenger seat.
- Never disassemble or remove parts from the
seat or disconnect wires from it.
Airbag system
-Never carry sharp objects in your pockets or
put them on the seat. The capacitive pas­
senger detection mat in the front passenger
seat will not function properly if it is punc­
tured.
- Never carry things on your lap or carry ob­
jects on the front passenger seat. Such ob­
jects can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- Never store items under the front passenger
seat. Parts of the Advanced Airbag System
under the passenger seat could be dam­
aged, preventing them and the airbag sys­
tem from working properly.
- Never place seat covers or replacement up­
holstery that have not been specifically ap­
proved by Audi on the front seats.
- Seat covers can prevent the Advanced Air­
bag System from recognizing child re­
straints or occupants on the front passenger
seat and prevent the side airbag in the seat
backrest from deploying properly.
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat,
never install any child restraint system on
this seat.
- Never use cushions, pillows, blankets, or
similar items on the front passenger seat.
The additional layers prevent the capacitive
passenger detection system from accurately
measuring the capacitance of the child safe­
ty seat and/or the person on the seat and
thus keep the Advanced Airbag System from
working properly.
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can influence the capacitance regis­
tered by the capacitive passenger detection
system, so that incorrect information is pro­
vided to the airbag control unit.
- If you must use a child restraint on the front
passenger seat and the child restraint
~
143

Airbag syste m
manufacturer's instructions require the use
of a towel, foam cushion or someth ing else
to properly pos ition the child restraint,
make certain that the
PAS SENGE R A IR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever
the chi ld restraint is installed on the front
passenge r seat.
- If the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in­
sta ll child restraint in a rear seating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer.
_& WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im­
mediately .
- If liquid soaks into the fron t passenger sea t,
t h is can keep the a irbag system from work ­
ing properly and may, for instance, deacti­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on together with
the airbag indicator light
fl (USA models)/
El (Canada models) in the instrument clus­
te r.
- If liquid is pooled on the seat, but has not
soaked in, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from working properly and ca use the
passenge r frontal a irbag to be e nabled
(tu rned on), even though there is a properly
ins talled chi ld restraint system on the seat.
Wet towe ls or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger frontal airbag is turned on,
the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light will go
out.
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
The front Advanced Airbag System and the side
ai rbags s upplement the protection offered by the
front three-po int safety belts with pretensioners
and load limiters and the adjustable head re ­
stra ints* to help reduce the risk of injury in a
wide range of accident and crash situations. Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in th is chapter.
144
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de ­
pend on the dece leration measured by the crash
sensors and registered by the electronic contro l
unit. Crash severity depends on speed and decel­
e ration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the crash .
On the passenger side, regard less of safety belt
use, the front passenger frontal airbag will be
turned off if the e lectr ica l capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenger detection system on
the front passenger seat is less than the amount programmed in the elec tron ic cont rol unit . The
front passenger fron tal a irbag w ill also be turned
off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the child seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208. The
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes
on and stays on to tell you when the front Ad ­
vanced Airbag System on the passenger side has been tu rned off
c:> page 147 .
_& WARNING
To reduce the ris k of injury when an airbag in­
flates, always we ar safe ty belts prope rly.
- If you are un restrai ned, leaning forward, sit­
ting sideways or out of posi tion in any way,
your r isk o f injury is much highe r.
- You will a lso receive ser ious injuries and
co uld even be killed if yo u are up agains t the
ai rbag or too close to it when i t inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag
c:> page 135.
More important things to know about front
airbags
Fig . 156 Inflated front a irbags
" "' 0 ± ., a,

Airbag syste m
A WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in ­
cr ease the risk of inju ry in a cras h by interfer­
ing w ith the way the airbag unfol ds or by be­
ing pushed into you as the a irbag inflates.
- Never hold th ings in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use.
- Never transport items on or in the area of
the front passenger seat . Objects could
move into the area of the front airbags du r­
ing bra king or other sudden maneuve rs and
become dangerous projectiles that can
ca use serious pe rsonal injury if the a irbags
inflate.
- Never pl ace or attach accessor ies or o ther
objects (such as cup ho lders, te lephone
brackets, large, heavy o r bulky objects) on
the doors, over or near the area marked "AIRBAG" on the steering wheel, instru­
ment pane l, seat backrests or between
those areas and yourself. These objects
could cause injury in a crash, especially
when the airbags inflate.
- Never recline the front passenger's seat to transport objec ts. Items can also move into
t h e a rea of the side airbag o r the front a ir­
bag during braking or in a s udden maneu­
ver. Objects near the airbags can become
projectiles and cause in ju ry, particularly
when the seat is reclined.
- Never pl ace or transport o bje cts on the
front passenge r seat . Objects on the front
passenge r seat co uld cause the capac itive
sensor in the seat to signal to airbag system
that the seat is occupied by a person when it
in fact is not, or that the person on the seat
is heavier than he or she actually is. The
change in elect ric capac itance because of
s u ch objects can cause the passenger front
airbag to be turned on when it shou ld be
off, or ca n cause the a irbag to wo rk i n a way
that is diffe rent from the way it would have
wor ked witho ut objects on the seat.
- Alway s m ake sure th at the re is nothing on
t h e fron t passenger seat that w ill cause the
capacit ive passenger detection system in
the seat to signa l to the Airbag System that
146
the seat is occup ied by a person when it is
not, or to signal that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actually
sitt ing on the seat . The presence of an ob­
ject could ca use the passenger front airbag
to be turned on when it should be off, or
could cause the airbag to work in a way that is diffe rent from the w ay it would have
wo rked withou t the object on the seat.
A WARNING
-
The fine dus t created when airbags deploy c an
cause breathing prob lems for peo ple with a
h istory of asthma or othe r breath ing cond i­
tions.
- To reduce the r is k of breathing p roblems,
those with asthma o r other respiratory con­
ditions shou ld get fresh a ir right away by
getting out of the vehicle or opening win­
dows or doors .
- If you are in a co llision in which airbags de­
ploy, wash yo ur hands and face with m ild
soap and water before eating.
- Be ca refu l not to get the dust into your eyes,
or into any cuts or scratches.
- If the residue sho uld get into your eyes,
flush them w ith wate r.
Monitoring the
Advanced Airbag System
t~ (USA models) !!I: (Canada models)
Airbag monitoring indicator light
Two separate indicators monitor the function of
the Advanced Airbag System: the airbag moni­
toring indicator light and the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light.
The Advanced A irbag System as well as t he side
airbags and side curta in airbags w ith ejection
mitigation features (including the electronic con­
tro l unit, senso rs and system w iring) are all
monito red cont inuo usly to make sure that they
a re functioning properly whenever the ignition is
o n. Every time you tu rn o n the ign ition, the air­
bag sys tem indi cato r li ght
II (USA models) a
(Canada mode ls) will come on for a few seconds
(function check). .,.

@ 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 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.

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

Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
Applies to: ve hicles with Audi pre sense
Pre sense can initiate steps to protect vehicle oc­
cupants in certain dangerous situations. The
functions described are available depending on
veh icle equ ipment:
Pre sense basic*
The following functions can be triggered in cer­
tain driving situations:
- Tightening of the safety belts (for examp le,
during emergency braking): the front safety
belts have reversib le belt pretensioners. If a
collision does not occur, the safety belts loosen
slightly and are ready to trigger aga in.
- Closing the w indows and the sunroof* (for ex­
ample, when over- or understeering) : the win­
dows and the sunroof* close until there is only
a small gap open .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be triggered at
speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h). Drive select: the deployment time is adapted in
Dynamic mode .
Pre sense front (vehicles with adaptive cruise
control*)
Pre sense front contains the functions of pre
sense basic . In addition, the likelihood of a rear ­
end collision with the vehicle ahead is also calcu­
lated, within the limi ts of the system. If the risk
of a collision is detected, the following functions
can trigger:
- Braking guard
c> page 85
- Tensioning of the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*
Pre sense rear (vehicles with side assist*)
Pre sense rear contains the functions of pre sense
bas ic. In addit ion, the lik el ihood of a rear-end
coll is ion from the vehicle behind is also calculat­
ed, within the limits of the system. If the risk of a
collision is detected, the following functions can
trigger:
Audi pre sense
-Tensioning of the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*
Pre sense plus*
Pre sense plus contains the functions of pre
sense front and pre sense rear .
Error message
Aud i pre sense: Unavailable
Preventative passenger protection is not availa­
ble. Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
=
Pre sense cannot overcome natural phys ica l
laws . It is a system designed to assist and it
cannot prevent a collision . Do not let the in­
creased safety provided tempt you into taking
risks. This could increase your risk of a colli­
sion.
- The system can dep loy incorrectly .
- Please note that the sensors do not always
detect all objects . This increases the risk of
a collision.
- Pre sense does not react to people or ani­
mals or objects that are crossing the vehi­
cle's path or are difficu lt to detect
.:>page 79.
-Reflective objects such as guard ra ils or the
entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain and ice can
affect the function of the radar sensors and
the system's ability to detect a collision risk.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
un derbody. Pre sense can be impaired by this.
Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility check their function .
(D Tips
-Certain pre sense front functions switch off
when sport mode is switched off or when
driving in reverse. ..,.
177