2016 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK ESP

Driving safety
moving. Objects can becom e trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­ ing a loss of vehicle 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
c::;, page 62, Luggag e compartm ent.
... Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
la tched in place .
A 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.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To help reduce the risk 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:
124 -
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
c::;,page 118.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while 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 air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the power roof* and the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to reduce the risk of
injury when the vehicle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked .
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
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
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.

-Never let passengers r ide in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants m ust al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seating positions .
(D Tips
-Air c irculation helps to reduce window fog­
ging. Stale air escapes to the outside
th rough vents in the t rim panel. Be su re to
keep these slots free and open.
- The t ire pressure must correspond to the
l oad. T he tire p ressure is shown on the tire
pressure labe l. The tire p ressure lab el is lo­
cate d on t he d river 's side B-pillar. The tire
pressure labe l lists the recommend ed cold
t ire infla tio n pr essures for the vehicle at its
m aximum c ap aci ty weig ht and t he tires that
were on your vehicle at the t ime it was man ­
ufactu red. For recommended tire p ressures
fo r normal load con ditions, please see chap ­
ter
c:> page 229.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use t he tie -downs to secure your c argo p roperly
c':> page 124, Loading the luggage compartment .
In a coll is io n, the laws of physi cs mean th at even
s ma ller i tems th at are loose i n the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can c ause ser ious in ­
jury. Items in the ve hicl e possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the item. Veh icle speed is the most s ignif icant facto r.
F or examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing o n a 10-lb
(4.5 kg) object are a bout 20 times the no rma l
weight of the item. Th is means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg). You can imagi ne the injuries
that a 200 lbs . (90 kg) item fly ing free ly throug h
the passenger compartmen t could cause in a co l­
l ision like this .
Driv ing safety
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or imprope r straps used to
secure items to tie-dow ns can fai l dur ing hard
br aking or in a collision and cause ser io us per­
sona l injury.
- Always us e suitable moun ting straps and
p rop erly secure i tems to the tie- downs in
the l uggage comp artme nt to help preven t
item s fr om sh ift ing o r flying forw ard a s dan­
ge rous missiles .
- Wh en the rear sea t back res t is folde d down,
a lways u se su itable moun ting str aps a nd
p roper ly se cure i tems to the tie- down s in
the l uggage compa rtment to help preven t
items from flying forwar d as dange rous
miss iles 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 believe that your vehicle
has a defect whi ch could cause a
crash or could cause injury or
death, you should immedia tely in­
form the National Highway Traffic Safety Admini stration (NHTSA) in
addition to notifying Audi of
America, Inc.
If NHTSA receives similar com­plaints, it may open an investiga­
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defects exists in a group of
vehicles, it may order a rec all and
remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
in dividual problems between you, ..,
125

....
Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of four seating positions:
two in the front and two in the rear. Each seating position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
N child sitting on your lap. er:
~ -Never let more people ride in the vehicle
~ than there are safety belts available. Lil
N v:, ......
Safety belts
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
, ff. Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger (on USA models only)
to remind you about the importance of buckling­
up .
Fig. 143 Safety belt warn ing light in the instrument clus ­
te r -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
.,, N
"' 0 ..:, ., m
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
~ Protect children w ith a ch ild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition, you wil l hear
a warning tone for a certain period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, a lways correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
127

Automatic safety belt r etractors
Every safety be lt is equ ipped wi th an automatic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
l ocks the belt when the belt is p ulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv­
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety be lt pret en sioner s
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten­
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
c:;, page 133 . The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c:;, page 17.
Con vertible loc king retractor
Every safety belt exc ept the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this featu re
c;, page 169.
& WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accident
c:;, page 131,
Safety belt position.
- Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the body.
- If the rear seat ba ckrest is not securely
latched, the passenger wi ll move fo rward
with the ba ckrest during sudden b raking, in
a sudden mane uver and especially in a
c rash.
- Never a ttach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle will red uce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious personal in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not proper ly restrained
can be seriously in jured by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger parts
of the body into cr itical areas like-the abdo ­
men .
Safet y bel ts
-Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are securing a child seat in the ve­
hicle
c;, page 171.
(0 Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
r efer to
c:;, page 133 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting maxi ­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fi g. 1 50 Safety belt pos it ion
U se the height adjustme nt to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the fro nt safety belts .
& WARNING
Imp roperly positioned safety belts can ca use
se rio us pe rson al injury in an a cciden t.
- The s hou lde r belt should lie as close to the
center of t he collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the bo d y. Ho ld the belt
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so that it sits as low as pos­
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should a lways fit
snug ly
¢fig. 150. Pull on the belt to tighten
if necessary .
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
i nj uries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable,
soft tissue and cause serious inj ury .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat ion
c:;, page 129 .
131

~ Push the loop-around fittings up qfig. 153 @,
or
~ squeeze together the(!) button, and push the
loop-around fittings
do wn@ .
~ Pull the belt to make sure that the upper at­
tachment is properly engaged .
A WARNING
Always read and heed all WARNINGS and oth­
er important informat ion
qpage 129.
With the front seats, the height adjustment
of the seat can also be used to adjust the po­
sition of the safety belts.
Improperly worn safety belts
Incorrectly positioned safety belts can cause se­
vere injuries.
Wearing safety belts improperly can cause seri­
ous injury or death. Safety belts can only work
when they are correctly pos itioned on the body .
Improper seating positions reduce the effect ive­
n ess of safety be lts and will
even i ncrease the
ris k of injury and death by mov ing the safety belt
to cr it ica l areas of the body. Imp roper seating
positions also increase the risk of serious inj ury
and death when an airbag deploys and strikes an
occ upant who is not in the correct seat ing posi­
tion. A driver is respons ible for the safety of all
vehicle occupants and espec ia lly for children.
Therefore:
~ Never permit anyone to assume an incorrect
s itting position in the veh icle wh ile traveling
Q A .
A WARNING
Improperly worn safety belts increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death wheneve r
a vehicle is be ing used.
- Always make sure that al l vehicle occupants
are correctly restra ined and stay in a co rrect
seating pos it io n whenever the ve hicle is be­
ing used.
S afet y be lts
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important in format ion
q page 129.
Belt tensioners
How safety belt pretensioners work
In front, side and rear-end collisions above a
particular severity and in a rollover, safety belts are tensioned automatically.
Rever sible safety belt tensioner s
The safety belts on the front seats are equipped
with power reversible tensioners. The following
funct ions are available when the dr iver's/front
passenger's safety belts are fastened:
- Automatic tens ioners: at the start of a drive,
the safety belts automatically adjust to the passenger after a certain time period or vehicle
speed. To switch the automatic tensioners off,
select the following in the MMI :
!CARI function
button
> (Car )* system s > Vehicle setting s >
Seats > Driver's seat or Passeng er' s s eat > Au­
tom atic belt ten sioner
> Off .
- In certain driving situations, the safety bel ts
may tighten w it h a reve rsib le tensioning func­
tion
q page 177.
-The safety be lts may also tigh ten with this re-
versible tension ing function in m inor collisions.
Pyrotechnic safety belt pretens ioners
The safety belts are equipped w it h safety belt
prete nsioners. The system is activated by sensors
in front, side and rear -end collisions of great se­
verity and in a ro llover. This tightens the belt and
takes up belt slack
q .& in Service and disposal of
safety belt pretensioner on page 134.
Taking up
the slack he lps to reduce forward occupant
movement during a collision.
A WARNING
--
- It is poss ible for the pretensioners to dep loy
incorrectly.
- The pyrotechnic system can only provide
protection for one collision. If the pyrotech­
n ic pretens ioners deploy, the pretensioning
system must be replaced.
133

Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop­ er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers , before driving off, always :
.,. Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
9 page 119,
.,. Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
9 page 53,
.,. Wear safety belts properly 9 page 129 ,
.,. Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children
9 page 159.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force. The
supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driv er or th e front s eat passenger is not seat ed
properly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to
do its job, it is important, both as a driver and as
a passenger to si t properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental pro tection
in certain frontal collisions
o page 119, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
o page 53.
It's especially important that children are proper­
ly restrained
9page 159.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system.
Proper seating position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver
seat with the safety belt properly fastened and
Airbag system
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operation of th e Ad­
vanced Airbag System, please contact your au­
thori zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834
for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov­ ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags will deflate im­
mediately after deployment so that the front oc­
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All 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 nothing should be
in their way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward mov e­
ment . Togethe r they help to prevent the drive r
and front seat passenger from hitting parts of
the inside of the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash . In this
way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system de­
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collision and registered by the electronic con­
trol unit . If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehi­
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi­
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably between one collision and another, it is not possi­
ble to define a range of vehicle speeds that will
cover every possible kind and angle of impact
that will always trigger the airbags . Important
factors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed , etc. The front airbags will
II>
135

Airbag syste m
also not inflate in s ide or rear collisions, or in
ro ll-overs.
Alwa ys rememb er: Airbags will deploy only once,
and on ly in ce rtain k inds of coll is ions. Yo ur safety
be lts are always there to offer protection in those
situations in which airbags are not supposed to
dep loy, or when they have already deployed ; for
examp le, when your vehicle str ikes or is struck by
another vehicle after the first coll is ion.
This is just one of the reasons why an airbag is a
supp lementary restraint and is not a substitute
for a safety belt. The a irbag system works most
effect ively when used with the safety belts.
Therefore, always properly wear your safety belts
r=;, page 127 .
A WARNING
Sitting too close to the steering wheel o r in­
st rument panel will decrease the effective­
ness of the airbags and will inc rease the risk
of personal injury in a co llision .
- Never sit closer than 10 inches (25 cm) to
the steering wheel or instrument panel.
- If you cannot si t mo re than 10 inches
(25 cm) from the steering wheel, invest i­
gate whether adaptive equipment may be
available to help you reach the pedals and
increase your seating distance from the
steering wheel.
- All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restrained properly whenever riding
in a vehicle. An unrestrained or improperly
restra ined child could be injured by striking
the interior or by being ejected from the ve­
hicle during a sudden maneuver or impact.
An unrestrained or imp roperly restrained
child is also at greate r risk of inju ry or death
through contact with an inflating airbag .
-If you are unrestrained, leaning fo rward, s it­
t ing s ideways or out of pos ition in any way,
yo ur risk of in ju ry is much h igher.
- Yo u will also receive serious injuries and
could even be killed if you are up aga inst the
airbag or too close to it when it inflates -
even with an Advanced Airbag.
136
-
- To reduce the risk of injury when an airbag
inflates, always wear safety belts properly
r=;, page 130, Safety belts.
- Always make certa in that children age 12 or
younger always ride in the rear seat. If chil­
dren are not properly restrained, they may be severely injured or killed when an airbag
inflates .
- Never let ch ildren ride unrestra ined or im­
properly restrained in the vehicle. Ad just the
front seats properly.
- Never ride with the backrest recl ined .
- Always sit as far as possible from the steer-
ing wheel or the instrument panel
r=;, page 119.
-Always sit upright w ith your back against
the backrest of your seat .
- Never p lace your feet on the instrument
panel or on the seat . Always keep both feet
on the floor in front of the seat to help pre ­
vent serious injur ies to the legs and hips if
the airbag inflates.
- Never recl ine the front passenger's seat to
transpo rt objects . Items can also move into
the area of the s ide a irbag or the front air­
bag du ring brak ing o r in a sudden maneu­
ver. Objects nea r the airbags can become
projecti les and cause injury when an airbag
inflates.
A WARNING
Airbags that have deployed in a crash must be replaced.
- Use on ly original equipment airbags ap­
proved by Audi and installed by a trained
technician who has the necessary tools and
diagnostic equipment to properly replace
any airbag in your vehicle and assure system
effectiveness in a crash .
- Never perm it salvaged or recycled airbags to
be installed in your vehicle.
Child restraints on the front seat - some
important things to know
.,. Be s ure to read the impo rtant info rmat ion and
heed the WARN INGS for important details .,.

about children and Advanced Airbags
c::>page 159.
Even though yo ur vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System, make certain that all chil­
dren, especially those 12 years and younger, al­
ways ride in the back seat properly restrained for
their age and size. The airbag on the passenger
side makes the front seat a potentially dangerous place for a child to ride. The front seat is not the
safest place for a child in a forward-facing child
seat .
It can be a very dangerous place for an in­
fant or a child in a rearward-fac ing seat.
T he Advanced Airbag System in your veh icle has
been certified to comply with the requirements
of United States Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd (FMVSS) 208, as well as Canada Motor
Veh icle Safety Standa rd (CMVSS) 208 as applica­
b le a t the time your veh icle was m an ufact ured.
Accord ing to requirements, the front Advanced
Airbag System on the passenger side has been
certifi ed for "suppression" for infants of about
12 month old and younger and for "low risk de­
ployment" for children aged 3 to 6 years old (as
defined in the standard) .
T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG O FF light in the instru­
ment panel tells you when the front Advanced
Airbag on the passenger side has been turned
off
by the electronic control unit.
Each time yo u switch on the ignition, the
PAS ·
S ENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on for a
few seconds and:
- will stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied,
- will stay on if the electrical capacitance meas ­
ured by the capac itive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing child restraints listed in Fed ­
era l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208 with which the Advanced Airbag System i n
yo ur vehicle was ce rtified. For a l isting of the
child rest raints t hat were used to ce rtify your
vehicle's compliance with the Safety Standa rd
c::> page 161.
Airb ag sys tem
-wi ll stay on if there is a small child or c hild re­
straint on the front passenger seat,
- will go
off if the front passenge r seat is occu ­
pied by an adult as registered by the capac itive
passenger detection system
c::, page 146, Mon­
itoring the Advanced Airbag System.
T he PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes on
when e lectrica l capacitance registered on the
front passenger seat is equal to or less t han the
combined capacitance of a typical 1 year-old in­
fant and one of the rearward-facing or forward­
facing child restraints listed in Federal Motor Ve­
hicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208 with wh ich
the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur vehicle was
ce rtified.
If the total e lec trical capacitance reg istered on
t h e front passenger seat is more than that of a
typ ical 1 year-old ch ild but less than the weight
of a sma ll adult, the front airbag on the passen­
ger side can deploy (the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light does not come on).
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on, the front airbag on the passenger side
has not been turned off by the electron ic con trol
u nit and can dep loy if the control unit senses an
impact that meets the cond itions s tored in its
memory .
For example , th e airbag may deplo y if:
- a small ch ild that is heav ier than a typ ical 1
year-o ld child is on the front passenger seat
(regardless of whethe r the child is in one of the
child seats lis ted
c::> page 161), or
- a child who has outgrown c hild rest raints is on
the front passenge r seat.
If the front passenger airbag is turned off, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on in the
inst rument cluste r and stays on .
If the front passenger airbag deploys, the Feder­
al Standard requires the airbag to meet the " low
risk" deployment cr iteria to reduce the r isk of in­
jury through interact ion w ith the airbag . "Low
r isk " dep loymen t occurs in those crashes that
t ak e place at lowe r decelerations as defined in
the e lectronic cont rol unit
c::, page 147, PASSEN -
GER AIR BAG OFF light.
Ill>
137