2016 AUDI RS7 SPORTBACK ESP

-Always make sure that there is nothing on
the front passenger seat that will ca use the
capacit ive passenger detection system in
the seat to signal to the Airbag System that
the seat is occupied by a person when it is
not, or to signa l that it is occupied by some­
one who is heavier than the person actua lly
sitting on the seat. The p resence of addi­
tional objects could cause the passenger
front airbag to be turned on when it shou ld
be off, or could cause the airbag to work in a
way that is different from the way it would
have worked without the object on the seat.
Front airbags
Description of front airbags
The airbag system con provide supplemental
protection to properly restrained front seat occu­
pants.
F ig. 154 Location of driver airbag: in steering whee l
Fig. 155 Location of front passenger 's airbag: in th e in­
strume nt panel
Your veh icle is equipped with an "Advanced Air­
bag System" in comp liance with United States
F edera l Moto r Vehicle Safety Standard
( FM VSS) 208, as well as Canad a Moto r Vehicle
Safety Standard (CMVSS) 208 as app licab le at
Airb ag sys tem
the time your ve hicle was manufactured . The
safety belts for the seats have "pretensioners"
that help to take slack out of the belt system .
The pretensioners are also activated by the elec­
tronic control unit for the airbag system.
The front safety belts also have load limiters to
help reduce the forces applied to the body in a
crash.
T he airbag for the drive r is in the steering wheel
hub ~
fig. 154 and the airbag for the front pas­
senger is in the instrument panel~
fig. 155 . The
general locat ion of the airbags is marked "AIR­
BAG".
There is a lot you need to know about the airbags i n your vehicle . We urge you to read the deta iled
information about airbags, safety be lts and ch ild
safety in this and the other chapters that make
up the ow ner's literature . Please be sure to heed
the WARNINGS - they are extremely important
for yo ur safety and the safety of your passengers,
especially infan ts and small children.
_&. WARNING
-
Neve r rely o n ai rbags alone fo r prote ct ion.
- E ven w hen they deploy, airbags provide only
supp lemental pro tection.
- Ai rbag work most effectively when used
with p roperly worn safety belts.
- Therefo re, always wear your safety belts and
make sure that everybody in your ve hicle is
p roperly restrained.
- Always hold the steering w heel with both
ha nds on the outside of the steering wheel
rim at the 9:00 o'clock and 3 :00 o'clock po ­
sitions to help reduce t he risk of personal i n­
jury if the driver's a irbag inflates.
- Never hold the stee ring wheel at the 12
o'clock position or wi th your hands any ­
where inside the steering wheel o r on the
steer ing whee l hub . Holding the steering
wheel the wrong way increases the r isk of
severe injury to the arms, hands, and head if
the dr iver airbag deploys.
~
139

Airbag system
& WARNING
Objects between you and the airbag will in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash by interfer ­
ing with the way the airbag unfolds and/or by
being pushed into you as the airbag inflates.
-Always make sure nothing is in the front air -
bag deployment zone that could be struck
by the airbag when it inflates .
- Objects in the zone of a deploying airbag
can become projectiles when the airbag de­
ploys and cause serious personal injury.
- Never hold things in your hands or on your
lap when the vehicle is in use .
- Never place accessories or other objects
(such as cup holders, telephone brackets,
note pads, navigation systems, or things
that are large, heavy, or bulky) on the doors;
never attach then to the doors or the wind­
shield; never place them over or near or at­
tach them to the area marked ,,AIRBAG" on
the steering wheel, instrument panel or the
seat backrests; never place them between
these areas and you or any other person in
the vehicle.
- Never attach objects to the windshield
above the passenger front airbag, such as
accessory GPS navigation units or music
players . Such objects could cause serious in­
jury in a collision , especially when the air­
bags inflate .
- Never recline the front passenger seat to
transport objects. Items can also move into
the deployment area of the side airbags or
the front airbag during breaking or in a sud­
den maneuver. Objects near the airbags can
fly dangerously through the passenger com­
partment and cause injury, particularly
when the seat is reclined and the airbags in­
flate.
& WARNING
A person on the front passenger seat, espe­ cially infants and small children, will receive
serious injuries and can even be killed by be­
ing too close to the airbag when it inflates.
-Although the Advanced Airbag System in
your vehicle is designed to turn off the front
140
-
passenger airbag if an infant or a small child
is on the front passenger seat, nobody can
absolutely guarantee that deployment un­
der these special conditions is impossible in
all conceivable situations that may happen
during the useful life of your vehicle .
- The Advanced Airbag System can deploy in
accordance with the ,,low risk" option for 3-
and 6-year-old children under the U .S . Fed­
eral Standard if a child with electrical capac­
itance greater than the combined capaci­
tance of a typical one-year old infant re­
strained in one of the forward facing or rear­
ward-facing child seats with which your ve­
hicle was certified is on the front passenger
seat and the other conditions for airbag de­ployment are met .
- Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seating position .
- For their own safety, all children, especially
12 years and younger, should always ride in
the back properly restrained for their age
and size.
Advanced front airbag system
Your vehicle is equipped with a front Advanced
Airbag System in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, as
well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
(CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time your vehi­
cle was manufactured.
The front Advanced Airbag System supplements
the safety belts to provide additional protection
for the driver's and front passenger's heads and upper bodies in frontal crashes. The airbags in­
flate only in frontal impacts when the vehicle de ­
celeration is high enough.
The front Advanced Airbag System for the front
seat occupants is not a substitute for your safety belts. Rathe r, it is part of the overall occupant re­
straint system in your vehicle . Always remember
that the airbag system can only help to protect
you, if you are sitting upright, wearing your safe ­
ty belt and wearing it properly . This is why you
and your passengers must always be properly .,.

-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
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). .,.

-the adult on the front passenger seat is proper ­
l y seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up aga inst the backrest and the
backrest is not reclined ,
- the adult is not taking weight off the seat by
holding on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or supporting
their we ight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is be ing properly worn and that
there is not a lo t of slack in the safety belt web­
bing,
- there are no aftermarket seat covers or cush­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca ­
pacit ive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late elect rical capac itance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adva need A irbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks fo r
about 5 se conds to cat ch the driver's atten­
t ion. If th is happens , al ways stop as soon as
it is safe to do so and check the steps descri­
bed above.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go of f when an adult who is not very
small is sitting on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps descri bed above,
make sure the adult is properly seated and
restra ined at one of the rear seating posi­
t ions. Have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur authorized Aud i dealer before trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger seat .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
e rl y cannot provide supplemental p rotection
in a frontal cra sh .
-If the airbag indicato r light ¢ page 17
comes when the vehicle is be ing use d, have
the system inspected immed iate ly by yo ur
authorized Au di dealer. It is possible that
Airb ag sys tem
the airbag will in flate when it is not sup­
posed to, or w ill not inf late when it should.
A WARNING
-
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild witho ut a
chi ld restraint, or in a rea rward-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing child re ­
stra int that has not been properly insta lled
will be serious ly injured and can be killed .
- Even tho ugh your vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that all children, espec ially 12 years a nd
younge r, always ride on t he bac k sea t prop­
erly rest raine d for the ir age and s ize.
- Always install fo rwa rd o r rea r-fa cing child
seats on the rea r seat -even w ith an Ad­
van ce d Ai rbag System.
- If you must install a rea rw ar d-facing child
se at o n the fron t passenge r seat because of
except ional circumstances an d the
PASSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear an d
stay on, immed iate ly install the rea r-facing
child seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
deale r.
- If, in exceptional circ umstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into i ts rearmost posi tion in the seat 's
fore and aft a djustment range, as far away
fr om the a irbag as poss ible. The back res t
m ust be adjus ted to an upr igh t position .
Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
li ght comes on and stays on all the time
wheneve r the ignit ion is switched on .
A WARNING
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go out when an adult is sitting on the
front passenger seat after tak ing the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
proper ly seated and restra ined a t one of the
rear seating posit ions .
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i deale r before transporting anyone on
the front passenge r seat .
149

Airbag system
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection system
determines that the front passenger seat is
empty, the frontal airbag on the passenger
side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on.
Repair , care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at many
different places on your Audi. Installing, remov­
ing, servicing or repairing a part in an area of the
vehicle can damage a part of an airbag system
and prevent that system from working properly
in a collision.
There are some important things you have to
know to make sure that the effectiveness of the
system will not be impaired and that discarded
components do not cause injury or pollute the
environment.
A WARNING
-Improper care, servicing and repair proce­
dures can increase the risk of personal injury
and death by preventing an airbag from de­
ploying when needed or deploying an airbag
unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the steer­ ing wheel horn pad or airbag cover or the in­
strument panel or modify them in any way.
- Never attach any objects such as cup holders or telephone mountings to the surfaces cov­
ering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one mois­
tened with plain water. Solvents or cleaners could damage the airbag cover or change
the stiffness or strength of the material so
that the airbag cannot deploy and protect
properly.
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instrument
panel, front seats or electrical system (in­
cluding the installation of audio equipment,
cellular telephones and CB radios, etc.)
must be performed by a qualified technician
150
who has the training and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts of
the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replacement
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 in­
flate.
- 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.
- The airbag system can deploy only once. Af­
ter an airbag has been deployed, it must be
replaced with new replacement parts de­
signed and approved especially for your
Audi model version. Replacement of com­ plete airbag systems or airbag components
must be performed by qualified workshops
only . Make sure that any airbag service ac­
tion is entered in your Audi Warranty
&
Maintenance booklet under AIRBAG RE­
PLACEMENT RECORD.
- For safety reasons in severe accidents, the
alternator and starter are separated from
the vehicle battery with a pyrotechnic circuit
interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit interrupt­
er must only be performed by a qualified
technicians who have the experience, in­
formation and special tools necessary to perform the work safely.
- If the vehicle or the circuit interrupter is
scrapped, all applicable safety precautions must be followed.
~

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

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