2016 AUDI S7 warning

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

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

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

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How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­duce the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained.
Fig. 164 Inflated side a irbags on left side of veh icle, rea r
side airbag
When the system is triggered, the airbag is filled
with propellant gas and breaks through a seam in
the seat surface area marked "AIRBAG". It ex­
pands between the side trim panel and the pas­
senger . In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side airbag must inflate within a
fraction of a second at very high speed and with
great force. The supplemental side airbag could
injure you if your seating position is not proper or
upright or if items are located in the area where
the supplemental side airbag expands. This ap­
plies especially to children
r:::.>page 167, Child
safety.
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door panel on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
coll ision
r:::.> fig. 164.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion " the impact and in this way they can
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine dust may develop when the airbag deploys .
This is normal and does not mean there is a fire
in the vehicle .
Airbag system
Important safety instructions on the side
airbag system
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. Always
properly wear safety belts and ride in a proper seating position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act accordingly to help the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental
protection.
A WARNING
An inflating side airbag can cause serious or
fatal injury. Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating positions increase the
risk of serious personal injury and death
whenever a vehicle is being used.
- In order to reduce the risk of injury when
the supplemental side airbag inflates:
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against the area where the supple­
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone else rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplemental side airbag
inflates.
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not let anyone sitting in the front seat
put their hand or any other parts of their
body out of the window.
- Always make sure that the side airbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never install seat covers or replacemen t
upholstery over the front seatbacks that
have not been specifically approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that cover the areas where the side airbags de­ploy.
- Damage to the original seat covers or to
the seam in the area of the side airbag
module must always be repaired immedi­
ately by an authorized Audi dealer.
-
- Objects between you and the airbag can in­
crease the risk of injury in an accident by in­
terfering with the way the airbag unfolds or
~
163

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

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

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Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your veh icle is in a crash apply also to children
c:> page 136, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, the ir muscles and bones are not fu lly
developed. In many respe cts c hildren are at
g reater risk of serio us i njur y in crashes than
a d ul ts.
Because ch ildren's bod ies are not fully deve loped,
they requ ire rest ra int systems especially de­
signed fo r their size, weight, and body st ru ct ure.
M any countr ies and a ll states of the Uni ted
States and p rovinces of Canada have laws requi r­
ing the use of approved c hil d restraint systems
for infants and small chi ldren.
I n a front al crash at a speed o f 20 -35 mph
(30 -56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -po und
(6 kg) infa nt wi ll be more than 20 t imes t he
weight of the child . Th is means the weight of the
chi ld would sudden ly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg). Under these conditions, only an appro­
p riate ch ild restra int properly used can reduce
the r isk of se rious i nju ry. Ch ild restra ints, like
ad ult safety belts, must be used prop erly to be
effective . U sed improperly, they can increa se the
ris k of serious injury in an accident.
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in orde r to be s ure the seat is right fo r
your chi ld's si ze
c:> page 170, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read an d heed a ll of th e importa nt in ­
formation and WAR NINGS about c hild safety, Ad­
vanced Ai rbags, and the installation of child re­
straints in th is chapter.
There is a lot you need to know abou t the Ad ­
vanced Airbags in yo ur vehicle and how they work
when infa nts and children in child rest raints a re
on the front passenger seat. Because of the large
amo unt of important informat ion, we cannot re-
Child sa fety
pea t it all he re . We urge you to read the detailed
information in this owner's ma nual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in yo ur veh icle
and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely importa nt for your safety and t he safe­
ty of you r passengers, especially infants and
small ch ild ren .
& WARNING
-Accident st atistics have shown th at children
a re generally safer in the rear sea t area than
in the front seatin g position. Always restra in
any child age 12 and under in the rea r.
- All vehicle occupants and es pecially children
m ust be restrained properly whenever ri ding
in a vehicle. An un rest rained or improperly
restrained ch ild could be injured by striking
the inter ior or by be ing ejected from the ve ­
h icle dur ing a sudden maneuve r or impact .
An unrestra ined o r improperly restrained
child is a lso at greate r risk of in ju ry or death
through conta ct with an inflating airbag .
- A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
an d used at one of the rear seating posit ions
p rovi des the highest deg ree of prote ction
for infan ts and small children in most a cci­
dent situat ions.
& WARNING f"-"----
Children on the front sea t of any car even with
Advanced Air bags can be ser iously injured or
even kil led when an a irbag inflates. A chi ld in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be serious ly
i njured and can be k illed if the front a irbag in­
flates .
- The inflating airbag will h it the ch ild safety
seat or infant carr ier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child aga inst the backrest, cent er armrest, o r
door.
- Always install rear-fac ing ch ild safety seats
on the rear sea t.
- If you must ins tall a rearwa rd fac ing child
safety seat on th e front passenger s eat in
167

Child safet y
exceptional circ umstances and the
PA SSENGE R AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspected immediately by your Aud i dealer .
A WARNING
-Forward-facing ch ild seats insta lled on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
persona l injury to the ch ild .
-If exceptiona l circumstances require the use
of a forwa rd-facing child rest raint on the
front passenger's seat, the child 's safety
and we ll-being requ ire the following specia l
precautions to be taken :
- Always make sure that the forward -facing
seat has been designed and certified by its manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and side airbag.
- Always carefu lly follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided w ith the child seat
or infant car rier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions req uire the top tether strap to be used .
- Never put the fo rward-facing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper anchor­
age to the adjustment position that per­mits proper insta llation in accordance with
the child restraint manufacturer's instruc­ tions.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the
airbag as possible before installing the
child restraint . The backrest must be ad ­
justed to an upr ight position .
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being moved to the rea rmost pos ition in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
168
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for child
seats) . These may influence the electrical
capac itance measured by the capac itive
passenger detection system and can also
fly around in an accident and cause se rious
personal injury .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, e lectronic
games device, powe r inverter o r seat heat­
er for child seats) on the front passenger
seat if the device is connected to the 12-
vo lt socket or the cigarette lighter socket .
- If a seat heater has been retrofitted or otherwise added to the front passenger seat, never install any child restra int sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion.
- Always make sure that the
PAS SENGER
AIR BAG O FF
light comes on and stays on
all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on .
- If the
PAS SENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­ ly install the forward-fac ing child seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspe cted by your authorized Audi
dealer.
- Always buc kle the ch ild seat firmly in
place even if a child is not s itting in it. A
l oose ch ild seat can fly around du ring a
sudden stop or in a collis ion .
- Always read and heed all WAR NINGS
whenever using a ch ild restraint in a vehi­
cle ¢
page 135, Safety belts, ¢ page 143,
Airbag system
and ¢ page 167, Impor­
tant information .
(D Tips
Always replace child restraints that were in­
stalled in a vehicle during a crash . Damage to
a child restraint that is not visible could cause it to fail in another co llision situation.