2017 AUDI A7 Owner´s Manual

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\.J ' The side airbags are located in the sides of the
front seat backrests¢
fig. 161 and the rear back­
rest facing the doors. They are identified by the
word "AIRBAG".
The side airbags installed for the front seating
positions have been designed and certified to
he lp reduce the risk of injury that can be caused
by airbags when they inf late, particularly when
the occupant sitt ing next to it is not seated prop­
erly. The s ide airbag for the front passenger seat
can be used with properly installed child re­
stra ints. Please be sure to read the important in­
formation and wa rnings whenever using a child
r est raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts¢
page 140 ,
Airbag system .!>page 148, Child safety
r::!> page 17 2.
Th e s ide airbag system basicall y con sists of :
-the e lectron ic control module and external side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rea r backrest
- the a irbag warn ing light in the instrument cl us-
ter.
The airbag system is monitored electronically to make certain that it is functioning properly at all
times. Each time you switch on the ign ition, the
a irbag system indicator light will come on for a
few seconds (self diag nostics).
The s ide airbag system supplements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of injury to
the dr iver's, fron t and rear passenger's upper to r­
so on the side of the veh icle t hat is struck in a
side coll is ion. The a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pa cts and o nly when the vehi cle acceleration reg­
i stered by the cont rol un it is high enough. If this
rate is below the reference value programmed in ­
to the control unit, the side airbags wi ll not be
tr iggered, even though the car may be bad ly
damaged as a result of the collision. It is not pos­
sib le to define an airbag tr igger ing range that
will cover every possib le ang le of impact, s ince
the circumstances w ill vary considerably between
one co llision and another. Important fac to rs in­
clude, for example, t he nature (hard or soft) of
the impacting object, the angle of impact, vehicle
Airb ag sys tem
speed, etc. r::!> page 168, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir no rm al safety funct io n, safety
belts work to he lp keep the dr iver o r front pas­
senger in posi tion in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protectio n.
T he airbag system is
not a substi tute for you r
sa fe ty belt. Ra ther, i t is par t of the ove rall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehicle . Always re ­
member that the side airbag system can only
help to protect you if you are wear ing you r safety
belt and wear ing it properly. This is another rea ­
son why you should a lways wear your safety
belts, not just because the law requires you to do
so ¢
page 140, General information.
It is important to remembe r that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other i nju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
burns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
wi th deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents - yo ur safety belts are always
there to offe r protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage are not necess aril y an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled airbag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
only once and only in certain kinds of collisions -
your safety belts are always there to offer protec­
t ion in those accidents in which airbags are not
supposed to deploy or when they have already
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions when the acceleration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front-end collisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers .
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
cu rtain airbags and side a irbags may be triggered
togethe r. .,..
167

Airbag syste m
_& WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system w ill only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 168 .
-If the airbag indicator light <:!;> page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediate ly by your
authori zed Audi dealer . It is possible that
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup­ posed to, or will not inflate when it should.
How supplemental side airbags work
Side airbags deploy instantly and can help re­
duce t he risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 162 Infla ted s ide a irbags o n left s ide of veh icle , rear
s ide a irbag
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 s ide trim panel and the pas­
senger . In order to help provide this additional
protection, the side ai rbag must inflate within a
fract ion of a second at very high speed and with
great fo rce. The supplementa l 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
¢ page 172, Child
safety .
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occ upant and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certa in side
collis ion
¢ fig. 162.
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"c ushion" the impact and in th is way they can
168
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine d ust may develop when the a irbag dep loys.
This is norma l and does not mean the re is a fire
in the vehicle.
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 according ly to he lp the safety belts
and airbags do their job to provide supplemental protect ion.
_& WARNING
An inflating side a irbag can cause serious or
fata l injury . Improperly wearing safety belts
and improper seating posit ions increase the
risk of serious persona l 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 position and never
l ean against the area where the supple-
mental side airbag is located.
- Never let a child or anyone e lse rest their
head against the side trim panel in the
area where the supplementa l side airbag
i nflates .
- Always make sure that safety belts are
worn correctly,
- Do not 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 that the side a irbag can
inflate without interference.
- Never ins tall sea t covers or replacement
u pholstery ove r the fron t seatbacks that
have not been specifica lly approved by
Audi.
- Never use additional seat c ushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags de- ploy . ..,.

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<.,;) 'SI"
-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 by being pushed into you as the airbag in­
flates.
- Never place 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 injury
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 with side airbag deployment
and can cause personal injury 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 authorized
Audi dealership.
- Damage (cracks, deep scratches etc.) to the
original seat covers or to the seam in the
area of the side airbag module must always
be repaired immediately by an authorized
Audi dealer.
- If children are seated improperly, their risk
of injury increases in the case of an accident
Q page 172, Child safety.
-Never attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system in any way.
- In a side collision, side airbags will not func­
tion properly if sensors cannot correctly
measure increasing air pressure inside the
Airbag system
doors when air escapes through larger, un­
closed openings in the door panel.
- Never drive with interior door trim panels
removed .
- Never drive when parts have been re­
moved from the inside door panel and the
openings they leave have not been proper­
ly closed.
- 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
othe r equipment is installed in the inside
door panels.
- Always have work on the doors done by an
authorized Audi dealer or qualified 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.
"' 0 0
6
"' a,
Fig . 163 Sid e cu rtain airbags, driver's side: s ide cur tai n air­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win ­
dows ~
fig. 163. They are identified by the word
"AIRBAG" on the windshield frame.
The side curtain airbags contain features that
provide ejection mitigation to help prevent vehi ­
cle occupants or parts of their bodies from being
completely or partially ejected from the vehicle
interior in certain side impacts and vehicle roll-
overs .
111>
169

Airbag system
The side curtain airbag system supplements the
safety belts and can help to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper torso. The side curtain airbag inflates in side impacts and
only when the vehicle acceleration registered by
the control unit is high enough . If this rate is be ­
low the reference value 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
sible to define an airbag triggering range that
will cover every possible angle of impact, since
the circumstances will vary considerably between
one collision 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 170, How side curtain air­
bags work.
Aside from their normal safety function, safety belts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in position in the event of a collision so
that the side curtain airbags can provide protec­
tion .
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 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
¢ page 140, General information.
It is important to remember that while the side
curtain 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
certain kinds of accidents -your safety belts are
always there to offer protection.
The side curtain airbag system basically consists of:
- The electronic control module and external side
impact sensors
170
-The side curtain airbags above the front and
rear side windows with ejection mitigation fea­
tures
- The airbag indicator light in the instrument
panel
The airbag system is monitored electronically to
make certain 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 side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignition is switched off,
- in side collisions when the acceleration meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
- in rear-end collisions .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position
¢ page 48,
Seats and storage.
- If the airbag indicator light¢ page 17
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer.
It is possible 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 can work together with side
airbags to help reduce the risk of head and upper
torso injuries for occupants who are properly re­
strained.
Fig. 164 Illustration of principle: Inflated side curtain a ir·
bags o n the left s ide ..,_

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\.J ' 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 coll is ion
c:::> fig . 164.
When the system is triggered, the side curta in
ai rbag is filled with propellant gas and breaks
through a seam above the front and rear side
windows identif ied by the AIRBAG label. In order
to help provide this addit ional protection, the
side curtain airbag must inflate within the blink
of an eye at very h igh speed and with great force .
The s ide curtain a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright o r if
items a re loca ted in the area whe re the supp le­
mental side curta in a irbag inflates . T h is applies
espec ia lly to children
c:::> page 172 .
Although they a re not a soft p illow, side c urtain
a ir bags can "cushion" the impa ct and in this way
they can help to red uce the risk of i njur y to the
h ead and the upper part of the body .
A fi ne dust may deve lop when the airbag deploys .
This is quite normal and does not mean there is a
fi re in the ve hicl e.
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 th at yo u and your passengers m ust
know and do to he lp the safety be lts and airbags
do their job to provide supp lemental protect ion .
.&, WARNING
-
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating posit ions increase the risk of serious
personal in jury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used .
- Never let occupants p lace any parts of the ir
bodies in the area from which the side cur­
tain a irbag inflate.
- Always make sure that the side curtain air­
bags can inflate witho ut interference .
- Use the built- in coat hooks on ly for light­
we ight cloth ing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
Airb ag sys tem
inter fere with a irbag deployment and can
cause persona l injury in a col lision.
- Never use hangers to hang clothes on t he
hooks.
- On ly use factory-insta lled sun shades or, if
shades installed after the vehicle leaves the
factory, use on ly genu ine A udi sun shades.
- Never swing the sun visors over to the s ide
windows if things s uch as pens, garage door
openers, hands-free speakers, etc. are at­
tached to the sun v isors. They could come
loose and cause ser ious injury if the side cur­
tain airbag infla tes.
- A dep loying airbag inf lates in a fract ion of a
second and with great force.
- Never attach ob jects to the cover or in the
deployment zone of a s ide cu rtain a irbag.
- The airbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all times. Make s ure there are no
objects, pets, o r othe r persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any t ime.
- Do not attach a ny accesso ries to the doors .
.&, WARNING
- The airbag sys tem can deploy o nly once. If
the airbag has been trigge red, the system
m ust be rep lace d by an authori zed A udi
deale r or q ualified works ho p.
- Always have wo rk in vo lv ing the side curtain
ai rb ag system, removal an d inst alla tion of
the air bag componen ts, or o ther repairs
pe rformed by a q ualified dealership. Other ­
wise the airbag system may not work cor­ rectly.
- Never attempt to mo dify any components of
the air bag system i n any way .
171

Child safety
Child safety
Important information
Introduction
The rear seat is generally the safest place in a
collision .
The physical principles of what happens when
your vehicle is in a crash apply also to children
¢ page 141, What happens to occupants not
wearing safety belts? .
But unlike adults and
teenagers, their muscles and bones are not fully
developed. In many respects children are at
g reater r isk of serious injury in crashes than
adults .
Because children's bodies are not fully devel­
oped, they require restraint systems especially
des igned for their size, weight, and body struc­
ture. Many countries and all states of the United
States and provinces of Canada have laws requir­
ing the use of approved child restraint systems
for infants and small children .
I n a frontal crash at a speed of 20-35 mph
(30-56 km/h) the forces acting on a 13 -pound
(6 kg) infant will be more than 20 times the
weight of the child. This means the weight of the child would suddenly be more than 260 pounds
(120 kg) . Under these conditions, only an appro­
priate child restraint properly used can reduce
the risk of serious injury . Child restra ints, like
adu lt safety belts, must be used properly to be
effect ive. Used improperly, they can increase the
risk of serious injury in an acc ident.
All ch ildren, especially those 12 years and young­
er must always ride in the back seat properly re­
stra ined for their age and size. If you must insta ll
a child restraint on the front passenger seat in
exceptional circumstances, be sure to read and
heed the important information and warnings
¢
page 149. Infants and other children who are
properly restrained in an appropriate child re­
straint that is for their si ze and age can benefit
from the protection that supplemental side air­
bags provide in some kinds of crashes .
For more information please see information
provided by the:
172
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), currently at: http :/ /www.safe­
rcar.gov (for the USA)
- Transport Canada Information Centre, current-
ly at: http://www.tc.gc.ca (for Canada)
Consult the child safety seat manufacturer's in­
structions in order to be sure the seat is right fo r
your chi ld's size ¢
page 176, Important safety
instructions for using child safety seats .
Please
be sure to read and heed all of the important in­
formation and WARNINGS about child safety,
Advanced Airbags, and the installation of child restra ints in this chapter .
There is a lot you need to know about the Ad­
vanced Airbags in your vehicle and how they work
when infants and children in child restraints are on the front passenger seat . Because of the large
amount of important informat ion , we cannot re­
peat it all here. We urge you to read the detailed
i nformation in this owner's manual about airbags
and the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle
and the very important information about trans­
porting children on the front passenger seat.
Please be sure to heed the WARNINGS -they are
extremely important for your safety and the safe­
ty of your passengers, especially infants and
small children .
A WARNING
-Accident statistics have shown that children
are generally safer in the rear seat area than
in the front seat ing pos ition. Always restrain
any child age 12 and under in the rear.
-All vehicle occupants and especially children
must be restra ined prope rly whenever rid ing
in a vehicle. An un restrained or improperly
restrained 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 improperly restrained
child is a lso at greater risk of injury or death
through contact w ith an inflating airbag.
-A suitable ch ild restraint properly installed
and used at one of the rear seating positions
provides the highest degree of protect ion
for infants and small children in most acc i­
dent situat ions.

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\.J ' A WARNING
Child ren on the front seat of any car even w ith
Advanced Airbags can be seriously injured or
even killed when an airbag inflates. A child in
a rearward-facing child safety seat installed
on the front passenger seat will be seriously
injured and can be killed if the front airbag in­
flates.
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and child
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
on the rear seat.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat in
exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSEN ­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on
and stay on, immediately insta ll the rear­
facing child safety seat in a rear seating po­
sition and have the airbag system inspected immediately by your Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Forward-facing chi ld seats installed on the
front passenger seat may interfere with the deployment of the a irbag and cause serious
personal injury to the child.
- If exceptional circumstances require the use
of a forward-facing child restraint on the
front passenger's seat, the child's safety and well-being require the following special
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 carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions require the top tether strap to be used.
Ch ild safety
-Never put the forward-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 per­
mits proper installation in accordance
with the child restraint manufacturer's in­
structions.
- Always move the front passenger seat to
the h ighest position in the up and down
adjustment range and move it back to the
rearmost position in the seat's fore and
aft adjustment range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, befo re installing
the forward-facing child restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the chi ld restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt wi ll be prop­
erly positioned.
- Always make sure that nothing prevents
the front passenger's seat from being
moved to the rearmost position in its fore
and aft adjustment range.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for
ch ild seats) . These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measured by the capac i­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an acc ident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any elect rical device
(such as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games device, power inverter or 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 insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cushion .
- Always make sure that the
PASS ENGER
AI R BA G OFF
light comes on and stays on
17 3

Child safety
all the time whenever the ignition is
switched on.
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
does not come on and stay on, immediate­
ly install the forward-facing child seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .
- Always buckle the child seat firmly in
place even if a ch ild is not sitt ing in it. A
loose child seat can fly around during a
sudden stop or in a collision.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS
whenever using a child restraint in a vehi­
cle ¢
page 140, Safety belts, ¢ page 148,
Airbag system
and ¢ page 172, Impor­
tant information .
(j) 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 collision situation.
Advanced front airbag system and children
Your vehicle is equipped with a front "Advanced
Airbag System" in compliance with United States
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS)
208, as well as Canada Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard (CMVSS) 208 as applicable at the time
your vehicle was manufactured.
The Advanced Airbag system in your vehicle has
been certified to meet the "low-risk" require­
ments for 3- and 6-year old children on the pas ­
senger side and small adults on the driver side.
The low risk deployment criteria are intended to
reduce the risk of injury through interaction with
the airbag that can occur, for example, by being
too close to the steering whee l and instrument
panel when the airbag inflates. In addition, the
system has been certified to comply with the
"suppression" requirements of the Safety Stand­
ard, to turn off the front airbag for infants up to 12 months who are restrained on the front pas­
senger seat in child restraints that are listed in
the Standard.
174 Even
though your vehicle is equipped with an Ad­
vanced Airbag system, all children, especially
those 12 years and younger, should always 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 ch ild to ride. The front seat is not the safest place
for a child in a forward-facing child safety seat. It
can be a very dangerous place for an infant or a
larger child in a rearward-facing seat.
The vehicle's Advanced Airbag System has a ca­ pacitive passenger detection system in the front
passenger seat cushion that can detect the pres ­
ence of a baby or a child in a child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
The capacitive passenger detection system regis­
ters the changes that result in an electrical field
when a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket
are on the front passenger seat. The change in
the measured capacitance due to the presence of
a child, a child restraint, and a baby blanket on
the front passenger seat is related to the child
restraint system resting on the seat. The meas­
ured capacitance of a child restraint system var­
ies depending on the type of system and specific
make and model.
The electrical ca pacita nee of the various types, makes, and models of child restraints specified
by the U .S .National Highway Traffic Safety Ad­
ministration (NHTSA) in the relevant safety
standard are stored in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem control unit together with the capacitances
typical of infants and a 1-year old child. When a
ch ild restraint is used on the front passenger
seat with a typical 1 year-old infant, the Ad­
vanced Airbag System compares the capacitance measured by the capacitive passenger detection
system with the data stored in the electronic con­
trol unit .
Child restraints and Advanced front airbag
system
Regardless of the child restraint that you use,
make sure that it has been certified to meet Safe­
ty Standards and has been certified by its manu-
facturer for use with an airbag. Always be sure .,.