2018 AUDI A7 light

Airbag syste m
If the PA SSENGE R AIR BAG light still do es
not c om e on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR B AG OFF light still does
not come on and does not stay on continuously
(when the ignition is switched on),
- take the child restraint off t he front passenger
seat and install it properly at one of the rear
seat positions. Have the airbag system inspect­ ed by your Audi dealer immediately .
- move the chi ld to a rear seat position and make
sure that the child is properly restra ined in a
child restraint that is appropriate for its size
and age .
The PASSENG ER AIR BAG light should NOT
come on ...
The PA SSENGER AIR B AG OFF light shou ld NOT
come on whe n the ignition is on and an adult is
sitt ing in a proper seating position on the front
passenger seat . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on or flashes for about
S seconds wh ile d riving, under these circ umstan­
ces, make s ure that:
- the adult on the front passenger seat is proper­
ly seated on the center of the seat cushion with
his or her back up ag ainst the ba ckrest and the
ba ckrest is not re clined,
- the adu lt is not ta king weig ht off t he seat by
hold ing on to the passenger assist handle
above the front passenger door or s upporting
their weight on the armrest,
- the safety be lt is be ing p roperly wo rn and that
the re is not a lot of slack in the sa fety be lt web ­
bing,
- the re are no aftermarket seat covers or cush ­
ions or other things (such as blankets) on the
front passenger seat that might cause the ca ­
pacitive passenger detection system to miscal­
cu late electrical capacitance.
Important safety instructions on
monitoring the Advanced Airbag System
A WARNING
- If the status of the Adv a need Airbag System
has changed while the vehicle is moving, the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light blinks for
160
about S seconds to catch the driver's atten­
tion. If this happens, always stop as soon as it is safe to do so and check the steps descri­
bed above .
- If the
PA SS EN GER AIR BAG OFF light does
not go off when an adult who is not very
small is sitting on the front passenger seat
after taking the steps described above, make sure the adu lt is properly seated and
restrained at one of the rear seating posi­
tions. Have the a irbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer befo re trans­
porting anyone on the front passenger seat .
A WARNING
An airbag system that is not functioning prop­
erly cannot provide supplemental protection in a fronta l crash.
- If the airbag indicator light ¢
page 16
comes when the vehicle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
author ized 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.
A WARNING
If the front a irbag inflates, a ch ild without a
chi ld restraint, or in a rea rwa rd-facing child
safety seat, or in a forward-fac ing ch ild re­
stra int that has not been prope rly insta lled
will be ser iously injured and can be killed.
- Even tho ugh you r vehicle is equipped with
an Advanced A irbag System, make certain
that a ll children, espec ia lly 12 years and
younger, always ride on the back seat prop­ erly rest rained for thei r age and size.
-Always install forward or rear -facing child
seats on the rear seat -even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System.
- If you must install a rearward-facing child
seat on the front passenger seat because of
except ional circumstances and the
PA SSEN­
GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not appear and
stay on, immediate ly install the rear-facing
child seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have
the airbag system inspected by your Audi
dea le r.
II)-

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' -If, in exceptional circumstances, you must
install a forward-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat, always move the
seat into its rearmost position in the seat's
fore and aft adjustment range, as far away
from the airbag as possible. The backrest must be adjusted to an upright position.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition 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 taking the steps
described above, make sure the adult is
properly seated and restrained at one of the
rear seating positions.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
Audi dealer before transporting anyone on
the front passenger seat .
(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-
-
Airbag system
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
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
161

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 00 <.,;) ' threshold stored in the control unit is met
¢ page 156, More important things to know
about front airbags.
In addition to their normal safety function, safe­
ty belts help keep the driver or front passenger in position in a frontal collision so that the airbags
can provide supplemental protection.
The airbag system is not a substitute for your safety belt. Rather, it is part of the overall occu­
pant restraint system in your vehicle. Always re­
member that the airbag system can only help to
protect you if you are wearing your safety belt
and wearing it properly . This is why you should
always wear your safety belt, not just because
the law requires you to do
so ¢ page 138, Gener­
al information.
Remember too, airbags will deploy only once and
only in certain kinds of accidents -your safety
belts are always there to offer protection in those
accidents in which airbags are not supposed to
deploy or when they have already deployed, for
example 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 designed 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 module
- 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
Airbag system
- in frontal collisions when the deceleration
measured by the control unit is too low
- in side collisions
- in rear-end collisions
- in rollovers
- in the event of a system malfunction (warning/
indicator light is on)
¢ page 16 .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety belts and the airbag system can only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating
position ¢ page 156 .
- If the airbag indicator light ¢page 16
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 knee airbags work
App lies to: vehicles wi th knee airbags
The risk of injury to the leg area can be reduced
by fully inflated knee airbags.
Fig. 158 Inflated airbags protecting in a fro ntal coll is io n
The knee airbag system has been designed so
that the airbags for the driver and front passen­
ger deploy in certain but not all frontal collisions .
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 lower part of the instrument panel and the
front
passenger ¢ page 156, fig. 155. .,.
163

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' The side airbags are located in t he sides of the
front seat backrests
c:!;> fig . 159 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 inflate, 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 us ing a child
rest raint in a ve hicle: Safety belts
¢page 138,
Airbag system <:!;>page 146, Chi ld safety
¢page 170.
Th e s ide airbag system ba sically con sis ts of :
-the electron ic control module and externa l side
i mpact sensors
- the two airbags located in the sides of the front
backrests and the two airbags* located in the
rear back rest
- the a irbag warning 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 diagnostics).
The s ide airbag system supp lements the safety
belts and can help to reduce the risk of in jury to
the dr iver's, front and rear passenger's upper tor­
so on the side of the veh icle t hat is struck in a
side coll is io n. T he a irbag dep loys only i n side im­
pacts and o nly when the veh icle accelerat ion reg ­
istered by the contro l 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 c ircumsta nces will vary cons iderably between
one co llision and another. Important facto rs in­
clude, for example, t he natu re (hard or soft) of
the impact ing object, t he a ngle of impact, vehicle
Airbag syste m
speed, etc. ¢ page 166, Important safety in ­
structions on the side airbag system .
Aside from the ir norm al safety funct ion, safety
belts work to help keep the dr iver o r front pas ­
senger in position in the event o f a side co llision
so that the side airbags can provide protection .
T he air bag system is
not a substitute fo r you r
sa fety be lt. Ra ther, i t is pa rt of the overall occ u­
pant restraint system in your vehi cle. 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
soc:!;> page 138, General information .
It is important to remember that while the sup­
plementa l side airbag system is designed to re­
duce the likelihood of ser ious injuries, other inju ­
ries, for example, swelling, bru is ing, friction
bur ns and m ino r abras ions can also be assoc iated
with deployed s ide airbags. Remember too, s ide
airbags will deploy only once and only in certa in
ki nds of accidents
-your safety belts are a lways
the re to offer protection .
Vehicle damage, repair costs o r even the lack of
vehicle damage a re not necessar ily an ind ic a tion
of over-sens it ive or fa iled air bag ac tiva tion . In
some collisions, both front and side airbags may
inflate. Remember too, that airbags wi ll dep loy
on ly 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 al ready
deployed .
The side airbag system will not deploy :
- when the ignition is switched off
- in side co llisions whe n the accele ration meas -
ured by the sensor is too low
- in front -end col lisions
- in rea r-end co llisions
- in rollovers.
In some types of accidents the front a irbags, side
curtain airbags and s ide a irbags may be tr iggered
togethe r.
..,
165

Airbag system
~ WARNING
-Safety belts and the a irbag system will only
provide protection when occupants are in
the proper seating position ¢
page 166.
-If the airbag indicator light¢ page 16
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 the risk of upper torso injuries for occu­
pants who are properly restrained .
Fig. 160 Infla ted side airbags o n left s ide of veh icle , rear
side 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 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
¢ page 170, Child
safety .
Supplemental side airbags inflate be­
tween the occupant and the door pane l on the
side of the vehicle that is struck in certain side
coll is ion
¢ fig. 160 .
Although they are not a soft pillow, they can
"cushion " the impact and in this way they can
166
help to reduce the risk of injury to the upper part
of the body.
A fine d ust may develop when the a irbag deploys .
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
sea ting position .
There is a lot that you and your passengers must
know and act according ly 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 s it in an upright position and never
lean 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 supplemental side airbag inflates.
- 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 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 de-
ploy.
~

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 00 <.,;) ' -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 170, 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. 161 Side curta in airbags, driver's side: s ide curtain air­
bag locat ion
The side curtain airbags are located on both sides
of the interior above the front and rear side win­
dows
Q fig . 161. 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
inter ior in certain side impacts and veh icle roll-
overs.
.,_
167

Airbag system
The s ide curtain airbag system supp lements the
safety belts and can he lp to reduce the risk of in­
jury for occupants' heads and upper to rso . The
side curtain airbag inflates in s ide impacts and
only when the veh icle acce leration registered by
the co ntro l unit is h igh eno ugh . If this rate is be ­
low the refe re n ce value programmed in to the
con trol unit, the s ide curta in a irbag will no t be
tr iggered, even though the ca r may be bad ly
d a mage d as a r esult of the collis io n.
It is not pos­
sib le to def ine an a irbag tr iggering range that
will cover every possib le ang le o f 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 168, How side curtain air­
bags work .
Aside from their normal safety function, safety
be lts work to help keep the driver or front pas­
senger in pos it io n in the event of a collision so
that t he side curtai n airbags can provide protec ­
tion .
The a irbag system is not a substitute for your
safety belt . Rathe r, it is part of the overa ll occu ­
pant restrain t system i n your veh icle . Always re­
membe r th at th e airbag system can only help to
p rotect yo u if you a re we aring your safety bel t
and wearing it pro perly . T hi s is anothe r reason
why you should always we ar your s afety belts,
not just because the law requires you to do so
¢ page 138, General information .
It is import ant to remember th at whi le t he s ide
curt ain ai rbag system is des igned to help reduce
the likelihoo d of serious injur ies, other injuries,
for example, swe lling, b ruising, friction burns
and minor abrasions can also be assoc iated with
these airbags upon deployment . Remember too,
these airbags will deploy only once and only in
certa in kinds of acc idents
-yo ur safety be lts are
a lways there to offer protec tion.
The side curtain a irbag system basically
consists of:
-Th e elect ronic control module and external s ide
im pact senso rs
168
-T he si de curta in ai rbags above t he front and
rear side wi ndows with ejection mitigat ion fea­
tures
- The a irbag indicator lig ht in t he instr ume nt
pa nel
The airbag system is mo nitored e lectron ic all y to
make certain i t is func tioning pro perly at all
times . Each t ime yo u switch on the ignit ion, the
airba g system ind icator light will come on for a
few seconds (se lf diagnostics) .
The side curtain airbag is not activated:
-if the ignitio n is sw itched off,
-i n side co llisions whe n the acce le ra tion meas-
ured by the sensor is too low,
-in r ear-end co llisions .
.&_ WARNING
-Safety bel ts and th e air bag sys tem will only
provide pro te ct ion when occup ants a re in
t he prope r seat ing pos ition ¢
page 47,
Seats and storage.
-If the a irb ag ind ic ator light¢ page 1 6
comes w he n th e veh icle is being used, have
the system inspected immediately by your
authorized Audi dealer. It is possib le tha t
the airbag will inflate when it is not sup ­
posed to, or will not inflate w hen 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 are properly re­
strained.
F ig. 162 Ill ustration of p rincip le: In fl ated s ide curta in air·
bags o n the le ft s ide
..,_

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;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 collis ion
¢ fig . 162.
When the system is tr iggered, t he 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 labe l. 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 curta in a irbag could injure you if your
seating position is not proper or upright or if
items are loca ted in the a rea whe re t he supp le­
mental side curta in air bag inflates . T his applies
espec ia lly to children
¢ page 170 .
Although they a re not a soft p illow, side curtain
a ir bags can "cushion " the impact and in this way
they can help to red uce the risk of inj ury to the
h ead and t he upper part of t he 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 t he 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 protection .
A WARNING
Improperly wearing safety belts and improper
seating posit ions increase the risk of serious
personal injury and death whenever a vehicle
is being used .
- Never let occ upants p lace any parts of the ir
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 on ly for light­
we ight cloth ing. Never leave any heavy or
sharp-edged objects in the pockets that may
Airbag syste m
inter fere with a irbag deployment and can
cause persona l injury in a co llision.
- Never use hangers to hang clot hes 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 gen uine A udi sun shades.
- Never swing the su n visors over to the side
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 s ide c ur­
tain airbag inflates .
- A dep loying airbag inflates in a fract ion of a
second and w ith great force .
- Never attach ob jects to the cover or i n the
deployment zone of a s ide curtain airbag .
- The a irbag deployment zones must be kept
clear at all t imes . Make s ure there are no
objects, pets, o r other persons in the space
between any vehicle occupant and any air­
bag at any t ime .
- Do not attac h any accessories to the doors .
A WARNING
-
-The a irbag sys tem can dep loy o nly once . If
the airbag has been trigge red, the system
mu st be rep laced by an au thor ized A udi
de aler or q ualified wo rksho p.
- Always have wo rk invo lv ing t he side curtai n
air bag system, remova l an d installa tion of
t he airbag componen ts, or o ther repairs
performed by a q ualified dea lership . Other ­
wise the airbag system may not work cor ­
rectly.
- Neve r attempt to modify any components of
the airbag system i n any way .
169