2018 AUDI A7 tow

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' -Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a colli­ sion .
- Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are
located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
properly and make sure that all passengers
are properly restrained .
- For adjustable head restraints : before driv ­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt
and improper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child seats
~ page 170. Special precautions apply
when installing a child seat on the front
passenger seat
i::> page 146 .
Proper seating position for the front
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, r elaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend that you adjust th e seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it wh enever the vehicle is moving.
.. For adjustable head restraints: adjust the head
restraint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
ble with the top of your head. If that is not pos­
sible , try to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this position as possible
~ page 132. Move the head restraint so that it
is as close to the back of the head as possible.
Driving safety
.. Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passeng er seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
i::> page 141 .
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front pass enger's s eat, see
i::> pag e 47.
A WARNING
= -
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean against or place any part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri­
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
g reat force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen­
ger's knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat .
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat properly.
- For adjustable head restraints: before driv­
ing, always also adjust the head restraints
properly .
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
crease the risk of injury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
~
131

Drivin g saf ety
the airbag deploys and injure you or your
passengers.
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mat or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without in­
terference and that noth ing prevents them from
returning to the ir original positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners.
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake peda l trav­
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop.
A WARNING
Peda ls that cannot move free ly can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri­
ous injury .
- Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere w ith pedal function . In case of
sudden brak ing or an accident, you would
not be able to brake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fa ll or
move into the dr iver's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mats that can be securely at ­
tached to the floor mat fasteners and do not in­
terfere with the free movement of the pedals .
"'Make sure that the floor mats are properly se-
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
peda ls ~ ,& .
Use only floor mats that leave the pedal area un­
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of pos ition . You can obtain
suitable floor mats from your authorized Aud i
Dea le r.
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
134 Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to thes e fasten ers. Properly securing the floor
mats will prevent them from sliding into posi­
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im­ pair safe operation of your vehicle in o ther ways.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the r isk of
serious pe rsonal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop­ erly secured .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from s lipping and interfer ing with the ped­
als or the ab ility to cont rol the vehicle.
- Never p lace or install floor mats o r other
floor coverings on top of al ready installed
floor mats . Addi tion al floor mats and other
cover ings will reduce the size o f the pedal
area and interfere with the pedals.
- Always properly re install and secure floo r
mats that have been taken out for cleaning.
- Always make sure that objects canno t fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­ ing a loss of vehicle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly stowed and secured in the luggage compart­
ment.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly , changing vehicle handling charac ­
te rist ics . Loose items can also inc rease the risk of
se rious persona l injury in a sudden veh icle ma­
neuver or in a collision .
"' Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com ­
partment .
"'Always place and prope rly secure heavy items in
the l uggage compa rtment as fa r fo rwa rd as
possible .
.,.

a co ,...,
N
" N ,...,
0 00 <..:l ' Pregnant women must also be correctly
restrained
The best way to protect the fetus is to make sure
that expectant mothers always wear safety belts
correctly
-throughout the pregnan cy.
F ig. 150 Safety belt pos itio n during pregnancy
To prov ide max imum protection, safety belts
must always be posit ioned correctly on the wear­
er 's body
r=> poge 142.
.,. Adjust the front seat and adjustable head re­
straint* correctly ¢
page 47, Seats and stor­
age .
.,. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest so
that it sits as low as poss ib le on the pelv is and
there is no pressure on the ab domen
¢fig. 150, ¢ .(D..
.,. Inse rt the tongue into the cor rec t buckle of
your seat until you hea r it latch secure ly .
.. Pull on the be lt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buck le .
A WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts can cause
ser ious personal injury in an accident.
- Expectant mothers must always wear the lap portion of the safety belt as low as pos­
sible across the pelvis and below the round­
ing of the abdomen.
- Always read a nd heed all WARN INGS and
other important information
c:> .&. in Fasten­
ing safety belts on page 142.
Safet y bel ts
Unfastening safety belts
Unbuckle the safety belt with the red release
button only
o~er the vehicle hos stopped.
F ig . 1 51 Releasing th e to ngue from the buckle
.. Push the red re lease button on the buck le
r=> fig . 151. The belt tongue w ill spring out of
the
buck ler=> .(D. .
.. Let the belt wind up on the retractor as you
guide the belt tongue to its stowed position .
A WARNING
Never unfasten safety belt wh ile the vehicle is
moving . Do ing so will increase your r isk of be­
i ng injured or killed .
Adjusting safety belt height
With the aid of the safety belt height adjust­
ment, the three point safety belt strop routing
con be fitted to the shoulder area, according to
body size.
Fi g. 1 52 Safety belt height adj ust m ent fo r th e fro nt seats
-loop -arou nd fitt ings
0 ..... N 0 :i: The shoulder be lt shou ld lie as close to the center
of the co ll ar bo ne as possible and shou ld fit well
o n the body
c:> LD. in Safe ty belt position on
page 142.
..,.
143

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' passenger detection system from accurate ly
measu ring the ca pac itance of t he ch ild safe­
ty seat and/or the perso n on the seat and
t h us ke ep the Advanc ed Airbag Syst em fr om
working properly .
- Never place or use any electrical device
(suc h as a laptop, CD player, electronic
games dev ice, power inverte r or seat heater
for child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the devi ce is conne cted to the 12-volt
socket o r the cigarette lighter socket. Such
devices can in fluence 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
passenge r seat and the child restraint man­
ufact urer 's instructions require the use of a
towel, foam cushion or something else to
properly pos ition the ch ild restraint, make
certain tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
ligh t comes on and stays on whenever the
c h ild restraint is installed on the front pas­
senger seat.
- If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and st ay on, immedia tely in­
st all child res traint in a re a r se ating position
and have the airbag system inspected by
yo ur Audi dealer .
A WARNING
If the front passenger seat gets wet, dry it im­
mediately .
- If liquid soaks into the front passenger seat,
this can keep the airbag system from work­
ing properly and may, for instance, deact i­
vate the passenger frontal airbag. If this
happens, the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light will come on and stay on togethe r with
the a irbag indicator light
II (USA models)/
El (Canada models) in the instrument clus­
ter.
- If liquid is poo led on the seat, bu t has not
soa ked in, this may also keep the airbag sys­
tem from wo rking pro perly and ca use the
passenge r frontal airb ag to be enabled
(tu rned on), even though the re is a properly
Airbag syste m
installed child restraint system on the seat .
Wet towels or other wet things on the seat
cushion can have the same effect. If the
front passenger fronta l airbag is turned on,
the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light ligh t
will go out .
How the Advanced Airbag System
components work together
T he front Advance d Airb ag Sys tem and the side
airbags supp lement the protection offered by the
front t hree-point safety be lts and the adjustable
head restraints * to help red uce the risk of in jury
i n a w ide range of accident and c rash situat ions.
Be sure to read the important information about
safety and heed the WARNINGS in this chapte r.
Deployment of the Advanced A irbag System and
the activation of the safety belt pretensioners de­
pend on the dece leration measured by the crash
senso rs and reg istered by the electronic co ntro l
u nit . Crash severity depe nds on speed and dece l­
eration as well as the mass and stiffness of the
vehicle or object involved in the cras h.
On the passenger side, regard less of safety be lt
u se, the front passenge r frontal a irbag will be
tu rned off if the e lectr ica l capacitance measured
by the capacitive passenge r detect ion sys tem on
t h e fron t passenger se at is less th an the amou nt
programmed in t he e lectronic contro l unit . The
front passenge r frontal airbag wi ll also be turned
off if the capacitance measured by the system for
the front passenger seat equals that of an infant
of about one year of age in one of the chi ld seats
that was used to certify the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem under Federa l Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
208 . The
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF lig ht comes
o n and stays o n to tell you when the front Ad­
vanced Airbag Sys tem on t he passenger side has
been turned off
q page 15 8.
To reduce the risk of injury when an air bag in ­
flates, always wear safety belts properly.
- If you are un res tra ined, leaning forwar d, si t­
ting sideways or out of position in any way,
your r is k of injury is much higher .
~
155

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' the front passenger seat. Always make sure that
the safety belt for the front passenger seat is
properly fastened .
The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will show
the status of the front seat passenger's frontal
Advanced Airbag a few seconds after the igni­
tion is switched on and the airbag indicator
light goes off. The PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light:
- wi ll stay on if the front passenger seat is not
occupied;
- wi ll stay on if the electrical capacitance meas­
ured by the capacitive passenger detection sys­
tem for the front passenger seat equals the
combined capacitance of an infant up to about
one year of age and one of the rearward-facing
or forward-facing ch ild restraints listed in Fed­
eral Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 w ith
wh ich the Advanced Airbag System in your veh i­
cle was certified; Fo r a listing of the child re ­
straints that were used to certify your vehicle 's
compliance with the U.S. Safety Standard
¢page 172.
-will go out if the front passenger seat is occu­
pied by an adult as registered by th e capacitive
passenger detection system.
- T he
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light must come
on and stay on if the ignition is on and ...
- a car bed has been insta lled on the front pas­
senger seat, or
- a rearward -facing child rest raint has been in­
sta lled on t he front passenger seat, or
- a fo rwa rd -facing child restra int has bee n in stal­
l ed on the front passenger seat,
- and if the e lectr ical capacitance reg istered on
the front passenger seat is eq ual to or less th an
the combined capacitance of a typica l 1 year­
o ld infant and one of the rearward-facing or
forward-facing chi ld restraints listed in Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208 with which
the Advanced Airbag System in your vehicle was certified.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front airbag wi ll not dep loy, and the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light will stay on. Never install a
rearward-fac ing c hild restraint on the front pas­
senger seat, the safest place for a child in any
Airbag system
kind of child restraint is at one of the seating po ­
sitions on the rear
seat ¢ page 147, Child re­
straints on the front seat -some important
things to know
and ¢ page 170, Child safety.
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG light comes
on ...
If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light comes on
when one of the conditions listed above is met,
be sure to check the light regularly to make cer­
ta in that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
stays on continuously whenever the ignition is
on . If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not appear on and does not stay on all the time,
stop as soon as it is safe to do so and
- reactivate the system by turning the ignit ion
off for more than 4 seconds and then turning it
on again;
- remove and re install the ch ild restraint. Make
sure that the chi ld restraint is properly insta l­
led and that the safety belt for the front pas­
senge r seat has been correct ly routed through
the child restraint as described in the child re­
straint manufacturer's instructions;
-ma ke sure that the convertible lock ing retrac­
tor on the safety belt for the front passenger
seat has been activated and that the safety belt
has been pulled tight.
- make sure that no electrica l device (such as a
laptop, CD p layer, e lectronic games device,
power inverter or seat heater for chi ld seats) is
placed or used on the front passenger seat if
the device is connected to the 12-volt socket or
the cigarette lighter socket;
- make sure that no seat heater has been retro­
fitted or otherw ise added to the front passen ­
ger seat;
- make sure that not hing can interfere with the
safety belt buckles and t hat they are not ob­
structed;
- make sure that there are no wet objects (such
as a wet towel) and no water or other liquids on
the front passenger seat cushion .
.,.
159

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' A WARNING
Children on the front seat of any car even with
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 serious ly
injured and can be killed if the front airbag i n­
flates.
- The inflating a irbag w ill 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
PASSEN­
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-fac ing ch ild 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 except ional 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 cert ified by its
manufacturer for use on a front passenger
seat with a front and s ide a irbag.
- Always care fully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child seat
or infant carrier.
- Never install a chi ld restraint without a
proper ly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions
require the top tether strap to be used .
Child saf ety
- Never put the forward-fac ing child re­
straint up against or very near the instru­
ment panel.
- Always set the safety belt upper anchor­
age to the adjustment pos ition that per­
mits proper installation in accordance
with the chi ld 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
af t adju stmen t range, as far away from
the a irbag as poss ible, befo re installing
the forward -facing child restra int .
- Alw ays make sure tha t the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the ch ild restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re­
straint so that the safety belt will be prop­
erly pos it ioned.
- Always make sure that nothing p revents
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 measu red by the capac i­
tive passenger detection system and can also fly around in an acc iden t and c ause
serious personal injury.
- Never place or use any elect rical devi ce
(such as a laptop, CD player, ele ctronic
games device, powe r inverter or se at 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 heate r has been retrofitted or
othe rw ise ad ded to the front passenger
seat, neve r insta ll any child restraint sys­
tem on this seat.
- Make su re that there a re no wet objects
(such as a wet towe l) and no water or oth­
er liquids on the front passenger seat
cush ion .
- Always make sure that the
PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on
171

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' -The child and the passenger can also in­
jure each other in an accident .
- Never install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the front passenger
seat. A child will be seriously injured and can be killed when the passenger airbag in­
flates - even with an Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem .
- The inflating airbag will hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always install rear-facing child safety seats
or infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Make sure there is enough space in front of
the child in the child seat. If necessary, ad­
just the angle and position of the seat in
front of the child seat.
- Forward-facing child safety seats installed
on the front passenger's seat can interfere
with the airbag when it inflates and cause
serious injury to the child. Always install for­
ward-facing child safety seats on the rear
seat.
- 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 that the following
special precautions be taken:
- Make sure the forward-facing seat has
been designed and certified by its manu­
facturer for use on a front seat with a pas­
senger front and side airbag.
- Always carefully follow the manufacturer's
instructions provided with the child safety
seat or carrier.
- Always move the front passenger seat to the highest 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 airbag as possible, before installing
the forward-facing child restraint .
- Always make sure that the safety belt up­
per anchorage is behind the child restraint
and not next to or in front of the child re-
Child safety
straint so that the safety belt will 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.
- Always make sure that the backrest is in the upright position.
- Never place or use any electrical 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-
volt 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 restraint 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
cushion.
- Never place objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD player, electronic games de­
vice, power inverter or seat heater for child seats). These may influence the elec­
trical capacitance measured by the capaci­
tive passenger detection system and can
also fly around in an accident and cause
serious personal injury.
- Always buckle the child safety seat firmly in
place even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly around during
a sudden stop or in a collision .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used<=;>
page 138, Safety belts,
~page 146, Airbag system and
~ page 170, Child safety.
_&. WARNING
To reduce the risk of serious injury, make sure
that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light
comes on and stays on whenever a child re­
straint is installed on the front passenger seat
and the ignition is switched on.
~
175

a co .... N
" N .... 0 00 \,;J ' seats suppor t the baby's back, nec k and head in a
cras h
¢fig . 164.
The a irbag on the passenger s ide makes the front
seat a potentia lly dange rous p lace for a ch ild to
ride. The front seat is not the safest place for a
chi ld in a forward-facing chi ld seat . It is a very
dangerous place for an infant or a larger child in
a rearward-facing seat.
A WARNING
Not using a ch ild safety seat, using the wrong
child safety seat or improperly installing a
child restra int increases the r isk of serious
personal in ju ry and death in a crash.
- Never install rear -facing chi ld safety seats
o r infant carriers on the front passenger
seat - even with an Advanced Airbag System.
A ch ild will be ser iously injured and can be
kille d when the infla ting air bag hits the
child safety seat o r infant carr ier with great
force and smashes the child safety seat and child against the backrest, center armrest,
doo r or r oof
c> page 147, Child restraints on
the front seat -some important things to
know .
-Always install rear-facing child safety seats
o r infant carriers on the rear seat.
- Never install a rear-facing child restra int in
the forward-facing direct ion. Such restraints
are designed for the spec ial needs of infants
and very small children and cannot protect
them properly if the seat is forward-facing .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
c ome on and stay on, imme diate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety sea t in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by you r A udi dealer.
- Never place o r use any elec trical device
(s uch as a la ptop, CD player, electronic
games dev ice, power inverte r o r seat heater
f or child seats) on the front passenger seat
if the device is connected to the 12-volt
socket or the cigarette lighter socket.
Ch ild saf ety
- If a seat heater has been ret rofitted or oth­
erwise added to the front passenger seat, never install any child restra int system on
this seat .
- Make sure that there are no wet objects
(such as a wet towel) and no water or other
liquids on the fron t passenger seat cush ion .
- Never p lace objects on the seat (such as a
laptop, CD p layer, electronic games device,
power inverter o r seat heater fo r ch ild
seats) . These may influence the elect rical
capacitance measu red by the capacitive pas­
senger de te ct io n s ystem and can al so fly
aro und in an accident an d cause serious per­
sonal injury .
- Always read and hee d all WARNING S when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
be ing
u sed ¢ page 138, Safety belts,
¢ poge 146, Airbag system and
c> page 170, Important information.
177