2021 AUDI Q8 belt

4M8012721BF
Sitting correctly and safely

In the United States and Canada, child safety
seats can be secured without safety belts using
the LATCH system. LATCH stands for Lower An-
chors and Tethers for Children. In Canada, similar
systems are called UCRA, LUAS, or UAS.
The lower LATCH anchors in your vehicle are lo-
cated on the outer seats of the rear bench seat
between the seat surface and the backrest. These
seating locations each have two lower LATCH an-
chors that can be used to secure a LATCH child
safety seat. Marking points with a > fig. 63 sym-
bol are located on the covers for the lower LATCH
anchors. You can locate the LATCH anchors using
the marking points.
> Applies to: vehicles with forward/back adjusta-
ble rear bench seat: Move the rear seat all the
way back.
> Activate the child safety lock > page 45.
> Remove the cover from both lower LATCH an-
chors.
> If you secure a child safety seat to the rear seat,
secure any unused safety belts that are within
reach of the child > A\ in Securing child safety
seats with a safety belt on page 80.
> Secure the child safety seat according to the
child safety seat manufacturer instructions.
> Pull on the child safety seat to check if both
sides are engaged correctly in the LATCH an-
chors.
> If possible, also secure the child safety seat to
the respective top tether anchor on the seat
=> page 80.

ZA\ WARNING
The LATCH anchors in the vehicle are only de-
signed for child safety seats with the LATCH
system. To reduce the risk of serious or fatal
injury, never secure other child restraint sys-

tems, belts, or objects to the anchors.

G@) Tips
The LATCH anchors are designed for a total
weight (child and child safety seat combined)
up to 65 lbs (29 kg). If the total weight is
greater than this, the child safety seat must
be secured with the vehicle safety belt.
Securing child safety seats with a safety
Pylhg
Observe the safety precautions > page 76. The
front passenger’s seat is a dangerous location for
a child, even with an advanced airbag system. If
exceptional circumstances require the child safe-
ty seat to be placed on the front passenger's
seat, then the front passenger's airbag must be
deactivated. Please note the important informa-
tion for this > page 78, Correct positioning for
children and > page 74, Advanced airbag sys-
tem.
Securing child safety seats
> Applies to: vehicles with forward/back adjusta-
ble rear bench seat: Move the rear seat all the
way back.
> Activate the child safety lock > page 45.
> If you secure a child safety seat to the rear seat,
secure any unused safety belts that are within
reach of the child > A\, > page 81.
> If you secure a child safety seat to the front
passenger's seat, adjust the front passenger's
seat to the highest position.
> Secure the child safety seat according to the
child safety seat manufacturer instructions.
> If necessary, activate the belt retractor lock
= page 79, Activating the belt retractor lock.
> If the child safety seat is secured on the front
passenger's seat, adjust the front passenger's
seat backrest until it rests flat against the child
safety seat. Also make sure that the upper safe-
ty belt fixture is behind the child safety seat.
> If you secure a child safety seat on the rear
seat, also secure it to the correct top tether an-
chor if possible > page 80.
Activating the belt retractor lock
If you secure a child safety seat using the vehicle
safety belt, you must activate the belt retractor
lock. Follow the child safety seat manufacturer
instructions.
The belt retractor lock prevents the safety belt
from becoming loose while driving, which could
result in the child safety seat no longer being ad-
equately secured.
79
>

Sitting correctly and safely

> Secure the child safety seat according to the
child safety seat manufacturer instructions.
While doing so, pull out the safety belt. Insert
the safety belt into the belt latch that belongs
to that seat until it audibly locks.
> Pull the upper belt out completely and then al-
low it to retract. You will hear a clicking sound
while the belt is retracting. It will not be possi-
ble to pull the safety belt out any farther.
> Push the child safety seat into the seat and al-
low the belt to retract more.
> Make sure that the child safety seat cannot
move more than 1 inch (2.5 cm).
Deactivating the belt retractor lock
> Unbuckle the safety belt from the belt latch.
> Remove the child safety seat according to the
manufacturer instructions.
> Allow the safety belt to retract completely. The
belt retractor lock is deactivated.

ZA WARNING
—A safety belt that is not locked by the belt
retractor lock or a locking device cannot se-
cure a child safety seat while driving or in
the event of an accident, which increases the
risk of fatal injury. Always make sure the
belt retractor lock on the safety belt is acti-
vated if the child safety seat manufacturer
instructions require it.
— Due to the risk of fatal injury, never place a
rear-facing child safety seat on the front
passenger's seat when the front passenger's
airbag is switched on.
— For the child safety seat to offer the maxi-
mum protection, it is especially important
to route the vehicle safety belt correctly. Al-
ways follow the instructions from the child
safety seat manufacturer for routing the
safety belt correctly. Incorrectly fastened
safety belts can cause injuries, even during
minor accidents.

80


Fig. 64 Rear backrest: top tether anchors to secure a child
safety seat with an upper belt

RAZ-0186|



Fig. 65 Rear backrest: securing the upper belt to the top
tether anchor
Observe the safety precautions > page 76.
There is a top tether anchor behind every seat in
the rear bench seat to additionally secure a child
safety seat with an upper belt.
> Move the head restraint behind the child safety
seat upward.
> Secure the child safety seat according to the
child safety seat manufacturer instructions.
> Guide the upper belt on the child safety seat
under the head restraint or along both sides of
it and toward the rear (depending on the child
safety seat model).
» Fasten the belt to the top tether anchor
=> fig. 65. While doing this, make sure the belt
is not twisted and is not running over any sharp
edges.
> Pull the belt tightly so that the child safety seat
rests at the top of the seat backrest.
> If necessary, move the head restraint behind
the child safety seat downward.

4M8012721BF
Sitting correctly and safely


ZA WARNING
The top tether anchors in the vehicle are only
designed for child safety seats equipped with
an upper strap. To reduce the risk of serious or
fatal injury, never secure other child restraint
systems, belts, or objects to the anchors.
SY eM etal re
Prat





Fig. 66 Rear bench seat: securing unused safety belts
If a child safety seat is used on the rear bench
seat, the child must not be able to reach any
safety belts that are not being used. Secure safe-
ty belts that are within reach of the child.
> If you secure a child safety seat to the LATCH
anchors, fasten the safety belt on the seat
where the child safety seat is installed using
the seat's safety belt latch.
> If you secure a child safety seat to one of the
outer seats, fasten the safety belt for the cen-
ter seat in its latch.
> Activate the belt retractor lock on the fastened
safety belts. To do this, pull the upper belt out
completely and then allow it to retract. You will
hear a clicking sound while the belt is retract-
ing. It will not be possible to pull the safety
belt out any farther.
> Make sure the fastened safety belt does not
block access to the LATCH anchors. Otherwise,
it may not be possible to secure the child safety
seat to the LATCH anchors correctly.

ZA WARNING
A child in a child safety seat could play with
the unused safety belts and then become en-
tangled in them, which increases the risk of


fatal injury. Always secure unused safety belts
so that they are not within reach of children in
child safety seats.

81

Storage and convenience



— The cargo net* is only strong enough to se-
cure light objects. Heavy objects are not ade-
quately secured. Attempting to secure heavy
objects increases the risk of injury.
— Never exceed the permitted axle and load
and vehicle weight > page 314.
— Never secure a child safety seat to the tie-
downs.
— Never leave your vehicle unattended, espe-
cially if the luggage compartment lid is
open. Children could enter the luggage com-
partment and close the luggage compart-
ment lid from the inside. This creates the
risk of fatal injury, since the children would
be locked in and may not be able to escape
by themselves.
— Do not allow children to play in or on the ve-
hicle. Close and lock the luggage compart-
ment lid as well as all other doors when you
leave
the vehicle.
— Never transport passengers in the luggage
compartment. Every passenger must be cor-
rectly secured with the safety belts in the
vehicle > page 68.
— Be careful when releasing the backrest and
folding
it forward. To reduce the risk of be-
ing pinched, pay attention and check when
folding backrests forward.
— The backrest must be securely latched so
objects cannot slide forward out of the lug-
gage compartment during sudden braking.
— The backrest must be latched securely to en-
sure that the safety belt is protecting the
center seating position.
— Always pull forward on the backrest to make
sure it is check if it is correctly locked in
place.

@) Note
—To reduce the risk of damage, move the rear
head restraints down > page 67 before fold-
ing the rear backrests forward.
— When folding the backrest forward, make
sure the outer safety belts are in the belt
guide recess so that they do not get pinched
in the backrest lock and damaged. Other ob-
jects should be removed from the rear
84
bench seat to protect the backrest from
damage.
— If you move the front seat back when the
rear seat backrest is folded forward, you
could damage the head restraints on the
rear seat.
— Make sure that the heating grid strips for
the rear window defogger are not damaged
by abrasive objects.
— Applies to: vehicles with manual luggage
compartment cover: Let the luggage com-
partment cover roll up slowly to reduce the
risk of damage.
@ Tips
— The tire pressure must be adapted to the
load > page 266.
— You can purchase straps at specialty stores.
Manual luggage compartment cover
Applies to: vehicles with manual luggage compartment cover




Fig. 70 Luggage compartment: removing the luggage
compartment cover
Observe the safety precautions > page 83.

>

4M8012721BF
Driving

Driving
Starting the vehicle
pyr Told T ola (ela)



Fig. 83 Center console: starting the engine
Requirement: the key must be in the vehicle.
Starting the engine
> Press and hold the brake pedal.
> Press the [START ENGINE STOP] button. The
engine will start.


Equipment that uses a lot of electricity is switch-
ed off temporarily when you start the engine. If
the engine does not start immediately, the start-
ing procedure stops automatically after a short
time. If this is the case, repeat the starting pro-
cedure after approximately 30 seconds.
Stopping the engine
> Bring the vehicle to a full stop.
> Press the [START ENGINE STOP] button. The


engine will switch off.
Applies to: vehicles with steering lock: The steer-
ing is locked when you turn off the engine with
the selector lever in the “P” position and open
the driver's door. The steering lock helps prevent
vehicle theft.
Stopping the engine in an emergency
If necessary in an emergency, the engine can also
be stopped while driving using the emergency off
function*.

> Press the [START ENGINE STOP] button twice in
a row or press and hold it one time.

Switching on and off
If you would like to switch the ignition on or off
without starting the engine, follow these steps:

> Press the [START ENGINE STOP] button without
pressing the brake pedal.

Switching the ignition off automatically
To prevent the vehicle battery from draining, the
ignition and possibly the exterior lighting may
switch off automatically.
Requirements:
— The Start/Stop system must have stopped the
engine.
— You must have left the vehicle for longer than
30 seconds.
— The ignition must be switched on.
Among other indicators, the system detects that
you have left the vehicle based on the following
factors:
— The driver's door has been opened.
— The driver's safety belt has been unbuckled.
— The brake pedal is not being pressed.
The ignition will also be switched off after 30 mi-
nutes or if you lock the vehicle from the outside.

Z\ WARNING
—To reduce the risk of asphyxiation, never al-
low the engine to run in confined spaces.
— Never turn off the engine before the vehicle
has come to a complete stop. Switching it
off before the vehicle has stopped may im-
pair the function of the brake booster and
power steering. You would then need to use
more force to steer and brake the vehicle.
The fact that you cannot steer and brake as
usual may increase the risk of accidents and
serious injuries.
— Secure the vehicle against rolling before ex-
iting the vehicle > page 96.
CG) Note
— Avoid high engine speed, full throttle, and
heavy engine load if the engine has not
reached operating temperature yet. You
could damage the engine.


95

Driving

—To select the nearest gear, move the selector
lever forward or back until you feel the first
pressure point.
—To skip a gear (for example, move from “D” to
“R”), move the selector lever past the pressure
point in the desired direction.
— The label next to the selector lever for the se-
lected gear will light up.
“N” (Neutral) gear
In the “N” gear, power is not transmitted to the
driving wheels. Use the “N” gear in a car wash
(with conveyor belts), for example.
If you unintentionally select “N” while driving
(faster than 1 mph (2 km/h)), you can also shift
back to “D” without pressing the brake pedal.
For safety reasons, the vehicle cannot be locked
when the transmission is in the "N” gear.
“Pp” (Park) gear
Requirement: the ignition must be switched on.
The vehicle is secured from rolling away by the
parking lock when in the “P” gear.
— Bring the vehicle to a full stop and press the
brake pedal.
— Press the “P” button (2) on the selector lever.
— The “P” next to the selector lever will light up.
“P” engages automatically if you switch the en-
gine off while the “D” or “R” gear is selected. If
you switch the engine off in “N”, “P” will engage
automatically after approximately 30 minutes.
If you want to switch to another gear from “P”,
the engine must be running.
If you cannot shift out of “P”, for example be-
cause the vehicle has no power, you may need to
use the emergency release for the parking lock
=> page 100.
Selecting the driving program
Various driving programs can be selected when in
the “D” gear. The programs influence when the
transmission shifts and how the accelerator ped-
al responds.
The selected driving program is displayed in the
instrument cluster.
98
—D (Drive): normal driving mode
—S (Sport): sporty driving mode
If you select the dynamic mode in Audi drive se-
lect*, the “S” driving program will be activated.
When the ignition is switched off, the driving pro-
gram may be reset to “D”.
To switch between the current driving program
and “S”, push the selector lever toward the rear.

ZA\ WARNING
— Before you start driving, check if the label
for the desired selector lever position next
to the selector lever is lit up.
— Secure the vehicle against rolling before ex-
iting the vehicle > page 96.
— Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle. To pre-
vent the vehicle from “creeping”, you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever positions (except "P" and "N") when
the engine is running.
— To reduce the risk of an accident, do not
press the accelerator pedal when changing
gears if the vehicle is stationary and the en-
gine is running.
— Never select the “R" or "P” gears while driv-
ing. Doing so could cause an accident.
— The vehicle can roll even if the ignition is
switched off.

(i) Tips
If you shift between “D” and “R” within one
second, you do not need to press the brake
pedal. This makes it possible to “rock” if it is
stuck, for example.

Driving

@ Tips
— Press the brake pedal during a Stop phase
to keep the vehicle from rolling.
— The ignition will turn off if you press the
START ENGINE STOP} button during a Stop


phase.
— If you leave the vehicle briefly during a Stop
phase and then enter again, the driver's
door must be closed and the safety belt
must be fastened in order for the engine to
be able to restart.
— You can control if the engine will stop or not
by reducing or increasing the amount of
force you use to press the brake pedal. For
example, if you only lightly press on the
brake pedal in stop-and-go traffic or when
turning, the engine will not switch off when
the vehicle is stationary. If you press the
brake pedal harder, the engine will switch
off.
Starting and stopping the engine automat-
ically
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
The system checks if certain conditions are met
before and during the Stop phase, and deter-
mines if the engine stops and how long it re-
mains stopped. For example, if power usage is
high, the engine will not be stopped. Along with
other conditions, the following factors influence
the automatic engine start or stop:
— Environmental conditions (slopes, inclines, ele-
vation, temperature)
— Battery (charge status, temperature, power us-
age)
— Engine temperature
— Assist systems
— Driving behavior
Messages
Applies to: vehicles with Start/Stop system
Drive system: please start the vehicle manually
This message appears when specific conditions
are not met during a Stop phase. The Start/Stop
system will not be able to restart the engine. The
104
engine must be started with the
START ENGINE STOP] button.


Vehicle starting system: malfunction! Please
contact Service
There is a malfunction in the Start/Stop system.
Drive the vehicle to an authorized Audi dealer or
authorized Service Facility as soon as possible to
have the malfunction corrected.
Brakes
General information
You can apply the vehicle's brakes using the brake
pedal.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on the
speed, braking force, and outside conditions such
as temperature and humidity.
Braking effect
The response time from the brakes depends on
the weather and environmental conditions. To
ensure the optimal braking effect, the brake sys-
tem is cleaned at regular intervals. This is done
by applying the brake pads to the brake rotors for
a short period of time when driving at high
speeds when the windshield wipers are switched
on.
If the brake system becomes damp, for example
after driving in heavy rain, the braking effect may
be delayed. Other factors that could temporarily
increase the response time of the brakes include:
— Wet conditions
— Low temperatures, ice, and snow
— Roads covered in salt
— Dirty brake pads
Corrosion
Corrosion may form on the brake rotors if there is
no heavy braking, if the vehicle is not driven for
long periods of time, or if the vehicle is not driv-
en frequently or for long distances. In this case,
braking heavily several times while driving at
high speeds can clean the brake rotors > A\.

Driving

Ga / @ Brake pads: wear limit reached. You
can continue driving. Please contact Service
The brake pads are worn. Drive to an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility as
soon as possible to have the malfunction correct-
ed.
Brake booster: limited functionality. You can
continue driving. Please contact Service
There is a brake booster malfunction. The brake
booster is available, but its effectiveness is re-
duced. The braking performance may be different
compared to the usual performance. Drive to an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility immediately to have the malfunction cor-
rected.
Brake booster: deactivated. See owner's manual
The brake booster remains active for a brief peri-
od of time after switching off the ignition. Secure
the vehicle against rolling > page 96.
Other indicator lights
When you switch the ignition on, the EG / @
indicator light turns on briefly to check the func-
tion. If the indicator light does not turn on, there
is a system malfunction.
1f EG / @ stays on, there is a malfunction in
the brake system.
©) - A high load was placed on the brakes from
driving downhill for a long period of time. Follow
the instructions in the message to utilize the en-
gine braking effect and to relieve the brakes.
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operating the parking brake
The electromechanical parking brake is used to
secure the vehicle from rolling away unintention-
ally.
The @) switch is located under the selector lever
in the center console. It turns on when the park-
ing brake is set. You can release the parking brake
manually or automatically when you start to
drive.
Setting and releasing the parking brake
> Setting: pull the ©) switch.
> 1f i ii ® appears, the parking brake is hold-
ing the vehicle. You can remove your foot from
the brake pedal.
> Releasing: when the ignition is switched on,
press and hold the brake pedal and press the
button.
If the red indicator light flashes, the braking
force has not built up enough or it has decreased.
You can also secure the vehicle by selecting the
“P” gear or pressing the brake pedal. Make sure
the indicator light is off before you start driving.
Automatically releasing the parking brake
when starting to drive
Requirement: the driver's door must be closed
and the driver’s safety belt must be fastened.
> Press the accelerator pedal to start to drive.

ZX WARNING
If a malfunction occurs in the ABS, ESC, and
braking distribution, interventions that stabi-
lize the vehicle will no longer be available.
This could cause the vehicle to swerve, which
increases the risk that the vehicle will slide.
Do not continue driving. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Facility
for assistance.

106
ZA WARNING
—To reduce the risk of an accident, always
make sure the vehicle is situated safely
while stationary.
— If the parking brake is set, it can release au-
tomatically when the accelerator pedal is
pressed. To reduce the risk of an accident,
do not inadvertently press the accelerator
pedal and always shift into “P” when the ve-
hicle is stopped.
— If the power supply fails, you cannot set the
parking brake once it is released, or release
it if it is set. Secure the vehicle against >