AUDI A7 2013 Owners Manual
Page 191 of 310
If the convertible locking retracto r shou ld be
activated inadvertently, the safety belt must be unfastened and guided comp letely back in
to its stowed position to deac tivate th is fea
ture. If the co nver tible locking retractor is not
deactivated, the safety belt will gradually be
come tighter and u ncomfortable to wear .
A WARNING
Improperly insta lled child safety seats in
crease the risk of ser ious personal inju ry
and death in a collision.
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deacti
vate the convert ible lock ing ret ra ctor for
child restrain ts w hile the veh icle is mov
ing. You would not be rest rained and
cou ld be seriously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARN INGS
whenever using a child rest rained in ave
hicle is being used
c:!) page 175. Spec ial
precautions apply when installing a ch ild
safety seat on the front passenger seat
c:!) page 151, Child restraints on the front
seat -some important things to know.
LATCH Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children
Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a s impler and more pract icable way
to attach the child restraint on the vehicle
seat, Federa l regu lations require specia l lower
anchorages in vehicles and devices on new
chi ld restraints to attach to the vehicle ancho
rages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lowe r anchorages is now generally called
the
LAT CH system for " Lower Anchorages and
T ethers for Children."
F orward-facing child restraints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are requi red by U .S.
federal regulations to comply with new child head movement performance requirements.
Child Sa fet y 189
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child seats.
Installing a ch ild restra int that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the
performance of the child restraint and its abil
ity to protect the child in a collision . Insta lling
a chi ld restraint that requires a top tether
without the top tether may be a violat ion of
sta te law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LA TCH
l ower anchorages on their child seats w ith
hook-on or push-on connectors attached to
adjustable st raps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages,
these chi ld restraint systems usually require
the use of tether straps to he lp keep the child
restraint f irmly in place .
A WARNING
Improper installat ion of child restra ints
will increase the r isk of injury and death in
a crash .
-Always follow the instructions provided
by the manufacturer of the child re
straint you intend to install in your vehi
cle.
- Never install a child restraint without a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instruc
tions require the top tether st rap to be
used .
- Improper use of child restraint LATC H
lower anchorage points can lead to injury
in a collision. The LATCH lowe r anchorage
points are designed to withstand on ly
those loads imposed by correctly fitted
child restraints.
- Never mo unt two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchorage point.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other item to the LATCH lower anchorag
es.
-
•
•
Page 192 of 310
190 Child Safety
@ Tips
-In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universal anchorages" (or "lower
universal anchorage bars") are used to
describe the system.
- In other countries, the term "ISO FIX" is
used to describe the lower anchorages.
Location
Fig. 175 Schemat ic overview: LA TCH ancho rage point
l ocat ions
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your veh icle which are equipped with the low
e r anchorages system.
Description
The lower anchorage positions are marked
for quick locating .
Fig. 176 Lower a nch orages, covers marked
Fig. 177 Rear seats: lower anchorage bracket locations
Lower anchorages
The circular markings on the rear seat help
you to ident ify the location of lower anchorag
es for the two outboard seating positions
~ fig . 176-=* . The LAT CH lowe r universa l an
chorage attachmen t points are between the
rear seatback and rear seat cushion.
Remove the covers ~
fig. 176 to access the
lower anchorage attachment points.
The lower anchorage attachment points are
visible
c:> fig . 177 .
Lower anchorages secure the chi ld restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle 's safety
belts. Anchorages provide a secure and easy
to -use attachment and minimize the possib ili
ty of improper child restraint installation .
All child restraints manufactured after Sep
tember 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage
attachments for the
LATCH system .
Please remember that the lower anchorage
po ints are only intended for installat ion and
attachment of child restraints spec ifically cer
tified for use with
LATCH lower anchorages .
Child restraints that are not equipped with the
lower anchorage attachments can still be in
sta lled in compliance w ith th e child restra int
manufactu rer's instr uctions on using veh icle
safety belts.
A WARNING
-
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages
can cause serious personal injury in an ac
cident.
- Always carefully follow the child re
straints manufacturer's instructions for
Page 193 of 310
proper installation of the c hild restra int
and proper use of t he lo wer anchora ges
or safety belts in your vehicle.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
ot her items to the LATCH lower ancho
rages.
- Always read and heed the important in formation about child restraints in this chapter and WARNINGS ¢
page 175,
Child Safety.
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always
follow the child restraint manufacturer's in
structions.
F ig. 178 Lower anchorages: p roper mo unt ing
Mounting
.. Make sure the sea tback of the rear sea t
bench is in the upr ight position and sec urely
latched i n place.
.. Attach both hook -on connectors with the
spring catch release on the ch ild safety seat
onto the LATC H lower anchorage so that the
connectors lock into p lace¢
fig . 178.
.. Pu ll on the connecto r attachments to make
s u re they a re properly attached to the LATCH
lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight following the ch ild re
stra int manu facturer's inst ruct ions.
Releasing
.. Loosen t he tension on the straps follow ing
t h e ch ild restrai nt manufactu rer's instruc
tio ns.
Child S afety 191
.. Depress the spring catches to release the
anchorage hooks from the lower anchorag
es.
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
child restra int firm ly in place .
& WARNING ~
Improper use of the LATCH system can in-
crease the risk of serious personal injury
and death in an accident.
- These anchors were deve loped only for
child safety seats using the "LATCH" sys
tem.
- Never attach other chi ld safety seats,
be lts or other objects to these anchors.
- Always make sure that you hear a click
when latch ing the seat in place. If you do
not hear a click the seat is not secure and
could fly forwa rd and hit the interior of
the vehicle, o r be e jected from the veh i
cle .
& WARNING
Imp roper installat io n of ch ild restra ints
will increase the r isk of injury in an acci
d ent.
- Always follow the child restraint system
manufac turer' s inst ruc tion s for prope r
installa tion of the c hild restr aint system
a nd p roper use of te ther s traps as well as
the lower anchorages or safety belts in
your veh icle .
-Always rea d and heed the important in
formation and WARNINGS about c hild
safety and the insta llation of ch ild re
straint systems¢
page 175, Child Safe
ty.
-
Page 194 of 310
192 Child Safe ty
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 179 Tethe r ancho rs: attachment hook locatio ns
behind the rea r sea tbacks
The tether anchors for the two/three* rear
seating positions are located o n the backside
of the rear seatbacks ¢
fig. 179. Vehicles with
two rear seating positions are equipped with
two tether anchors.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that attaches the top part o f a child restraint to
specia l anchorage points in the veh icle.
The purpose of t he tether is to reduce the for
ward movemen t of the ch ild restra int in a
crash, in order to help reduce the risk of head
injury that could be caused by striking the ve
hicle interior.
F orward facing child rest ra ints manufactured
after September 1, 1999, are required by U.S.
federal regulations to comply with new child head movement performance requirements .
These new performance requirements make a
tether necessary on most new child safety
seats.
A WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints
w ill increase the risk of inju ry and death in
a crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided
by the manufacturer of the ch ild re
st rain t you intend to install in your Audi.
- Improper use of ch ild restra int anchors
(including tether anchors) can lead to in
jury in a co llision. The anchors are de
signed to w ithstand on ly those loads im
posed by corre ctly fitted ch ild restraints. -
Never mount two child restraint systems
on one LATCH lower anchor point.
- Never attach two child restraint systems
to one tether strap or tether anchorage .
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compa rtment .
- Never use child restraint tether ancho
rages to secure safety belts or other
kinds o f occupant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or
other items to the LATCH lower ancho
rages or to the tether anchors .
- If you must install a rearward fac ing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptiona l circumstan
ces and t he
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come o n and stay on, im
mediately install the rear-fac ing ch ild
safety seat in a rear seating position and
have the airbag system i nspe cted by your
Aud i deale r.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
F ig. 180 Tet her st rap : proper rout ing and mou nting
Installing the tether st rap
• Release or deploy the tether strap on the
child restraint according to the child re
s traint manufacture r's instructions.
• Guide the upper te ther s trap
und er th e rear
head restraint ¢
fig. 180 (raise the head re
straint if necessary) .
• Attach the tethe r strap anchorage hook into
the tether anchorage.
.,. Pull on the tether strap hook so that the
spring catch of the hook engages.
Page 195 of 310
~ Tighten the tether strap firmly following
the chi ld restraint manufacturer's instruc
t ions.
Re lea sing the tether str ap
~ Loosen the tension following the ch ild re
stra int manufacturer's instructions .
~ Depress the spring catch on the hook and
release it from the anchorage .
0 Note
If you leave the child restraint with the
tether strap firmly insta lled for severa l
days, this cou ld leave a mark on the up
holstery on the seat cushion and backrest
in the area where the tether strap was in
stalled . The upholstery would a lso be per
manently stretched around the tether
strap . This applies especially to leather
seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rear-facing child restraint sys
tems come with a tether. P lease read and
heed the child restraint system manufactur
er's instructions carefully to determine how to properly install the tether .
A WARNING
-
A child in a rearward-facing child safety
seat insta lled on the front passenger seat
w ill be seriously injured and can be k illed if
t he fron t airbag inf lates -even with an Ad
vanced Airbag System .
- T he inflating airbag w ill hit the chi ld
sa fety sea t or infant carrier w ith g reat
f orce and wi ll smash the ch ild safety seat
and child against the backrest, center
armrest, or door.
- If you must install a rearward facing
child safety seat on the front passenger
seat because of exceptional circ umstan
ces and the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF
light does not come on and stay on, im
med iately install the rear-facing child
safety seat in a rear s eating position and
Child Sa fet y 193
have the airbag system inspected by your
Aud i dea ler.
Additional Information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number o f sources of additiona l
information abo ut child restraint se lection, in
stallation and use:
NH TSA advises t hat the bes t ch ild safety seat
is the one that fits your chi ld and fits in your
vehicle , and that yo u will use correct ly and
consistently .
T ry before yo u buy!
U .S National Highway Traffic Safet y Admin
i s tration
T el.: 1-888 -3 27-4236 (TIY: 1-800-424-9153)
www. n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
T el.: (202) 66 2-0600
www.safe kids.org
Safety BeltSaf e U.S.A
T el.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
T el.: (800) 7 47-SANO (Span ish)
www.ca rseat.org
Transport C anada Information C entre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll
1-6 13-998-8616 if you a re in the O ttawa area
http://www .tc.gc .c a/eng/ roadsafety/
menu .htm
Audi Cu stomer Relation s
Tel.: (800) 82 2-2834 •
•
Page 196 of 310
194 Audi pre sense
Audi pre sense
Preventative passenger
protection
A pp lies to veh icles: with Audi pre se nse
Audi pre sense can initiate steps to help pro
tect vehicle occupants in certain situations.
The functions described depend on equ ipment
installed in your vehicle:
Audi pre sense basic*
The following functions can be triggered in
certain driving situations:
- Tightening of the safety belts (for example,
during heavy braking) : the front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a colli
sion does not occur, the safety belts loosen
slightly and are ready to be tightened again.
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*: the
windows and the sunroof* close leaving a
small open gap.
Audi pre sense basic functions can be trig
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Vehicles with Aud i drive select*: the deploy
ment time is adapted in
Dynamic mode.
Audi pre sense front (vehicles with
adaptive cruise control*)
Audi pre sense front includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, within the
limits of the system, the likelihood of a colli
sion with the vehicle immediately ahead is al
so calculated . If the system senses an immi
nent collision the following functions can be
tr iggered :
- Braking guard
c::> page 92
- Tightening the safety be lts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav -
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense rear (vehicles with Audi
side assist*)
Audi pre sense rear includes the functions in
Audi pre sense basic. In addition, the likeli
hood of a rear-end collision with the vehicle
coming from behind is also calcu lated.
If the risk
of a co llision is detected, the following
functions can be triggered:
- Tig htening the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (leav-
ing a small open gap)
Audi pre sense plus*
Audi pre sense plus includes the functions in
Audi pre sense front and Audi pre sense rear.
Error message
Audi pre sense: not available
Preventative passenger protection is not avail
able. See your authorized Audi dealer immedi
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
_& WARNING
-=
Audi pre sense cannot overcome the laws
of physics. It cannot prevent a collision. Do
not let the increased safety provided
tempt you to take risks. This will increase
the r isk of a collis ion and serious personal
in juries .
- The sensors cannot always detect all ob
jects. This increases the risk of a colli
s10n.
-Aud i pre sense does not detect people or
an im als or objects that are crossing the
veh icle's path
c::> page 86.
-The radar sensor's vis ion can be reduced
by heavy rain, ice, snow, heavy road sp ray
and reflections from guard rails, tunnel
entrances, etc. These and similar condi
tions can prevent vehicles from being ac
curately detected and in some cases they
may not be detected at all.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. This can affect the function of
the Audi pre sense system. Have your au
thorized Audi dealer check to make sure
that the system is working properly.
Page 197 of 310
@ Tips
-Certain Audi pre sense functions are not
ava ilable when ASR is sw itched off (sport
mode) or when driving in reverse.
- The Audi pre sense functions may not be
available if there is a malfunction in the
ESC system or the airbag control mod
ule.
- The Audi pre sense front/plus functions
are not available if there is a malfunction
in the adaptive cru ise control* system
9 page 93.
-The Audi pre sense rear/plus functions
are not available if there is a malfunction
i n the Audi side assist* system
9page 93.
Audi pre sense 195
•
•
Page 198 of 310
196 Intelligent technology
Intelligent technology
Notice about data
recorded by vehicle
control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Da
ta Recorder (EDR), installed by some manu
facturers fo r the express purpose of capturing
data for retrieval after an accident or crash
event . EDR's are sometimes ca lled "crash re
corders".
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down
loading of data stored by EDR's that were in
stalled in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash
event without the owner's consent.
A lthough your vehicle is not equipped with an
EDR, it is equipped with a number of electron
ic control modules for various vehicle systems
such as, for examp le, eng ine function, em is
sion control, as well as for the airbags and
safety belts.
These electronic contro l modules also record
vehicle-re lated data during normal vehicle op
eration for diagnostic and repair purposes.
The recording capacity of the electronic con
trol modules is limited to data (no sound is re
corded) and only a small amount of data is ac
tually recorded over a very limited pe riod of
time and stored when a system fault or other
condition is sensed by a control unit. Some of
the data then stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, braking as we ll as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only
be read and downloaded with special equip
ment.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of
skidd ing and loss of vehicle control. It works
only when the engine is running. ESC detects certain difficult driving situat
ions, including
when the vehicle is beginning to spin (yaw)
out of control and helps you to get the veh icle
back under control by se lectively braking the
wheels, and/or reducing engine power and
providing steering assistance to help hold the
vehicle on the driver's intended course. The in
dicator light
G) in the instrument cluster
blinks when ESC is taking action to help you
control the vehicle.
ESC has limitations.
It is important to remem
ber that ESC cannot overcome the laws of
physics. It wi ll not always be able to help out
under all conditions you may come up against.
For example, ESC may not always be able to
help you master situations where there is a
sudden change in the coefficient of friction of
the road surface. When there is a section of
dry road that is suddenly covered with water,
slush or snow, ESC cannot perform the same
way it wou ld on the dry surface . If the vehicle
hydroplanes (rides on a cushion of water in
stead of the road surface), ESC will not be
able to help you steer the vehicle because con
tact with the pavement has been interrupted
and the vehicle cannot be braked or steered.
During fast cornering, particularly on winding
roads, ESC cannot always deal as effectively
with difficult driving situations than at lower
speeds. When towing a trailer, ESC is not able
to help you regain control as it would if you
were not tow ing a trailer.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road, traffic; and weather condit ions. ESC can
not override the vehicle's physical limits, in
crease the available traction, or keep a vehicle
on the road if road departure is a result of
drive r inattention. Instead, ESC improves the
poss ibility of keeping the vehicle under con
trol and on the road during ex treme maneu
vers by using the driver's steering inputs to
help keep the vehicle going in the intended di
rection . If you are traveling at a speed that
causes you to run off the road before ESC can
provide any assistance, you may not experi
ence the benefits of ESC.
Page 199 of 310
ESC includes and/or works together with the
anti-lock brake system (ABS) , brake assist sys
tem, anti -slip regulation (ASR) , electronic dif
ferential lock (E DL) and e lectronic interaxle
d ifferential lock*. ESC is swi tched on all the
time. In certain situat ions when you need less
traction , you can switch off ASR by pressing
the button
[ru ~ fig . 181 . Be sure to switch
ASR on again when you no longer need less
traction.
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
ABS prevents the wheels from locking up
when braking. The vehicle can still be steered even during hard braking . Apply steady pres
sure to the brake pedal. Do not pump the ped
al. A puls ing in the brake pedal indicates that
the system is he lping you to brake the vehicle.
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing
d istance.
It increases braking power when the
driver presses the brake pedal quickly in emer
gency situations. You must press and hold the
brake pedal until the situation is over . In
vehicles with adaptive cruise control* , the
brake assist system is more sensitive if the
d istance detected to the vehicle ahead is too
small.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power when the drive
wheels begin to spin and adapts the force to
the road condit ions. This makes it eas ier to
s tart, accelerate and drive up hills.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinn ing and
transfers the drive power to the other drive
wheel or whee ls if the vehicle is equipped with
all-whee l drive*. This function is available up
to about 75 mph (120 km/h).
I n extreme cases , EDL automatically switches
off to help keep the brake on the braked wheel
from overheating. EDL wi ll switch on again au
tomatically when conditions have returned to
normal.
Intelligent technology 197
Electronic interaxle differential lock*/
selective wheel torque control*
The electronic interaxle differential lock (front
whee l drive) or the se lective wheel torque
cont rol (all-wheel dr ive) operates when dr iv
ing through curves . The front wheel on the in
s ide of the curve or both wheels on the inside
of the curve are braked selectively as needed .
T his min imizes sliding in the front wheels and
allows for more precise driving through
curves . Th e applicable system may no t acti
vate when driv ing in wet or snowy conditions.
A WARNING
-
-ESC, ABS, ASR, EDL and the electronic in
teraxle differential lock function* cannot
overcome the laws of physics. This is es
pecially important on slippery or wet
roads . If the systems begin acting to sta
bilize your vehicle, you should immedi
ately change your speed to match the
road and traffic conditions. Do not let
the increased safety provided by these
systems tempt you to t.;1ke risks. Doing
so will increase the risk o f a loss of vehi
cle control, collision and serious personal
injuries.
-Always adapt your speed to road, traffic
and weather conditions . The risk of los
ing control of the vehicle increases when
driving too fast, espec ially through
curves and on slippery or wet roads, and
when dr iving too close to vehicles up
ahead . ESC, ABS, the brake assist sys
tem, EDL, ASR and the elec tronic inter
axle differential lock function* cannot
prevent collisions .
- Always accelerate with special care on
even, smooth surfaces such as those that
are wet or covered with ice and snow.
The drive wheels can spin even with
these assistance systems that cannot al
ways he lp to red uce the risk of loss of ve -
hicle control. .,.
•
•
Page 200 of 310
198 Intelligent technology
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped w ith identi
ca l tires. Different tire si zes can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems described are working.
- If the indicato r light
DJ or 11:11 (USA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunctio n¢
page 20,
¢ page 19.
Switching on and off
ESC turns on au toma tic ally when you s tart
t he engine.
F ig . 18 1 Cen te r con sol e w it h ESC OF F but ton
Sw itching sport mode on
Press the I~ OF FI button c::> fig . 181 . The ac
tions taken by the ESC system to stabilize the
ve hicl e are lim ited. In vehicles with front
wheel drive, the anti -s li p reg ulation (ASR) is
lim ited . In vehicles with a ll-wheel drive, the
ASR is switched off. The
It) ESC ind icator light
turns on and the message
St abili zation co n
trol (ESC): Off Warning ! Reduced stabilit y
¢.&. appears in the driver informa tion system
d isplay.
The follow ing examples are unusua l situa
tions where it may make sense to switch sport
mode on in orde r to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle back and forth when it is
stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving wi th s now cha ins
Switching sport mode off
Press the 1.$ O FF I button again. The I indica
tor light t urns off and the message
Stabiliza
tion control (ESC): On
appea rs in the dr iver
information system disp lay .
A WARNING
-
-Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more easi ly when
ASR and ESC are in sport mode, especial
ly when the road is slippe ry .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic and weather condi
tions permit .
@ Tips
- You cannot switch sport mode on when
adaptive cru ise contro l* is working .
-
- If the rear spoi ler system malfunct ions,
sport mode may not switc h on or it may
switch off agai n automatically .
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling
and enhances driver control.
Fig . 182 Center co n so le: Sw it c h for rea r s poile r
The rea r spoi le r deploys and retracts. Spoiler
operation can be se t fo r automat ic or ma nual
operation.
Automatic mode (normal operation)
- Au tomatic deployment : At a speed of about
8 0 mph (130 km/h), the rea r spo ile r deploys
au tomatically.
- Automati c retr act ion: When speed drops be
low abou t 50 mph (80 km/h), the rear spoil-
er retracts a utomat ica lly. ..,.