Instruments and warning/indicator lights
Malfunction in the electronic differential lock (EDL)
The ED L works toge ther w ith the ABS. The ABS warn ing lig ht w ill
come on if there is a mal func tion in the EDL system=>
page 253 . See
your authorized A udi dea le r as soon as poss ible .
& WARNING
• If the .. (USA models )/ ...,. (Canada models ) wa rning light
does not go out , or if it comes on while driving, the ABS system is
not working properly. The vehicle can then be stopped only with
the standard brakes (without ABS ). You will not have the p rotec
tion ABS provide s. Contact you r Audi dealer as soon as pos sible .
• USA models: If the BRAKE warning light , the ., warning light
and the warning light come on together , the rear wheel s
could lock up first under hard braking . Rear wheel lock-up can
c ause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have you r vehicle
repaired immediate ly by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake applica
tions .
• Canada models: If the brake warning light «D>, the wa rning
light and the ABS warning light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up
can cause los s of vehicle control and an accident . Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Aud i dealer or a qualified
workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
applic ations. •
Electromechanical parking brake
::E {USA models) / (®) {Canada models)
The warning/indicator light monit ors the electromechan
ical parking broke .
With the pa rking bra ke app lied and the ignition t urned on, the
wa rning/ind icator light illuminates. Afte r the ign it ion has been
t u rne d off, the wa rning/indicator light continues to illuminate for about 30 seconds.
If the park
ing brake is applied w ith the ign ition
tur ned off, the w arning/ind ic a tor ligh t illumi nates fo r abo ut 3 0
seconds.
Th e warning/ind icator light will go out when the parking brake is
re lease d.
If the war ning/ indicator lig ht flashes cont inuous ly
after applying the
p ar king bra ke, bra king fo rce is no t sufficien t to prevent the vehicle
from rolling unintentionally . T his can happe n if the brakes become
too hot. P lease note the fo llowi ng:
• If the slope of the ground is too s teep to par k the ve hicl e, th e addi
tional drive message appea rs
Caution: Vehicle parked too steep .
• In the event of a pa rking brake mal func tion, the yellow • symbol
appea rs in the instrument cluste r display and the driver message
Parking brake malfunction! is d isplayed. Have t he ma lf u n ct io n
re paire d as soon as possib le by a q ualified Audi dealership .•
Brake system BRAKE (USA
models)
/ (CD) {Canada models)
The warning/indicator ligh t flashes if brak e fluid l eve l is
low, if there is an A BS system malfunction or a parking
brake malfunction.
Th e light illum ina tes when the igni tion is t urned o n. It goes out after
the engine has been started . This indicates that t he brake warn ing
light is fu nctioni ng p roperly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking , there may be a malfunction in the electrical system. In
this case, contact your Audi dealer.
If the brake system wa rning/indicator light flashes, there is a brake
system malfunc tion . By press ing the
I C H ECK ] button, you can b ring
up a driver message which explains the malfunction in mo re detail
=>
page 28. ~
Intelligent technology
'-----------------------------------------------
Intelligent technology
Notice about data recorded by
vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is not equipped with an Event Data Recorder (EDR),
installed by some manufacturers for the express purpose of
capturing data for retrieva l after an accident or crash event. ED R's are
sometimes called "crash recorders".
Some state laws restrict the retrieval or downloading of data stored
by ED R's that were installed in a vehicle for the express purpose of
retrieving data after an accident or crash event without the owner's
consent.
Although your vehicle is not equipped with an EDR, it is equipped w ith
a number of electronic control modu les for various vehicle systems
such as, for example, engine function, emission control, as well as for
the airbags and safety belts.
T hese electronic contro l modules also record vehicle-re lated data
during normal vehicle operation for diagnostic and repair purposes .
Th e recording capacity of the e lectronic control modu les is limited to
data (no sound is recorded) and only a sma ll amount of data is actu
ally recorded over a very limited period 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 well as restraint system use and performance in the event of a
crash or other condition. Stored data can only be read and down
loaded with special equipment.
Electronic Stabilization Program
(ESP)
General information
The ESP improves the vehicle stability.
N
-. ...
~
I ' I A I ~ )
--
Fig. 234 Center
console with ESP
switch
ESP is des igned to help you maintain vehicle control in s ituations
where the car approaches the limits of "grip", especia lly when accel
erat ing and cornering. ESP reduces the risk of skidd ing and imp roves
stability under all road conditions.
Th e system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system. If the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) malfunc
tions, the ESP will also shut down.
How the system works
The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
and the Anti-Slip Regulation System (ASR) are integrated in the elec
tronic stabilizatio n pro gram. In addition to the data provided by
these funct ions, the ESP control unit requires additional measure
ment data provided by high performance sensors. The rotational
speed of the vehicle about its vertical axis, the lateral acceleration ...
_________________________________________ I_ n_ t_ e_ ll_,igent technology ,__E~-
acting on the vehicle, the brake pressure and the steering angle are
all meas ured.
The direction in which the driver wishes to travel is determined with
the aid of the steering angle and vehicle speed and is continually
compared with the actual behavior of the vehicle. If the two do not
match, for example , when the vehicle starts hydroplaning on a wet
road, ESP will automatically brake the appropriate wheel to correct
the problem.
The vehicle is then stabi lized by the forces acting on the whee l during
braking. If the vehicle is
oversteering (rear tends to skid out of the
turn), the brakes are main ly applied on the wheel that is on the
outs ide of the curve. In the case of a vehicle that is
understeering
(tendency to slide out of the curve), the brakes are applied at the rear
wheel that is on the inside of the curve. An acoustic signal ind icates
when ESP brake application cuts in =>
&.
Th e system operates across the entire speed range in combination
with the ABS system=>
page 256. If the Anti-Lock Brake System
(ABS) malfunctions, the ESP will be out of action as we ll.
Activation
When you turn on the engine, ESP will automatically be activated and
will perform a self-test .
The system can be activated or deactivated by pressing the button
=>
page 252, fig. 234 . The warning light comes on when the system
is switched off=>
page 16.
Normally, the ESP should always be on, however, it may be advanta
geous to turn off the sys tem in certain special cases when some
degree of whee l spin is desired such as:
• when driving with snow chains
• when driving in deep snow or on a loose surface (to allow the
wheels to dig in to reach firm ground)
• when trying to "roc k" the vehicle free when it has become stuck.
The system should be reactivated once you are no longer in such situ
ations.
Controls and equip ment Safety first Vehicle operation
Both the ABS and
EDS systems are still functioning even if the ESP is
switched off.
& WARNING
The Electroni c Stabilization Program is nevertheless subject to the
laws of physics. It is particularly important to pay attention to
this fact on wet and slippery roads. It is therefore important that
you always adapt your driving to the condition of the road and
traffic conditions. Do not allow the increased safety provided by
the Electronic Stabilization Program system to lull you into
accepting additional safety risks. •
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The electronic differential lock monitors the rotational
speed of the drive wheels.
General notes
The electronic differential lock (EDL) helps the car to start moving,
acce lerate and climb a gradient on surfaces providing poor or almost
no grip . Without EDL, this would be difficult, if not impossible .
How the system works
The EDL operates automatically. It monitors the rotational speed of
the drive wheels on an axle with the he lp of the ABS sensors
=>
page 256 . If a noticeable difference in rotational speed between
the drive wheels on one axle is detected (e .g . on slippery ground
on
one side),
the spinning wheel is braked, thereby transferring power to
the other drive whee l or wheels (all -wheel drive). This is done up to a
speed of about 60 mph (100 km/h) . Noises from the brake system
signal that wheel spin is being contro lled.
Driving off
When driving off, always be sure to keep road conditions in mind as
you accelerate. If one drive wheel spins because it is on a surface with
less grip , gradually increase the pressure on the accelerator peda l
Iii>
Vehicle care Do-it-yourself service Technical data