2011 AUDI A3 warning lights

Airbag system !.!r
This warning/indicator light monitors the airbag and the
tensioner systems.
The !! r warning light i llum inates for a few seconds each time you
switch on the ign ition.
If the
! !r warning light does not go out, or if it illum inates while you
are d riving, or i f it s tarts to flash, t hen there is a m alfu nct io n some­
where in the system . If the light does not illum inate when you switch
on t he ignition, this also means there is a malfunction.
& WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the airbag sy stem, contact your
authorized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the airbag or the
belt tensioner ma y not work properly in an accident. •
Generator 0
This warning/indicator light detects a malfunction in the
generator or in the vehicle 's electrical syst em .
Th e D war ning/in dica tor lig ht ill uminates when you swit ch on t he
ign ition and must go out a fter the engine has started.
If the D war ning/ind ic at or ligh t illumina tes whi le you are d riving,
you shou ld contact you r auth o rized Audi dealer . Since the ve hicle
battery is discharging, you shou ld switch off any unnecessary elec­
t rical consume rs (fo r example , the air condi tioner) .•
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
Safety belts ,ft-
This warn ing/indic ato r light remind s you t o put on yo ur
safety belt.
The 4'-wa rning/ind icator light illuminates when the ignition is
s w itched on to re mi nd the driver and (o n USA models only) any fro nt
passenger to put on the sa fety belt. Additionally, an acoustic warn ing
(gong) will a lso s oun d.
For more Information=>
page 135, "Safety belt wa rning light .t" . •
Brake system
BRAKE (USA)/ (CD) (Canada)
T his warn in g/in dic ato r ligh t ill umin ates whe n t he br ake
flui d level is t oo lo w o r w he n t here is a ma lfunction in the
AB S, or whe n the pa rking b rake is s et.
T he light illuminates w hen the ign it io n is tu rned on . It goes out after
t he engine has bee n sta rted and th e p arki ng bra ke is f ully re le ase d.
T hi s indicates that t he bra ke warning light is functioning properly.
If the brake warning light does not light up when the engine is
cranking or the parking brake is appl ied , there may be a malfunc­
tion in the electrical system. In this case , contact your Audi dealer .
If the ABS f ails, the A BS war ning/ indicato r light 5 (USA
models)/ (Canada mode ls) flashes toget her w it h the brake system
w ar ning/indica tor ligh t=> & .
(USA models): If the warning light
BRAKE and the warni ng lig ht illu­
m inate together, immediate ly contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads inspected=>
page 35.
Whe n the light comes on, an aud ible warn ing si gna l is also given .
Parking brake set
The BRAKE warning/indicator light i lluminates when the par king brake
is set=> &. _,.
Vehicle care Technical data

Instruments and warning/indicator lights
in. WARNING
• USA models: : If both, the BRAKE warning light and the
warning light come on at the same time, the rear wheels c ould
lo ck up fir st under hard braking . Lo ck-up of the rear wheel brakes
c a n cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle
repaired immedi ate ly by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop . Drive slowly and avoid sudden , hard brake appli cation .
• Canada models : If both, the brake warning light ((j)) and the
ABS warning light
~ come on at the same time , the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard braking . Lock-up of the rear whee l
brakes can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident. Have your
vehicle repaired immediat ely by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified work shop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application
• If the brake warn ing/indicator light does not go out after a few
se cond s and the parking brake rel eased, or light s up while you are
driving , the fluid level in the brake fluid reservoir is too low. If you
believe that it i s safe to do so, proceed immediately at low speed
to the nearest authorized Audi dealer or qualified workshop and
have the brake system in spe cted.
• Please be very careful and always keep
in mind that after
s everal brake application s, you will need greater pressure on the
brake pedal to stop your vehicle. Consequently, you must allow
for increased braking distances. Trying to brake a s quickly a s usual
could lead to an accident. •
Anti-lock brake system B-(USA)/
(Canada)
T his war ning/indicator light monitors th e ABS and the
electronic differential lock (E DL).
The ,... ~ light will come on for a few seconds when the ignition is
switched o n. Th e light w ill go out af ter an automat ic check sequ ence
is comp lete d.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
• Th e warning/indicator light does not ill uminate when you swit ch
on t he ignit ion.
• Th e warning/indicator light does not go out after a few seconds.
• The warn ing/ indicator lig ht ill uminates while driv ing.
The brake system will still re spond even without the a ssistance of
the ABS system. See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as
possible to restore full braking performance.
For more information
regard ing the ABS=>
page 192.
The ABS warning light and the brake warning light come on
together. The ABS will not work and you will notice a change in
braking response and performance.
Malfunction in the brake system
USA models: If both, the BRAKE warning light and t he ABS warning
light come on =>
page 15 w hen the par king b rake is re lease d, there
may be a malfunction in the ABS, and there may a lso be a ma lfunction
in the b rake system itself=>&.
Canada models: If both , the brake warning light CCI» and the ABS
wa rni ng light come on=>
page 15 when the parking brake is
re leas ed, there may be a ma lf u nctio n in t he A BS, and there may also
be a malfunction in t he brake system itself=>& .
Malfunction in the electronic differential lock (EDL)
The two systems EDL and ABS work togethe r. T he I ,:- warning light
w ill come on if there is a malfunction in the EDL system=>
page 189.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as possib le .
in. WARNING
• If the 11\fl warning light doe s not go out , or if it come s on while
driving , the ABS system is not working properly . The vehicle can
then be stopped only with the brake s operating without ABS
support. You will not have the protection ABS provides. Contact
your Audi dealer as soon as possible. _,,

& WARNING (continued)
• USA model s: If both , the BRAKE warning light and the C
warning light come on at the sam e time, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard brak ing. Lo ck-up of the rear wheel brakes
can cause los s of vehicle control and an accident. Have your vehicle
repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified
workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake appli cation .
• Canada models : If both, the brake warning light and the
ABS warning light
J come on at the same time, the rear wheels
could lock up first under hard b raking. Loc k-up of the rear wheel
brake s can cause loss of vehicle control and an accident . Have your
veh icle repaired immediately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard brake
application •
Electro-mechanical power assist /@
If the ind icator light illuminates while you are d riving, there is a
m alfu nction in the ele ctro-mech anical steering . If the ind ic a tor ligh t
is showing , there may be a reduction in power steer ing ass ist . If
t he indi cato r light is sh owing @, there may be a tot al loss o f power
steeri ng assist . The stee ring must be inspected immediately by a
qualif ie d workshop =>
&-With the engi ne not running (e.g. when the
car is be ing towed), t he re is also no power ass ist available.
& WARNING
If there is a malfunction , the indicator light for the electro­
mechanical power a ssist illuminate s. Seek professional
assistance. •
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Instruments and warning
/indicator lights
Vehicle care Technical data

Engine oil sensor malfunction =>page35
._ -
Engine speed limitation =>page34
Diesel particulate filter =>page34
Worn brake pads =>page35
USA models : =>page35 Speed warning 1
Canada models: =>page35 Speed warning 1
USA models : =>page35 Speed warning 2
Canada models: =>page35 Speed warning 2
!! Dynamic headlight range control*
defective
=> page35
Con tro ls a nd e quip ­
m en t
Windshield washer fluid level low => page35
Battery voltage too high or too low => page 35
Defective light bulb =>page36
USA models : =>page36
Defective brake light
Canada models : =:>page36
Defective brake light
Light/rain sensor defective (auto-
=> page 36
matic headlights)* defective
Tire pressure monitor ing system*
=> page 36
Vehicle OP-eration
Driver information display
When a yellow symbol appears, a warning tone will sound once.
Check the displayed function as soon as possible . If more than one
malfunction is detected, all symbols will appear one after the other
for about two seconds .•
Driver information
In addition to the warning/indicator lights and the
symbols in the instrument cluster display, driver informa ­
tion is displayed .
-~ a:.. CD m
Fig. 24 Section of
instrument cluster:
Set/Check button
Driver information appears in the display when a defective light bulb
is reported by the defective light bulb warning=>
page 36, when the
brake pads are worn and before you engage a gear on vehicles w ith S
tronic .
In addition, driver information may appear when a red symbol flashes
in the driver disp lay.
To display Drive r information
As an example, the~ symbol appears in the display . If you now
press the button => fig. 24, the following driver message appears in
the disp lay:
Switch off engine and check oil level
The driver message in the display goes out afte r about 5 seconds. You
can display the driver message again by br iefly pressing the button .•
Vehicle care Do-it-yourselt service iTechnical data

If the generator warning/indicator light shou ld also illuminate
=> page 15, t hen t he fan belt m ay be damaged .
& WARNING
• If your vehicle should break down for mechanical or other
reasons , pa rk at a safe distance from mo ving traffic, turn off the
engine and turn on the hazard warning lights=>
page 59, "Emer­
gency flasher
A. ".
• Never open the hood if you see or hear steam or coolant
escaping from the engine compartment -you risk being scalded.
Wait until you can no longer see or hear steam or coolant
escaping .
• The engin e compartment of any vehicle i s a dangerou s ar ea .
Before you p erform any work in the engine compartment , turn off
the engine and allow it to cool. Follow the warning sti ckers
=> page 218 , "Engine compartment ".
0 Note
Do not continue driving if the -¥- symbol illuminates . There is a
ma lf u nction in the engine coo ling sys tem -yo u could damage your
eng ine. •
Engine oil pressure malfunction ~
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol requires
immediate se rv ice o r repair.
If the 9=r. symbo l app ears in the d is pl ay a nd flash es, th e oil
p ressure is to o lo w . In add ition to the sym bol, the f ollow ing
messag e al so a pp ea rs in the dis play :
Switch off engine and check oil level
- P ull off the road a nd stop t he ve hicle.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Driver information display
-
Shut the eng ine down .
- Check t he eng ine oi l level=>
page 231 .
-Contact your authorized Aud i dea le r for assis tance i f
necessary .
Engine o il level too low
If the eng ine oi l leve l is too low , top off oil to t he p roper level
=>page 232.
Engine oil level OK
If the 't'!::;r. symbol starts flashing again even thoug h the engine oil
level checks O K on t he d ipstick,
do not start driving again and do not
let the engine run at idle .
Instead, contact you r authorized Audi
dealer fo r assis tance.
[ i ] Tips
• The engine oil pressure symbol 'I=:?: is not an indic ato r for a low
engine oil level. Do not rely on it . Instead , check the oil level in your
engine at regular intervals , preferably each t ime you refuel, and
always before going on a long tr ip .
• The yellow oil level warning indication requires oil refill or
workshop service without de lay . Do not wait until the red oil pre s­
s ure warning symbol~ starts to flash before you respond to the
low oil level warning _, . By then, your engine may already have
s uffered serious damage. •
Applies to vehicles: with manual trans miss ion
-;y Clutch pedal
T he indica tor lig ht illuminates if you do no t press t he cl utch pedal
when starting the engine . For safety reasons, the engine will only
sta rt when the clut ch pedal is pressed. •
Vehicle care Technical data

Driver information display
Fuel supply too low I
When the symbol illuminates, this means there are about 2.6
gallons (10 liters) of fuel left in the fuel tank. Time to refuel!
=;, page 221.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is ample fue l in the tank, and
the text
Tank system malfunction! Please contact workshop appears
in the display, there is a fault in the system. Contact a qualified work­
shop to have the fault rectified .•
App lies to veh icles: w ith eng ine speed limitat ion
Engine speed limitation ~
Engine speed maximum XXXX RPM
The symbol illuminates when there is an engine control malfunc­
tion. The indicator light
C in the instrument cluster also illuminates.
Th e eng ine speed is limited to the speed displayed in the driver infor­
mation system. Keep in mind that the engine speed will not exceed
the value disp layed in the driver information system, for example
when downshifting .
Please go to an authorized Audi dealer or other qualified workshop to
have the malfunction repai red. •
App lies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine and diesel particulate filter
Diesel particulate filter clogged
Particulate filter ! See owner's manual
If the indicato r light in the instrum ent cluster comes on, the
diesel particulate filter has become blocked with soot as the result of
constant short -distance driving. When the symbol illuminates,
you can alter your driving style to assist the filter self-cleaning
process. Drive for approximately 15 minutes in 4th or 5th gear (auto­
matic transm ission w ith the selector lever in the 5 posit ion) at a min
imum speed of 37 mph (60 km/h) and an engine speed of approx­
imate ly 2,000 RPM. The temperature increase that will result from
this can burn off the soot in the f ilter. The symbol will switch off when
the cleaning is successful. After a successfu l cleaning, there is no
need to bring the car to an authorized dealer or qualified workshop
because this is part of normal vehicle operation.
If the symbol does not switch off, see your authorized dealer or
other qualified workshop to have the problem corrected.
As long as the indicator light remains on (diese l particulate filter
plugged), you can expect increased fuel consumption and poss ibly
also a loss of engine performance.
For more information on the diesel particulate filter, refer to
=;, page 199.
& WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current weather, road and traffic
conditions . You should never disobey traffic laws in order to
follow driving recommendations. •
Checking the engine oil level ~-
'LF. Please add max. 1 qt of engine oil!
If the ..:,; symbo l comes on, add 1 quart (1 liter) of oil at the next
opportun ity=-;,
page 232. •
Checking the engine oil level~
When the _ symbol illuminates, check the engine oil level as soon as
possible ~
page 231. Top off the oil at your earliest opportunity
=;, page 232. •

Driver information display
Defective light bulb warning
The defective light bulb warning tells you when a vehicle
light bul b has become defective .
If a defective bu lb has been detected by the system or a light bulb
burns ou t, the symbo l w ith a message appea rs in the display to te ll
you which bulb is burnt out and where it is located. For example:
Rear left turn signal
After 5 seconds, the message d isappears . If you want to recall the
message into t he disp lay, press the CHECK button ::::,
page 8, fig. 2
® ·
There are three reasons w hy the defective bulb message would
appea r in the d ispl ay :
• The light bulb has burnt out::::,
page 285 .
• Th e fuse is "b lown" ::::, page 281, "R ep laci ng fuses".
• The wire connect io n to the light bulb is defective.
Have the bu lb rep lace d or the connec tion repa ired by your au thor ize d
Audi Service department.
& WARNING
• Light bulbs are pressurized and could e xplode while they are
being changed cau sing seriou s personal injur y.
• Work with due care when handling the high-voltage section of
ga s di scharge (xenon ) lamp s. Failing to do so could re sult in death
or se rious injury !•
Brake light defective B • urn (USA
models)/ (Canada models)
In case of a malfunct ion or component fai lure, the symbol
(USA models)/ (Ca nada models) can appea r. The following elec· trical components should be checked
, repaired or rep laced, as neces­
sary:
• Brake ligh t bul bs
• All wiri ng connec tions
• Brake light switch
C on tact your au thorized A udi deale r for assistance if necessary .
(I) Tips
The brake light switch is on ly inspected as part of the functional check
after the engine is sta rted .•
A pplies to veh icles: w ith au toma tic head ligh ts
Light/rain sensor defective
The indicator light indicates a defec t in the automatic
headlights/automatic wi per system.
If the symbo l ill umina tes, the ligh t se nso r has failed. Fo r safety
reasons, the low beams are turned on permanen tly with the sw itch in
AUTO . However, you can continue to t urn the lights on and off using
the light sw itch . In the case of a defec t in the ra in se nsor, the wi nd­
shield wiper lever functions are still avai lab le . Have the light/rain
s ensor che cked as soon a s poss ible at an a uth oriz e d Au di dea le r.•
A pp lies t o veh icles : wit h tire p ressure mon itoring system
Tire pressure monitoring system )
Tire press ure that is too lo w m ust be correc ted as soon a s
possible.
If the symbo l flashes for about one min ute after the igni ­
tion is sw itc hed on and then re m ain s on, t here is a malfu nc­
tion i n the syste m. Co nsu lt the neares t au thori zed Aud i
d ealer a s so on as possib le.
~

All the doors and the rear lid are locked by the central locking system
when you lock the vehicle.
The unlock ing and locking mode* can be changed in the driver infor­
mation system~
page 22.
Unlocking the vehicle
You can unlock the vehicle from outside either by using the remote
control
or by inserting and turning the key in the driver's door lock .
When you
unlock your vehicle:
• Th e anti-theft alarm system is deactivated briefly.
• The vehicle interior lights illuminate for approximately 30
seconds .
• All turn signa l lights will flash twice when the car is unlocked .
• After unlocking the vehicle, you have 30 seconds to open a door or
the rear lid. Afte r 30 seconds, the vehicle automatica lly locks and the
anti-theft alarm system activates again.
The rear lid can be locked or unlocked either by using the remote
control or by inserting and turning the key in the dr iver's door lock.
Unlocking the vehicle with the remote control~ will only
unlock the
rear lid, to
open it, the lid handle needs to be pressed.
Locking the vehicle
You can lock the vehicle from outside either by using the remote
control
or by inserting and turning the key in the drivers's door lock.
When you
lock the vehicle:
• All doors and the rear lid are locked.
• All turn signal lights will flash once when the car is locked.
• Th e anti-theft alarm system is activated. The horn of the anti­
theft alarm system will sound and the anti-theft alarm system readi­
ness light, located in the center of the instrument panel below the
windshield on the right side of the air vent, will start to blink.
• Th e vehicle interior lights turn off.
Controls and equip ­
ment Safety first
Opening and closing
Automat
ic locking*
The automatic locking feature locks all the vehicle doors and the rear
lid when you drive faster than 9 mph (15 km/h).
You can unlock the vehicle from the inside by:
• removing the key from the ignition switch (the vehicle wi ll auto­
matically unlock itself) or
• pressing the unlock part of the power lock switch
ll::D or
• pulling the inside handle for that door (once - the front door is
unlocked and opened at the same time, twice to open the rear door).
If you wish, you can have an authorized Audi dealer convert your
power door lock system to automatic locking.
& WARNING
• When you lock your vehicle from outside, nobody· especially
children - should remain inside the vehicle. Remember, when you
lock the vehicle from the outside the windows cannot be opened
from the inside .
• When you leave the vehicle, always remove the ignition key
and take it with you. This will prevent passengers (children, for
example) from accidentally being locked in the vehicle should
they accidentally press the power locking switch on the center
console.
• Do not leave children inside the vehicle unsupervised. In an
emergency it would be impossible to open the doors from the
outside without the key.
[ i ] Tips
• In the event of a crash with airbag deployment all locked doors
will be automatically unlocked to give access to the vehicle occupants
from the outside .
• If the power locking system sho uld fail, you can still open the fuel
tank flap in an emergency~
page 224 . .,_
Vehicle care Technical data