2012 AUDI Q7 check engine light

~ Contact your authorized Audi dea ler fo r as -
sistance if necessary.
If the engine coolant level is co rrect, then the
radiato r fan may be the cause of the malfunc­
tion.
If the . warning symbo l (alternator mal­
f u nction) a lso l ights up on the instr ument
panel ¢
page 31, then the fan belt may be
damaged .
A WARNING
- If your vehicle should break down for
mechanica l or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights¢
page 60, Emergency
flasher.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hear
steam o r coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartment - you risk being scald­
ed. Wait until you can no longe r see or
hear steam or coo lant escaping.
- The e ngine compartment of any ve hicle
is a da ngerous a rea. Before you perform
any wor k in the engine compar tment,
t ur n o f the eng ine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 248,
Engine compartment .
(D Note
Do not cont in ue d riving if the . symbol
illuminates. There is a malf unct ion in the
engine cooling system -you co uld damage
your eng ine.
9=:7-Engine oil pressure malfunction
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair. Driving
with a low-oil -pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
If the . symbo l appears in the disp lay and
b links, the oil press ure is too low . An addition ­
a l dr iver message can also be disp layed by
press ing the
I CH ECKi button:
Switch off engine! Oil p ressure too low
Dri ver information di spla y 33
Immediate act ions
~ Pull off the road.
~ Stop the vehicle.
~ T ur n off the engine .
~ Check the engine oil le vel with the dipstick
¢ page 263.
Dipstick readings check s too low
~ Top off oil to the proper level¢ page 264.
~ Make s ure that the oil pressure wa rning
symbo l. appears no longer in the display
before you start driving again.
Dipstick read ing checks OK
~ If the oil p ress ure warn ing symbol .
s t arts flashing aga in even though the en­
gine oil level checks OK on t he d ipstick,
do
not continue d riving and do not let the en­
gine run in idle .
Instead, contact your au­
thorized Audi dealer for assistance.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indic ator for a low engine oil lev­
el. Do not rely on it . Instead, check the
oil level in your engine at regular inter­
vals, preferably each time you refuel,
and always before going on a long trip .
- The yellow oil lev el warn ing indication
1111 requires oil refill or workshop s erv­
ice without delay . Do not wait until th e
red oil pre ssure warning . start s to
flash before you r espond to the low oil
level warning
Ill . By then , your engine
may already have suffered serious dam­
age.
i Steering malfunction
If there is a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock, the steering cannot be
unlocked .
If the I symbol i n the display blinks, there is
a malfunction in the electronic steering col­
u mn lock. An additional driver message can
a lso be displayed by pressing the
ICHECK I but-
ton:
~

34 Driver information display
Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
• Contact you r nearest authorized Audi dea le r
or qualified workshop.
• Do
not tow yo ur vehicle .
& WARNING
-
Your vehicle must not be towed in the
event of a malfunction in the electronic
steering column lock because it cannot be
steered due to the locked steering. If it is
towed w ith the steering locked, there is
the risk of an accident .
~ Ignition lock malfunction
A malfunction in the ignition lock must be re­
paired immediately.
If the . symbo l in the display blinks, there is
a ma lfunction in the electronic ignition lock.
An addit ional driver message ca n also be d is­
played by pressing the
! CHECK I button:
Ignition lock defective. Contact workshop !
• Do not turn the eng ine off.
• Drive immediately to an authorized Audi
dealer to have the ma lf u nction corrected.
If there is a ma lfunction in the e lectronic igni ­
tion lock, the ignition cannot be turned off.
Drive immediately to an authorized Audi dea l­
er to have the cause of the ma lfunction cor­
rected.
On vehicles with Convenience key*, the engine
should not be switched off using the
! STOP !
button beca use the engine ca nnot be sta rted
again after the ignition is switched off.
' Yellow symbols
A yellow symbol means WARNING.
Fig . 26 Display: low fuel level warning (priority 2)
Yellow symbo ls indicate a priority 2 malfunc­
t ion - Warning!
When a yellow war ning symbol appears,
one
warning tone sounds . A driver message ap­
pears as well to explain the malfunction in
more de tail. The driver warning goes out after
about 5 seconds, but it can be brought up
again at any time by pressing the
! CHECK I but­
ton .
Check the displayed function as soon as possi­
ble. If
more than one priority 2 ma lf u nction is
detected, all symbols will appear one after
the other for about 2 seconds .
Yellow symbols mean:
"
Convenience key"
Key not in vehicle
c> page 108
•
USA models: Defective
brake light
c>pa ge 23
[fl
Canada models: Defective
brake light
c> page 23
~:)
Defective light bulb
c>page 23
raa
light/rain sensor defective
c> page35
~
Windshield washer fluid Lev-
el low
c>page3 5 1 ...

II
Low fuel level
¢page 35
fi.fl1::jfl1-j Kefill Ad Blue*
¢page255
-Ad Blue,/'
•
•
•
••NI@
AdBlue ma lfunction*
¢poge255
Battery voltage
¢poge36
Worn brake pads
¢poge36
Dy namic headlight range
control defective
¢poge36
Check eng ine oil level
¢poge36
Engine oil sensor malfunc­
tion
¢poge36
Engine speed limitat ion*
¢poge36
Diesel particulate filter *
clogged
¢poge37
A dapt ive lig ht* defec tive
¢poge37
-Ignition lock malfunction
¢poge37
W indshield wiper defective
¢poge37
Tire pressure monitoring
sys tem
Loss of air pressure
¢poge293
T ire pressure monitoring
system
System not availab le
¢poge293
Dri ver information di spla y 35
Battery in remote control
key
¢poge39
A utomat ic transm iss ion
malfunction
¢ page 141
...?c, Key not in vehicle
Applies to vehicles: with Convenience key
!!I Key not in vehicle
This reminder appears along with the !!I sym ­
bol if the master key is removed from the
ve­
hicle with the engine runn ing. It is intended
to rem ind you (e .g. whe n cha ng ing dr ive rs)
not to cont inue the journey without the mas­
te r k ey.
If the master key is no longer in the ve hicle ,
you cannot swi tch off t he ig nit io n after stop­
ping the engine an d you also cannot start the
engine aga in. What is mo re, you cannot lo ck
t he ve hicl e from the o utsi de.
@. D Light/rain sensor defective
fll Automatic headlights/ automatic wipers
defective
If t he symbol illumina tes, the l ight se nsor has
f ailed. For safe ty rea sons the low beams are
tu rned on permanently with t he switc h in
AU­
TO. However , yo u can cont inue to tu rn the
li g hts on and off using the light switch . In the
case of a defect in the rain sensor, t he wind ­
shield wiper lever functions are still availab le.
Have the light/rain senso r ch ecked as soon as
poss ible by an author ized Audi dealer .
6 Windshield washer fluid level too low
~ Please refill washer fluid
If the symbol illuminates, add w indshie ld
washe r fl ui d to the washer system and also to
t h e headlight washer system
¢ page 2 73 .
Bl Fuel supply too low
II Please refuel

36 Driver in formation d isplay
When this symbo l (I illuminates for the f irst
time, the fuel reserve in your vehicle is sti ll
between 2 .6 and 3 .2 gallons (10- 12 liters) .
Refue l as soon as possib le
¢ page 252.
If the symbol lights up, even when there is
ample fuel in the tank, and the text
T a nk sys ­
tem malfunct ion! Cont act wor kshop
appears
in the display, there is a fault in the system.
Contact a qualified workshop to have the fau lt
rectified.
t::l Battery voltage
If the battery's state of charge is not in the
optimal range, the
f• ) symbol is shown in the
d isplay and the dr iver message
Low battery
c harge : battery will be charg ed while driving
appears.
Wh ile this dr iver not ificat io n is displayed, you
have to be p repared for lim ited start ing capa­
b ili ty.
Driv er m essage appears and goes out
again
I f t his driver message appears after the igni ­
tion is turned o n or wh ile driving and it goes
out again after a while, the battery has been
adequately recharged .
Driver message app ears and does not go
out again
If th is driver notification appears after the ig ­
nition is turned on or while driving and does
not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the opt imal range. Starting capability
is restricted. Have the battery checked by an
author ized Audi dealer as soon as poss ible .
{0 : Worn brake pads
El Brake pads !
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed . On USA models the wa rning light
El
l ) - : USA mod els only
comes on together with the warning light
- · Both sets of bra ke pads on an ax le
must a lways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
=
Driving w it h bad brakes can cause a colli-
sion and ser ious personal in jury.
- If the warn ing light
El and the warning
light
11111> with the message Brake
pads!
comes o n in the inst rument cluster
d isp lay, immediately contact your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified wo rk­
shop to have all b rake pads checked or
re placed if ne cessa ry.
~(i) Headlight range control
II He adlight range control defective !
-
If the symbol illuminates, the dynamic head­
li ght rang e control is no longer work ing prop­
erly. Have the system checked and repa ired at
yo ur aut horized Aud i dea le r.
~ -Engine oil level
l!I Plea se check oil level
When the symbol illuminates, check the en­
gine o il leve l as soon as possible
¢ page 263.
T op off t he oil at your ear liest opportu nity
¢ page 264 .
't::r.~ Engine oil sensor defective
II Oil level ! Sensor defective
If the symbol illum ina tes, contact yo ur au ­
thorized Aud i dea le r and have the oil sensor
inspected. Unti l yo u have this done, check t he
oi l level each time you refue l just to be on the
safe s ide
¢ page 263.
!?) Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: wit h engine speed limitatio n
II! Do not e xceed ma x. engine speed of X XXX
rpm .,,.

The IPJ symbol illuminates when there is an
engine control malfunction. The indicator
light ~ in the instrument cluster also illum i­
nates. The engine speed is limited to the
speed d isplayed in the driver information sys­
tem. Keep in mind that the eng ine speed will
not exceed the value displayed in the drive r in­
formation system, for example when down­
shifting.
Please go to an authorized Aud i dealer or oth­
e r qualified workshop to have the malfunction
repaired.
~ Diesel particulate filter clogged
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine and diesel part icu­
late filter
1,1 Particulate filter See owner's manual
When the. symbo l illuminates, you can al­
ter your driving style to assist the filter self­
cleaning process. Drive for approx imately
15
minutes with the selector lever in the S pos i­
tion at a min imum speed of 37 mph (60 km/
h) and an engine speed of approx imately
2,000 RPM. The temperature increase that
w ill result from this can burn
off the soot in
the filter. The symbol wi ll switch
off when the
cleaning is successf ul. After a successful
cleaning, there is no need to bring the car to
an author ized dealer or qualified workshop
because this is part of normal vehicle opera­
tion .
If the symbo l
II does not switch off, see
your authorized dealer or other qualified
workshop to have the prob lem corrected.
F or more information on the diesel particu­
late filter, refer to¢
page 229.
A WARNING
Always adapt yo ur speed to the current
weather, road and traffic condit ions. You
should never disobey traffic laws in order
to follow driv ing recommendations.
-
Driver information display 37
~O Adapt ive light defective
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive light
ml adaptive light defective
When this symbol ml ill uminates, it means
that adaptive light is defective. Go to an au­
thorized deale rship to have the headlights or
the control unit for the adaptive light re­
paired.
~ Ignition lock malfunction
If the!! symbol in the display comes on,
there is a ma lfunction in the e lectronic igni­
tion lock. An additional driver message can be
displayed by pressing the
I CHECK! button:
Ignition lock defective
11> Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop at your earl iest convenience
t o have the malfunction corrected .
~ Windshield wipers faulty
fl Windshield wiper defective
When this symbo1 (.j illuminates, it means
that the electronics for the windsh ield wipers
are defective. Please go to an authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop to have the
winds hield wiper system repaired.

Clear vision Lights
Switching the headlights on and off
In the "AUTO" position, a light sensor auto·
matically switch es t he head· and taillights on
and off in r espons e to light conditions .
Fig. 53 Instrument pane l: lig ht sw itch
The ligh t sw itch m ust not be overturned pas t
the stops in
eit her direct ion .
Sw itching on automatic headlight control
,.. Turn the light switch to AUTO ¢ fig . 53 .
Swi tching on the side m ark e r lights
,.. Turn the light switch to :;oo:;.
Sw itching on the headlights and high
be am
,.. Turn the light switch to io .
,.. Push the high beam lever forward towards
the instrument panel
9 page 60 .
Switching off the light s
,.. Turn the light switch to 0.
The headlights only wo rk when the ignition is
sw itched on. While s tart ing the engine or
when switching
off the ignition, the head ·
lights will go
off and on ly the s ide marker
lights will be on .
Afte r star ting t he engine, the headlights are
automatically adjusted* to the load and angle
of the vehicle (for example, during accelera ·
tion, braking). This prevents oncoming traffic
from experiencing unnecessary headlight glare from your headlights.
Clear vi sion 5 7
If the system is not ope rat ing properly, a
warning symbol in the Auto-Check Control is displayed ¢
page 36.
With the side ma rker ligh ts or he ad ligh ts
switched on, the symbol next to the light
switch i lluminates
:oo :.
Daytime running lights
- USA model s:
The daytime runn ing lights
w il l come on automatically whe n the igni­
tion is t urne d on and the l ight sw itch
¢
fig. 53 is in the O position or the AUTO po ­
sition (only in daylight conditions). The
Day­
time running lights
function can be turned
on and
off in the MMI menu E xter ior l ight ·
ing
¢ page 58.
- Canada models: The dayt ime running lights
w ill come on automatically when the igni·
tion is turned on and the light switch
¢
fig. 53 is in the O position o r the AUTO po ·
sition (only in daylight condit ions) ¢ .&. .
Automatic headlight control
In the switch position AUTO the automatic
headlight control
i s turned on. The low
beams and tail lights are turned on automati·
ca lly through a light sensor as soon as amb i­
ent b rightness (e.g . when driving into a t un­
nel) fa lls below a value p reset a t the factory.
When ambien t brightn ess increases ag ain ,
the low beams are turned
off ag ain automati­
ca lly ¢ .&. .
In the
AUTO posi tion the low beams a re
swi tched
off au tom ati cally when the igni tion
is tur ned
off.
Light Sensor Malfunction
In the event of a light sensor malfunction, the
dr ive r is notified in the instrument cluster dis­
play:
f'gl Automatic head lights / automatic wip ers
defective
For safety reasons the low beams are turned
o n permanently with the switch in
AUTO .
However, you can conti nue to turn the lights
o n and
off using the light switch . Hav e the II>

224 Intellig ent technol ogy
8_ WARNING
Although the ABS is very effective, always
remember that bra king capability is limit­
ed by t ire traction . Always adjust your dr iv­
ing spee d according to the road and t raffic
co nditions. Do no t let t he extra sa fety af­
forded by the ABS tempt you into ta king
extra risks. The ABS cannot overcome the
laws of physics.
@ Tips
- If ABS is not functioning prope rly, a
warning light will come on. See
¢page 18 .
-If a fault occurs in the ABS, the EDL is al­
so not functioning. This is indicated by
the ABS warning light .
Brake assistant
The brake assistant is designed to achieve the
optimum braking effect .
The brake assistant helps to increase the ef­
fective b rak ing power and thus to achieve a
shorter stopp ing distance. If the driver
presses the brake pedal very quickly, the brake
assistant automatica lly boosts the braking
force to the maximum level, up to the point where the anti-lock brake function (ABS) inter­
venes to stop the wheels from locking. You
should then keep the brake pedal pressed un­
til the veh icle has braked to the required
speed . The brake assistant sw itches itself off
as soo n as you re lease the brake pedal.
Automatic full braking a ssist
This funct ion allows full brak ing in spite of
h igh brake pedal forces (e .g . when the brakes
a re severely stressed because the vehicle is
fully loaded) . The driver notices th is function
throug h a reduction of pedal force and in­
creased pedal trave l. When the brake peda l is
r e leased, fu ll braking assis t switc hes off again
automatically.
I f the re is an ABS fa il ur e, the brake ass ista nt
and automatic full b rak ing ass ist are not avai l­
ab le . The brake assistant wi
ll not be operative if
there is a ma lfunction in the ABS .
8_ WARNING
-Please remember that the accident risk a l-
ways increases if you drive too fast, espe­
cially in corners or on a slippery road, or if
you follow the veh icle ahead of you too
closely. Increased r isk of an accident can­
not be compensated for even by the brake
assistant, so always maintain a safe speed.
Servotronic ® -
advanced power
steering system
The power steering systems uses the power of
the running engine to allow precise steering
with little effort.
The advanced Servotronic ® power steering
system senses the road speed and electron i­
cally adjusts power assistance to provide com­
fortab le and safe steering response exact ly
matched to the vehicle speed .
Power steer ing will not work if the engine is
off . As a result, the steering wheel will be hard
to turn .
The power steering fluid level is checked dur­
ing the scheduled maintenance services .
d) Note
If there is an electronic malfunction, ser­
votronic
will still function like a conven­
tiona l powe r steering system, providing a
constant steering support force that is no
l onger proportionate to the vehicle speed .
This is most not iceable when turning the
stee ring wheel at low speeds (fo r example
when pa rking), - more effort w ill be re­
q uired than us ua l.
- Be aware o f the different than usual
steering response and adjust your steer ­
ing force accordingly.
- Have the problem checked and set r ight
by an Audi dealer as soon as possible .

With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated when
the vehicle is being driven, the battery can be­
come discharged. This happens most ly when
litt le energy is being generated and a great
deal consumed and the battery's state of
charge is not optimal.
To bring the energy balance back into equili­
brium, consumers which require especia lly
large amounts of energy are temporarily cut
back or switched off. Heating systems in par­
ticular requ ire a great deal of energy. If you
notice, for example, that the heated seats* or
the heated rear window are not heating, they h ave been temporar ily cut back or switched
off. These systems will be available again as
soon as the energy ba lance has been restored.
You will also notice that engine idle speed has
been increased slightly. This is normal and not
a cause for concern . By increasing engine idle
speed the additional energy required is gener­
ated and the battery is charged .
Driver notification in the instrument
cluster display
If battery power drops into the range where it
can limit the ab ility of the engine to start, th is
is shown in the instrument cluster display
with the following driver message:
(•i Low battery charge: battery will be
charged while driving
This notification reminds you that the starting
capability of the engine may be limited. As
soon as you start driving again, the battery
will be recharged and the notification will go
out.
Driver notification appears and goes out
again
If th is driver notification appears after the ig­
nition is turned on or while driving and it goes
out again after a wh ile, the battery has been
adequately recharged.
Intelligent technology 22 7
Driver notification appears and does not
go out again
If this driver notification appears after the ig­
nition is turned on or whi le driving and does
not go out again, the battery's state of charge
is not in the optimal range. Starting ab ility is
restricted . Have the battery checked as soon
as possible by an authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop.
•
•