2012 AUDI Q7 warning light

Other equipment
Applies to vehicles: with efficiency program
Fig. 20 D isplay : ot her equipment
• In the efficiency program, press the func­
tion selection switch¢
page 25, fig. 18@
repeatedly until the other equipment ap­
pears in the display .
Other equipment that is currently affecting
fuel consumption is lis ted in the efficiency
program . The display shows up to three other
items of equipment @. The equipment using
the most fuel is l isted first. If more than three
items using fue l are switched on, the equ ip­
ment that is currently using the mos t fu el is
d isp layed .
A scale @also shows the current total con­
sumpt io n of all other equ ipment .
Fuel economy messages
Applies to vehicles: with efficiency program
Fig. 2 1 Display: fuel eco nomy messa ge
-.:,
~
Fuel economy messages are disp layed when
fuel consumption is inc reased by certain con­
d itions . If you follow these fuel economy mes­
sages, you can reduce your vehicle's consump­
tion of fuel. The messages appear automati ­
cally and are o nly displayed in the eff ic iency
Dri ver inform ation di spl ay 2 7
program . The fue l economy messages t urn off
automatica lly after a certain period of time.
• To tu rn a fuel economy message off imme­
diately after it appears, press the
I RESE T!
button ¢ page 25 , fig. 18@, or
• Press the f unction selection switch
r::!) page 2 5, fig . 18 @ .
{I) Tips
-Once yo u have turned a fuel economy
message off, it will o nly appear again af­
ter yo u turn the ign ition on again.
- Th e fuel economy messages are not dis­
played in every instance, but rather in in ­
tervals
over a period of time.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) ¢• in
the instrument cluster¢
page 14, fig. 8 is
part of the On-Board Diagnos tic (OBD II) sys­
tem .
The warning/indicator light ill um inates when
the ignition is switched on and goes out after
the engine star ts and the id le has stabilized.
This indicates that the M IL is working prope r­
ly .
If the light does not go out after the engine
is started , or illuminates while you are dr iv­
ing, a malfunction may exist in the engine sys ­
tem . If the light illuminates, the catalytic con­
verter could b e damaged .
Con tinue driving
with reduced powe r (avoid­
ing s ustained high speeds and/or rapid accel ­
erations) and have the cond ition co rrected .
Contact your a uthorized Aud i dea ler.
If the light illum inates, the electronic speed
limiter may also be malfunctioning . For more
information ¢
page 28, Electronic speed
limiter.
An improperl y closed fuel filler cap may also
cau se the MIL light to illum inat e (onl y vehi­
cle s with g asoline engine )
¢ page 253.

28 Driver information d isplay
On-Board Diagnostics
Fig. 22 Locat ion of Data Link Connector (DLC)
On-Board Diagnostics monitors the compo­
nents of your emission control system. Each
monitored component in your engine system
has been assigned a code . In case of a mal­
function, the component will be ident ified
and the fault stored as a code in the control
module memory .
The MIL light may also illuminate if there is a
leak in the on-board fue l vapor recovery sys­
tem.
If the light illuminates after a refuelling ,
stop the veh icle and make sure the fuel filler
cap is proper ly closed (on ly vehicles with gaso­
line engine)
¢page 253.
In o rder to make an accurate d iagnosis, the
stored data can only be displayed using spe­
cial diagnostic equipment (generic scan tool
for OBD).
I n o rder to connect the special diagnostic
equipment, push the plug into the Data Link
Connector (DLC) . The DLC is located to the
right of the hood release¢
fig . 22.
Your author ized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop can interpret the code and perform the
necessary repair.
A WARNING
Do not use the diagnostic connector for
personal use. Incorrect usage can cause
ma lfunctions, which can increase the risk
of a collis ion!
Electronic speed
limiter
Your vehicle may be factory equipped w ith
t ir es that are rated for a maximum speed of
130 mph (210 km/h) . This is less than the
maximum speed of your vehicle . To reduce the
risk of sudden tire fa ilure a nd loss of contro l if
the vehicle is operated at excessive speeds,
your vehicle also has an elec tronic speed limit­
er . The e lectronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from going faster than the tire speed
rating . For more information ¢
page 285.
If the engine control unit receives faulty vehi­
cle roadspeed signals, the Malfunction Indica ­
tor Lamp (MIL)
II will ill uminate. If this oc­
curs, contact the nearest authorized Audi
dealer for assistance.
A WARNING
-
Always observe the posted speed limits
and adjust your speed to suit prevailing
road, traffic and weather cond itions . Never
drive your vehicle faster than the maxi­
mum speed rating of the tires installed.
-
Speed warning system
Overview
The speed warning system helps you to keep
your driving speed below a set speed limit.
T he speed warning system warns the driver if
he exceeds a previo usly stored maximum
speed . A warning tone wi ll so und as soon as
the vehicle speed exceeds the set speed by about 3 mph (3 km/h). At the same time, a
warning symbol appears in the display.
The speed warning system has
two warning
thresholds
that function independently of
each other and that have somewhat different
purposes:
Speed warning 1
You can use speed warning 1 to set the maxi­
mum speed while you are driving. This setting "'

For example, the symbol Ill appears in the
display, indicating low windshield washer flu­
id level. The follow ing message also appears:
Pl eas e refill w asher flu id
The driver message disappears after a few
seconds. The driver message can be displayed
again by briefly pressi ng the
!CHECK I button.
Red symbols
A red symbol means DANGER.
Fig. 25 Display: engine coolant level warning (pr ior ity
1)
• Pull off the road .
• Stop the veh icle.
• Turn off the engine .
• Check the ma lfunctioning system. Contact
your authorized Aud i dea ler or a qualified
workshop for assistance.
Red symbols indicate a priority 1 ma lf u nction
- Danger!
W ith a pr iority 1 malfunction, a large symbol
appears in the center area of the display
¢ fig. 25. When the symbol appears, three
warning tones sound in succession . T he sym­
bol co nti nues to bli nk until the ma lf u nct ion
has been repaired.
I f there are
more than one prio rity 1 ma lfunc­
tions, the symbols appear one after the other
for about 2 seconds.
An addit ional driver message can also be d is­
p layed by briefly pressing the
I CHECK ! button.
The red symbols mean:
Driver inform ation di spl ay 31
@ Tips
Alternato r malfunction
<:!> page 31
USA models: Brake system
malfunction
r:!>page32
Can ad a mod els : B rake sys­
tem malfunc tion
r:!> page32
Engine coolant level too
low/engine coolant temper­
ature too high
<:!>page 32
Engine oil pressure too low
<:!>page 33
Refill Ad Blue*
¢page255
AdBlue malfunction*
<=> page255
Faulty steering
r:!>page33
Fa ulty ignition switch
<=>page34
-If the wa rning/ind icator light 11111 (USA
mode ls)/ . (Canada mode ls) in the in­
strument cluste r flashes, there is a brake
system malfunction. By pressing the
! CHECK I but ton, you can bring up a driver
message which explains the malfunction
in more detail. Please note
r:!> page 32.
-Speed warnings threshold 1. (USA
mode ls)/ . (Canada models) and thresh ­
old 2. (USA
models) ta (Canada mod­
els) are also shown as red symbols. The
warning is always shown as a small sym­
bol in the upper area of the display
r:!> page 28 .
0 Alternator malfunction
If the . symbo l in the instrument pane l dis­
play flashes, then there is a malfu nction in the
alternator or the vehicle elect ron ics. A warn -
ing to the driver will appear, too. The driver ..,_

32 Driver information display
warning goes out after about 5 seconds, but it
can be brought up at any time by pressing the
I CHECK ! button again.
Usually , you can still drive to the next dealer­
ship. Turn off all but the most necessary elec­
trica l consumers, since these drain the vehi­
cle's battery.
(D Note
If the . warning symbol (coolant system
malfunction) also lights up on the instru­
ment panel during the trip
¢ page 32,
then you have to stop immediately and
turn off the engine. The coolant pump is
not working anymore -danger of damage
to the engine!
BRAKE/( ©) Brake system malfunction
A malfunction in the brake system must be
repaired as soon as possible .
If the warning/indicator light-(USA
models)/ . (Canada models) in the instru­
ment cluster flashes, there is a brake system
malfunction. By pressing the
I CHECK ! button,
you can bring up a driver message which ex­
plains the malfunction in more detail.
Stop vehicle and check brake fluid level
> Pull off the road .
> Stop the vehicle.
> Turn off the engine.
> Check the brake fluid level¢ page 268 .
> Contact your nearest authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop if necessary.
Warning! Fault in brake system. Contact
workshop
> Drive carefully to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop and have
the malfunction corrected ¢
&_.
If the ABS system malfunctions, the ABS
warning/indicator light illuminates together
with the brake system malfunction warning/ indicator light¢&. .
A WARNING
-Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 248, Engine compartment, be­
fore opening the hood and checking the brake fluid .
- Driving with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard . Stop the car and get professional
assistance .
-USA models: If the - warning light
and the
B warning light come on to­
gether, the rear wheels could lock up
first under hard braking. Rear wheel lock­
up can cause loss 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 ap­
plications.
- Canada models: If the brake warning
light . and the ABS warning light
II]
come on together, the rear wheels could
lock up first under hard braking . Rear
wheel lock-up can cause loss of vehicle
control and an accident . Have your vehi­
cle repaired immediately by your author­
ized Audi dealer or a qualified workshop .
Drive slowly and avoid sudden, hard
brake applications.
- L Engine cooling system malfunction
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
When the. symbol in the display blinks,
then either the engine coolant
temperature is
too high, or the coolant
level is too low. An
additional driver message can also be dis­
played by pressing the
I CHECK! button:
Switch off engine and check coolant level
> Pull off the road.
> Stop the vehicle .
> Turn off the engine.
> Check coolant level¢ page 266 .
> Add coolant if necessary¢ page 267.
> Continue driving only after the engine cool-
ant warning/indicator light goes out.
1J>

~ 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 ...

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.