
"creep"  forward  or  backward. When 
stopped,  keep  the  brake  pedal  fully  de
pressed  and  use  the  park ing  brake  if 
necessary  to  keep  the  veh icle  from  roll
ing. 
- If the  selector  lever  is unintentionally 
moved  into  N wh ile you  are  driving,  take 
your  foot  off  the  accele rator  pedal  and 
wait  for  the  engine  to  return  to  idle  speed  before  selecting  a d riving  position. 
- Never  shift  into  R or  P when  the  vehicle  is  in  motion. 
- Never  get  out  of the  driver's  seat  when 
the  engine  is  running. 
- If you  must  get  out  of the  vehicle,  move 
the  se lector  lever  securely  into  the  P po
sit ion  and  apply  the  par king  brake  firm ly. 
- If  the  engine  must  remain  running , never 
have  any  driv ing  position  engaged  when 
chec king  under  the  hood.  Make  sure  the 
selector  lever  has  securely  engaged  and  is  locked  in  P with  the  parking  bra ke 
firmly  set  ¢ 
page  210,  Engine compart 
ment . 
Otherw ise,  any  increase  in  engine 
speed  may  set  the  vehicle  in  mot ion, 
even  with  the  parki ng  brake  applied. 
Selector  lever  positions 
Applies  to  vehicles:  with  tiptronic 
This section  describes  the selector  lever posi 
tions  and  driving  ranges. 
F ig . 1 10 D isplay  in th e inst rument cluste r:  selec to r 
lever position 
The  selector  lever  position  engaged  appears 
next  to  the  selector  lever  as  well  as  in the  i n
strument  cluster  display. 
Automatic  Tra nsmi ssi on  10 3 
P-Park 
In  this  se lector  lever  posi tion  the  transm is
s ion  is mechanica lly locked.  Engage 
P only 
when  the vehicle  is 
completely  stopped ¢ & 
in Driving  the automatic  transmission  on 
page  102. 
To  shift  in or  out  of  posit ion P , you  mus t first 
press  and  ho ld  the  brake  pedal and  then press 
the  re lease  button  in the  selector  lever  hand le 
whi le  moving  the  selector  lever  to  or  from 
P. 
You can  shift  out  of this  position  only  with  the 
ignition  on. 
You must  release  the parking  lock  man ua lly 
before  towing  the  vehicle 
c:> page  107. 
R  -Reverse 
Se lect R o nl y when  the  vehi cle  is at  a full  s top 
and  the  engine  is running  at  idle speed ¢ A in 
Driving  the automatic  transmission  on 
page  102. 
Be fore  you  move  the  se lector  lever  to R , press 
both the  button  in the  hand le  of  th e  selector 
lever 
and the  brake  pedal  at  the same  ti me . 
When  the  igni tion  is on,  the  backup  lights  illu
minate  when  the  selec tor  lever  is moved  into 
R. 
N  -Neutral 
The transm iss ion  is  in  neut ral  in this  pos ition . 
S hi ft  to  th is  position  for  standing  with  the 
brakes  a pplied 
¢ page  104. 
When  the  vehicle  is  stat ionary  or  at  speeds 
below  3  mph  (5  km/h),  yo u must  always  apply 
the  foo tbrake  before  and  w hile  mov ing  the 
lever  o ut  of 
N . 
D/S - Normal  posit ion for  driving  forward 
In  the D/S pos ition,  the  transmission  can  be 
operated  either  in the  no rmal  D mode  o r in 
the  S spo rt  mode . To select  the  S spo rt  mode, 
pull  the  selector  lever  bac k br iefly . Pul ling  the 
lever  b ack  again  will se lect  the  norma l D 
mode.  The  inst rument  cl uster  display  shows 
the  selected  driving  mode. 
II>  

104  Automatic  Transmission 
In the normal  mode  D , the transmission  auto
matica lly selects  the  best gear  ratio.  It de
pends  on  eng ine  load,  veh icle  speed  and  the 
dynamic  control  program  (DRP). 
Select  the 
sport  mode  S for  sporty  driving . 
The vehicle  makes  full  use of the  engine's 
power.  Shifting  is  more  not iceable  when  accel 
erating. 
When  the vehicle  is  stationary  or at  speeds 
be low  3  mph  (5  km/h), you  must  always  apply 
the  foot  brake  before  and  while  mov ing  the 
lever  to 
D/S out  of N. 
In  certain  circumstances  it  may  be  advanta
geous  to  temporarily  switch  to  the  manual 
shift  program  to manually  se lect  gear  ratios 
to  match  specific  driving  conditions 
¢page 105. 
A WARNING 
Read  and  follow all WARNINGS c> .&. in 
Driving  the  automatic  transmission  on 
page 
102. 
Q) Note 
-
Coasting  downh ill with  the  transmission  in 
N and  the engine  not  running  will result in 
damage  to  the  automatic  transmission 
and  possibly  the  catalytic  converter. 
Automatic  Shift  Lock (ASL) 
Applies  to vehicles:  with  tiptronic 
The Automatic  Shift  Lock safeguards  you 
against  accidentally  shifting  into  a forward or  the  reverse gear  and  causing  the vehicle to 
move  unintentionally. 
') 
I 
Fig. 111 Shift  gate:  se lector  lever  lock positions  and 
interlock  button  highl ighted 
T he  selector  lever  lock  is released  as  follows: 
.,  Tur n the  ignition  on. 
.,  Step  on the  brake  pedal. 
At  the  same  time 
press and hold  the interlock  button  on  the 
side  o f the  gear  selector  knob 
¢ fig.  111 
with  your  thumb  until  you  have  moved  the 
selector  lever  to  the  des ired  posit ion . 
Automatic  selector  lever  lock 
The  selector  lever  is locked  in  the P and N po
s iti ons  when  the  ig nition  is turned  on.  To 
move  the lever  from  these  positions  the driver 
must  depress  the  brake  peda l. As a  reminder 
to  the  driver,  the  following warning  appears  in 
the  instrument  cluster  disp lay when  the  selec
tor  is in 
P and N : 
When  stationary  apply  footbrake  while se
lecting  gear 
A time  delay element  prevents  the  selector 
lever  from  locking  when  it  is moved  through 
the 
N position  (going  from R to D/S ). The 
locking  element  will  lock the  se lector  lever  if 
the  lever  is left  in  N (Neutral)  for  more  than 
approximately  1 second,  without  the  brake 
pedal  being  pressed . 
At speeds  above  about  3  mph  (5  km/h) the 
Automatic  Shift  Lock is automatically  deacti
vated  in the 
N position. 
Interlock  button 
The  lock  button  on  the  selector  lever prevents 
the  lever  from  being accidentally  shifted  into 
certain  positions.  Pressing  this  button deacti
vates  the  selector  lever  lock. Depending  on 
the  direction  of the  sh ift,  the  selector  lever 
locks  at  different  posit ions . The  pos itions  are 
highlighted  i n the  illustration 
¢fig . 111 . 
Kick-down 
Applies  to  veh icles:  w ith  tiptron ic 
The kick-down feature  allows  the  vehicle to 
generate  maximum  acceleration . 
When  you  press  the  accelerator  pedal beyond 
the  resistance  point  that  is  reached  at  full 
throttle,  the  transm iss ion  w ill select  a  lower 
Ill>  

gear  ratio  based on vehicle  speed and engine RPM. The  engin e RPM will  be controll ed to 
prod uce maximum  vehicle  acce leration  as 
l ong  as you  continue  to  press the  accelerator 
pedal  beyond this  resistance  point. 
A WARNING 
Be careful  when  using the  k ick-down  fea
ture  o n slippe ry roads . Rapid accelerat ion 
may cause the  veh icle to  skid . 
Dynamic  shift  program  (DSP} 
Applies  to  vehicles:  with  tiptronic 
The au tomatic  transmission  is electronically 
controlled . 
-
The transmission  is self  adapting  and will au
tomat ically 
selec t the  best  shift  progr am suit
ed to  the  driving  condit ions and driving  style . 
T he transmission  will  se lect one of  the 
econo
m y 
programs  when  you drive  at  a steady 
speed or  a gradually  changing  speed without  heavy acceleration . T his achieves optimum 
fuel  efficiency,  with  early  upshifting  and de layed downshifting . 
The transmission  will  automat ically  select  the 
s porty shift  programs  when you drive  at  high
e r  speeds, or with  heavy acceleration  and fre
quent ly chang ing speeds . Upshifts  are de layed 
to  make fu ll use of  eng ine power.  Downsh ift
i ng takes  p lace a t higher  engine  speeds than 
i n  the  e conomy  programs. 
The selection  of  the  most  su itab le shift  p ro
g ram  is a cont inuous,  automatic  p rocess.  The 
d river can al so make  the transmission  switch 
to  a sporty  program  by 
quickl y pressing  down 
the  gas pedal. 
This causes the  transmission  to  shift  down  to 
a lower  gear to  achieve rap id acceler ation,  e.g. 
fo r q ui ckly passing  another  veh icle. You do not 
need to  press the  gas peda l into  the  kick -down 
range . After  the  transmission  has upshifted, 
the  original  program  is se lected  according  to 
your  driving  style. 
Automatic  Tra nsmi ssi on  105 
An additional  sh ift  program  allows  the  auto
matic  transmission  to  select  the  p roper  gear 
for  uphill  and downhi ll grad ients. 
T his keeps the  transm ission from  shift ing up 
and  down  unnecessarily  on hills . The t rans
m iss ion w ill  s hift  down to  a lower  gear when 
the  driver  presses the  brake pedal on a down hill  gradient . Th is makes use of  the  braking  ef
fect  of  the  engine  wi thou t the  need to  sh ift 
down  manually . 
Manual  shift  program 
Applies  to  vehicles:  with  tiptron ic 
Using  the manual  shift  program  you  can 
manually  select  gears. 
, 
f 
F ig.  112 Cente r console : shi fting  th e tiptron ic ma nua l
l y 
Fi g. 1 13 Disp lay : man ual  shi ft  pro gram , s ele cted  gear 
hi ghlig hted 
Switching  to  m anual  shift  program 
...  Push the  selector  lever to  the  right  from DI 
S. As soon  as the  transmiss ion  has sw itched 
over, the  se lected  gear appears in  the  dis
p lay . 
To upshift 
...  Push the  se lector  lever forward  to  the  plus 
position 
0 q fig . 112 . Ill>- 

106  Autom atic  Tran smissi on 
To d ownsh ift 
.,.  Push  the  lever  to  the  m inus  position 0 -
When  acce lerat ing,  the  transm iss ion  w ill au
tomatically  sh ift  into  the  next  gear  befo re the 
engine  reaches  its  maxim um  RPM. 
If you  apply  a  light  throttle  when  accelerat ing , tiptronic  will automatically  shift  from  1st 
to  2nd  gea r to  save  fuel. 
If you  apply  a  heavy 
thrott le,  the  transmission  will stay  in  1st  gear 
unti l near  maximum  RPM is  reached,  or  unt il 
the  driver  shifts  into  2nd  gear . 
If you  take  your  foot  off  the  accelerator  peda l 
when  dr iving  down  a steep  i ncl ine,  tiptronic 
will  downshift  from  the  selected  gear  into  the 
next  lower  gear  until  it  reaches  1st  gear, 
based  on  road  speed  and  engine  RPM. Auto
matic  downshifting  is interrupted  as  soon  as 
you  apply  the  throttle  again. 
(D Tips 
- When  you  shift  into  the  next  lower  gear, 
the  transmiss ion will  downshift  only 
when  there  is  no  possibility  of over-rev
v ing  the  engine. 
- When  the  kick-down  comes  on,  the  transmission  will sh ift  down  to  a  lower 
gear,  depending  on  vehicle  and  engine 
speeds. 
- tiptronic  is  inoperative  when  the  trans
mission  is  in the  fail-safe  mode . 
Steering  wheel  with  tiptronic 
Applies  to  vehicles:  with  tiptron ic steer ing wheel 
The shift  buttons  on the steering  wheel  allow 
the  driver to shift  gears manually . 
Fig. 1 14 Stee ring wheel:  Sh ift  butto ns 
.,. To  downshift,  touch  the  button  on  the  left 
0 -
.,.  To  upshift,  touch  the  button  on  the  r ight 
0 -
The  shift  buttons  are  activated  when  the  se
lector  lever  is in 
D /S or  in the  manual  shift 
program  (tiptronic). 
Of course , you  can  continue  to  use  the  manua l 
shift  program  with  the  selector  lever  on  the 
center  console. 
Transmission  malfunction 
Applies  to  vehicles:  with  tiptronic 
[O]  Transm iss ion : pleas e pre ss the  br ake  ped
al  and  select the  pos ition again 
Press  the  brake  pedal  and  select  the  desired 
selector  lever  position  again.  You can  then 
continue  driving. 
[O]  Tran smi ssio n hot:  ple ase m odify dri ving 
style 
The  transm iss io n  temperat ure  has  in cr eased 
s ignificantly  due  to  the  spor ty driving  manner. 
Drive in  a  less  sporty  ma nner  until  the  tem
perature  returns  to  the  normal  range  and  the 
indicator  light  switches  of. 
[O]  Transmi ssion malfun ction:  You  can c on
tinue  driv ing 
T he re  is a system  malfunction  i n the  t ransm is
s ion.  You m ay cont inue  drivi ng.  Drive to  you r 
authorized  Aud i dea ler  o r qualified  repa ir fa
c il ity soon  to  have  the  malfunction  corrected. 
[O]  Transmis sion malfun ction:  Limited  driv
ing functionality 
There  is a system  malfunction  in the  t ransm is
s ion . The transm ission  is switching  to  emer
gency  mode . This  mode  o nly shifts  into  ce r
ta in gears  o r will  no  longer  shift  at  all.  The  en
gine  may  sta ll. Drive to  your  authorized  Audi 
dealer  or  qualified  repair  faci lity  immediately 
to  have  the  malfunction  corrected . 
[O] Transmi ssion malfunc tion: St op and  shift 
~p ~  

Homelink® 
Universal  remote 
control 
General  information 
Applies  to  vehicles:  with  Horne Link®  universal  remote 
control 
The Homelink  universal remote  control can 
be programmed  with hand -held  transmitters 
from  existing  equipment. 
Using the  Homelink  universal  remote  control, 
you  can  operate  equ ipment  such  as  garage 
doors,  property  gates  and  house  lights  from  ins ide  your  vehicle. 
Using  the Homelink  universal  remote  control, 
you  can  replace  up  to  three  separate  hand 
held  transmitters  for  equipment  on  your 
property  with  just one  universal  remote  con
trol.  Most  of these  transmitters  a re  used  to 
ope rate  ga rage  doo rs and  p roperty  gates.  The 
individua l transmitters  are  programmed  at 
the  front  bumper.  That  is where  the  control 
module  is located. 
The transmitters  must  be  programmed  first  in 
order  to  operate  systems  using  the  Homelink  universal  remote  control. 
A WARNING 
-
- Never  use  the  Homelink ® transmitter 
with  any  garage  door  opener  that  does  have  not  the  safety stop and reverse  fea
ture  as  required  by  federal safety  stand
ards . Th is  includes  any  garage  door  open
er  model  manufactured  before  April 1,  1982. 
- A garage  door  opener  which  cannot  de
tect  an  object,  signaling  the  door  to  stop 
and  reverse  does  not  meet  current  feder
al  safety  standards.  Us ing  a  ga rage  door 
opener  without  these  features  increases 
risk of  serious  injury  or  death. 
- For safety  reasons  never  release  the 
parking  brake  or  start  the  engine  while 
anyone  is standing  in front  of the  vehicle . 
- A garage  door  or  an  estate  gate  may 
sometimes  be  set  in motion  when  the 
Homelink ® 115 
Homelink ® remote  control  is being  pro
grammed. 
If the  device  is  repeatedly  ac
tivated,  t his can  overstrain  motor  and 
damage  its  electrical  components  - an 
overheated  motor  is  a fire  hazard! 
- To avo id  possible  injuries  or  property 
damage,  please  always  make  absolutely 
certain  that  no  persons  or  objects  are  lo
cated  in the  range  of  motion  of any 
equ ipment  being  operated. 
(D Tips 
- If you  would  like additional  information 
on  the  Homelink ® Universal  Transce iver, 
Homel ink compatible  products,  or to 
purchase  other  accessories  such  as  the 
Homel ink ® Lighting  Package,  please 
contact  Homelink  at  1 -800 -355-3515  o r 
on  the  Internet  at  www.homelink.com. 
- For Declara tion  of  Comp liance  to  United 
States  FCC and  Industry  Canada  reg ula
tions ~ 
page  2 76.  

-Failure  to  pay attention  to  the warning 
light  that  come  on,  could  lead to  person
al  injury. 
Why  safety  belts? 
Frontal collisions  and the  law  of  physics 
Frontal  crashes  create  very strong  forces  for 
people  riding  in vehicles . 
Fig. 131 Unbelted  occupants in a ve hicle  heading  for  a 
wall 
Fig. 132 The  vehicle  cras hes  into  the  wall 
The  physical  principles  are  simple.  Both  the 
vehicle  and  the  passengers  possess  energy 
which  varies  w ith  veh icle  speed  and  body 
weight . Engineers  call  this  energy "kinetic  en
ergy." 
The  higher  the  speed  of the  vehicle  and  the 
greater  the  vehicle's  weight,  the more  energy 
that  has  to be  "absorbed"  in the  crash. 
Vehicle speed  is the  most  significant  factor . If 
the  speed  doubles  from  15  to  30  mph  (25  to 
50  km/h),  the  energy  increases  4  t imes! 
Because  the  passengers  of this  vehicle  are  not 
using  safety  belts 
c:::;, fig.  131, they  will  keep 
moving  at  the  same  speed  the  vehicle  was 
mov ing  just  before  the  crash,  until  something 
stops  them  - here,  the  wall ¢ 
fig.  132. 
Safety  belts 129 
The same  principles  apply  to  people  sitting  in 
a  vehicle  that  is involved  in a frontal  collision. 
Even at  c ity  speeds  of  20  to  30  mph  (30  to  50 
km/h),  the  forces  acting  on  the  body  can 
reach  one  ton  (2,000  lbs,  or  1,000  kg) or 
more . At greater  speeds,  these  forces  are  even 
higher. 
People  who  do not  use  safety  belts  are  also 
not  attached  to  their  vehicle . In  a frontal  colli
sion  they  will also  keep  moving  forward at  the 
speed  their  vehicle  was  travelling  just before 
the  crash . Of course,  the  laws of  physics  don't 
just  app ly  to frontal  collisions,  they  determine 
what  happens  in all  kinds  of accidents  and  col
lisions. 
What  happens  to  occupants  not  wearing  safety  belts? 
In  crashes  unbelted  occupants  cannot  stop 
themselves  from  flying  forward  and  being  in
jured  or killed.  Always  wear your  safety  belts! 
Fig.  133  A driver not  wea ring  a safety  be lt  is vio lently 
th rown  forward 
Fig.  134 A rear  passenger  not  wearing  a  safety  belt 
w ill  fly forward  and  strike  the  driver 
Unbelted occupants  are not  able  to resist  the 
tremendous  forces  of impact  by  holding tight 
or  bracing  themselves.  Without  the  benefit  of 
safety  restraint  systems,  the  unrestrained  .,..  

130  Safety  belts 
occupant  will slam  violently  into  the  steering 
wheel,  instrument  panel,  windshield,  or  what
ever  else  is in the  way 
c::> fig.  133. This  imp act 
with  the  vehicle  interior  has  all  the  energy 
t hey  had  just  before  the  crash. 
Never  rely on  a irbags  alone  for  protection. 
Even when  they  deploy,  airbags  provide  only 
additional  protection.  Airbags  are  not  sup
posed  to  deploy  in  all  kinds  of  accidents.  Al
though  your  Audi  is equipped  with  airbags,  all 
vehicle  occupants,  including  the  driver , must 
wear  safety  belts  correctly  in order  to  mini
mize  the  risk of severe  injury  or  death  in a 
crash. 
Remember  too,  that  airbags  will  deploy  only 
once  and  that  your  safety  belts  are  always 
there  to  offer  protection  in those accidents  in 
which  airbags  are  not supposed  to  deploy  or 
when  they  have  already  deployed . Unbelted 
occupants  can  also  be thrown  out  of  the  vehi
cle  where  even  more  severe  or fatal  injuries 
can  occur. 
It  is also  important  for  the  rear  passengers  to 
wear  safety  belts  correctly.  Unbelted  passen
gers  in the  rear  seats  endanger  not  only  them
selves  but  also  the  driver  and  othe r passen
gers ~ 
fig.  134. In  a frontal  collision  they  will 
be  thrown  forward  violently,  where  they  can 
hit  and  injure  the  driver  and/or  front  seat  pas
senger . 
Safety  belts  protect 
People  think it's  possible  to  use  the  hands  to 
brace the  body in a minor collision . It's  simply 
not  true ! 
Fig. 135  Driver  is  co rr ect ly  re strain ed  in  a sudd en brak
ing  maneuve r 
Safety  belts  used  properly  can  make  a  big  dif
ference.  Safety  belts  help  to  keep  passengers 
in their  seats,  gradually  reduce  energy  levels 
applied  to  the  body  in an  accident,  and  help 
prevent  the  uncontrolled  movement  tha t can 
cause  serious  injuries . In  addition,  safety  belts 
reduce  the  danger  of  being  thrown  out  of  the 
vehicle . 
Safety  belts  attach  passengers  to  the  car  and 
give them  the  benefit  of  being  slowed  down 
more  gently  or  "softly"  through  the "give"  in 
the  safety  belts,  crush  zones  and  other  safety 
features  engineered  into  today's vehicles.  By 
"absorbing " the  kinetic  energy  over  a  longer 
period  of ti me,  the  safety  belts  make  the 
forces  on  the  body  more  "tolerable"  and  less 
likely to  cause  injury. 
Although  these examples  are  based  on  a fron
tal  collision,  safety  belts  can  also  substantial
ly reduce  the  r isk of  injury  in other  kinds  of 
crashes.  So, whether  you're  on  a  long  trip  or 
just  going  to  the  corner  store,  always  buckle  up  and  make  sure  others  do,  too.  Accident  sta
tistics  show  that  vehicle  occupants  properly 
wearing  safety  belts  have  a  lower risk of  being 
injured  and  a  much  better  chance  of surviving 
an  accident.  Properly using  safety  belts  also 
greatly  increases  the  ability  of  the  supplemen
tal  airbags  to  do  their  job in a collision . For 
this  reason,  wearing  a  safety  belt  is  legally re
quired  in  most  countries  including  much  of 
the  United  States  and  Canada. 
Although  your  Audi is  equipped  with  airbags, 
you  still  have  to wear  the  safety  belts  provid
ed.  Front  airbags , for  example,  are  activated 
only  in  some  frontal  collisions.  The  front  air
bags  are  not  activated  in all  frontal  collisions, 
in side  and  rear  collisions,  in roll  overs  or  in 
cases  where  there  is no t enough  decelera tion 
through  impact to  the  front  of the  vehicle . 
The  same  goes  for  the  other  airbag  systems  in 
your  Audi . So,  always  wear  your  safety  belt 
and  make  sure  everybody  in your  vehicle  is 
properly  restrained!  

184  Intelligent  technology 
Intelligent  technology 
Notice  about  data 
recorded  by  vehicle 
control  modules 
Your veh icle  is not  equipped  with  an  Event  Da
ta  Recorde r (EDR), ins talled  by some  manu
facture rs fo r the  express p urpose  of  capturing 
data  for  retrieval  after  an accident  or  cras h 
event . EDR's are sometimes  ca lled "crash  re
corders". 
Some state  laws restr ict  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 ltho ugh yo ur vehicle  is not  equ ipped wit h an 
EDR,  it is equipped  with  a number  of  electron
ic control  modules  for  various  vehicle  systems 
such as, for  examp le, eng ine f unction,  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  norma l vehicle  op
erat ion for  diagnostic  and repa ir 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 ove r a ve ry limited  pe riod of 
time  and stored  when  a sys tem faul t or  o ther 
cond ition  is sensed by a cont ro l u nit.  Some of 
the  data  then  stored  may re late to  vehicle 
speed, direction,  braking  as we ll as restraint 
system  use and performance  in the  event  of  a 
crash or  other  condit ion. Stored  data  can only 
be read and downloaded  w ith  special  equip
ment. 
Electronic  stabilization 
program  (ESP) 
Description 
ESP helps  to  improve  road  holding  and vehicle 
dynamics  to  help  reduce the  probability  of 
skidd ing and  loss of  veh icle control.  It  works 
only  when  the  eng ine  is running.  ESP detects  certain  difficult  driving  situat
ions,  including 
when  the  vehicle  is beginning  to  spin  (yaw)  o ut  of  control  and  helps you to  get  the  veh icle 
back under  contro l by se lectively  braking  the 
whee ls, and/or  reducing  engine  power  and 
providing  steer ing ass istance  to  he lp hold  the 
vehicle  o n the  dr ive r's  intended  cou rse.  The in
dicato r light 
G] in the  instrument  cluste r 
blinks  when  ESP is taking  action  to  help  you 
control  the  veh icle. 
ESP has l imitations. 
It is  importa nt  to  remem
ber that  ESP cannot  overcome  the  laws of 
physics. It  will  not  always be able to  help  out 
under  a ll cond it ions you  may come  up  aga inst. 
F or  example,  ESP may not  always be able to 
help  you master  situations  where  there  is a 
s u dden  change  in the  coefficient  of friction  of 
the  road surface.  When  there  is a section  of  dry  road that  is sudden ly covered w ith  water, 
s lush or  snow,  ESP cannot  perform  the  same 
way it  wou ld on the  dry  surface . If  the  ve hicle 
hydroplanes  (rides  on a cushion  of  water  in
stead  of  the  road surface),  ESP will  not  be 
able  to  help  you steer  the  vehicle  be cause con
tact  with  the  pavement  has been interrupted 
and the  vehicle  cannot  be braked or  steered . 
D uring  fast  cornering,  particularly  on winding 
roads,  ESP cannot  a lways deal  as effectively 
with  difficult  driv ing situations  than  at  lower 
speeds. When  towing  a trailer,  ESP 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.  ESP can
not  override  the  vehicle's  physical  limits,  in
crease the  availab le tract ion,  or  keep a ve hicle 
on the  road  if  road departu re  is a  result  of 
drive r inattent io n. Instead,  ESP  improves  the 
poss ibil ity  of  keeping  the  vehi cle under  con 
trol  and on the  road during  extreme  maneu
vers by  using the  d river's  steering  inputs  to 
help  keep the  vehicle  going  in the  intended  di
rection . If  you  are traveling  at  a speed that 
ca uses you to  run  off  the  road  before  ESP can 
provide  any assistance, you  may not  experi
ence the  benefits  of  ESP .