
Automatic Transmission
S tronic ®, tiptronic
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
The automat ic transmission is controlled elec
tronically. The transmission upshifts or down
shifts automatically depending on which drive
program is se lected .
When a
moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economica l
driving mode. It will then change up ear ly and
de lay the downshifts to give better fuel econ
omy.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode
after a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty driving style characterized by quick ac
celerator pedal movements, heavy accelera
tion, frequent changes in speed and traveling
at the maximum speed.
If desired, the driver can also se lect the gears
manually (t iptronic mode ) i=> page 113.
Various automatic transmissions may be in
stalled, depending on the model:
S tronic® transmission
The 5 tronic ® is a dual-clutch transmission.
Power is transferred using two clutches that
work independently from one another . They
replace the torque converter used in conven
tional automatic transmissions and allow the
vehicle to accelerate without a noticeable in
terruption in traction .
tiptronic transmission
In the tiptronic transmission, power is trans
ferred by a torque converter .
Automatic Transmission 109
Selector lever positions
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic/tiptronic
Fig. 115 Disp lay in the instrument cluste r: selector
lever pos ition
T he selector lever position engaged appears
next to the selector lever as well as in the in
strument cluster display.
P -Park
In this selector lever position the transmis
sion is mechanically locked. Engage P only
when the vehicle is
completely stopped q .&.
in Driving the automatic transmission on
page 112.
To shift in or out of position P, you must first
press and hold the brake pedal and then press
the release b utton in the selector lever handle
whi le moving the selector lever to or from P.
You can shift out of this position only with the
ignition on .
R- Reverse
Select R on ly when the vehicle is at a full stop
and the engine is running at idle speed c> .&, in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page 112.
Before you move the selector lever to R, press
both the button in the hand le of the selector
lever
and the brake pedal at the same t ime.
When the ignition is on, the backup lights illu
minate when the selector lever is moved into
R.
N -Neutral
The transmission is in neutral in this position.
Sh ift to th is position for standing with the ..,.

110 Automatic Transmission
brakes applied ¢ & in Driving the automatic
transmission on page
112.
When the veh icle is stationary or at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the footbrake before and while moving the
lever out of N.
D/S -Normal position for driving forward
In the D/S position, the transmiss io n can be
operated e ither in the normal mode Dor in
the sport mode S. To select the sport mode S,
pull the se lector lever back briefly . Pulling the
lever back again will select the normal mode
D. The instrument cluster display shows the
selected driving mode.
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto
matica lly selects the suitab le gear ratio. It de
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driv
ing style.
Select the
spo rt mode S for sporty driving.
The vehicle makes fu ll use of the engine's
power. Shifting may become noticeable when
accelerating.
When the vehicle is stationary or at speeds
be low 1 mph (2 km/h), you must always apply
the foot brake before and while moving the lever to D/S out of N.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS¢ & in
Driving the automatic transmission on
page
112.
d) Note
-
Coasting downhill with the transmission in
N and the engine not running w ill result in
damage to the automatic transmission
and possibly the catalytic converter.
@ Tips
- Audi drive select: you can adjust the
sporty sh ift characteristics in the
Dy
namic driving mode.Swill appear in the
i nst rument cluste r d isplay instead of D.
-If you accidentally select N while driv ing,
take your foot off the acce lerator pedal immediately and wait
for the engine to
slow down to idle before selecting D/S.
-If there is a power failure, the selector
lever will not move out of the P position.
The emergency release can be used if
this happens
¢page 115.
Automatic Shift Lock (ASL)
Applies to vehicles : wit h S t ronic/tipt ro ni c
The Automatic Shift Lock safeguards you
against accidentally shifting into a forward or
the reverse gear and causing the vehicle to
move unintentionally.
( )
Fig. 116 Shi ft gate: selector leve r loc k pos it ions and
r e lease button highlighted
The selector lever lock is released as follows:
.,. Tu rn the ignition on.
.,. Step on the brake pedal.
At the same time
press and hold the release button on the
side of the gear selector knob
¢ fig. 116
with your thumb until you have moved the
selector lever to the desired position.
Automatic selector lever lock
The selector lever is locked in the P and N po
s itions when the ignit ion is tu rned on. You
must press the brake pedal and the re lease
button to select another position . As a re
minder to the driver, the following warning
appears in the instrument cluster display
when the selector is in P and N:
When stationary apply brake pedal while se
lecting gear
T he Automatic Shift Lock only functions when
the vehicle is stationary or at speeds be low
1 mph (2 km/h).

114 Automatic Transmission
Launch Control Program
Applies to vehicles: with S tro nic
The Launch Control Program provides the
best acceleration possible when starting from
a stop .
Requirement: The engine must be at operat
ing temperature and the steering wheel must
not be turned .
.. Press the
I~ O FFI button <=> page 198 while
the engine is running. The
II indicator light
illuminates in the instrument cluster and
Stabilization control (ESC): Off Warning!
Reduced stability
appears in the driver in
formation system display.
.. Move the selector lever to position D/S to
select sport mode (5) or select
Dynamic
mode in Audi drive select<=> page 103.
.. Press the brake pedal strongly with your left
foot and hold it down for at least
1 second.
.. At the same time, press the accelerator
pedal down completely with your right foot
until the engine reaches and maintains a
high RPM.
.. Remove your foot from the brake pedal
within S seconds ¢
Li)..
.&_ WARNING
-Always adapt your driving to the traffic
flow .
- Only use the Launch Control Program
when road and traffic conditions allow it
and other drivers will not be endangered
or annoyed by yo ur driving and the vehi
cle's acce lerat ion.
- Please note that the driving wheels can
spin and the vehicle can break away
when ESC is sw itched off, espec ially
when the road is slippery.
- Once the vehicle has started moving,
press the
I~ OF F! button br iefly to turn
the ESC on.
- The transmission temperat ure may in
crease significantly after using the
launch control program. If that happens, the program
may not be available for a
few minutes . It wi ll be available again af
ter a cool-down period.
- When accelerating using the la unch con
tro l program, all vehicle parts are subject
to heavy loads. This can resu lt in in
creased wear .
Transmission malfunction
Applies to vehicles: wit h S tronic/tiptro nic
[O] Transmission: Press brake pedal and se
lect gear again
Press the brake pedal and select the desired
selector lever position again. You can then continue driving .
[O] Transmission overheating: Please drive
conservatively
The transmission temperature has increased
s ignificantly due to the sporty driving manner .
Drive in a less sporty manner until the tem
perature returns to the normal range and the
indicator light switches of.
[O] Transmission malfunction: You can con
tinue driving
T he re is a system mal function in the transmis
sion . You may continue driving. Drive to your
authorized Audi dea ler or qualified repair fa
cility soon to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] [O] Transmission malfunction: You can
continue driving with limited functionality
There is a system malfunction in the transmis
s ion. The transmission is switching to emer
gency mode. This mode on ly shifts into cer
tain gears or will no longer shift at all. The en
gine may sta ll. Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified repair facility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
[O] Iii Transmission malfunction: No reverse
gear. You can continue driving
S tronic® transmission: There is a system mal
f unct ion in the transmission. The transmis
sion is switching to emergency mode . This
mode only shifts into certain gears or will no
l onger shift at a ll. The engine may stall. You .,..

-Have the airbag system inspected by
your Audi dealer before transporting
anyone on the front passenger seat.
(D Tips
If the capacitive passenger detection sys
tem determines that the front passenger seat is empty, the frontal airbag on the
passenger side will be turned off, and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light will stay
on .
Repair, care and disposal of the airbags
Parts of the airbag system are installed at
many different places on your Audi. Installing,
removing, servicing or repairing a part in an
area of the vehicle can damage a part of an
airbag system and prevent that system from
working properly in a collision.
There are some important things you have to know to make sure that the effectiveness of
the system will not be impaired and that dis
carded components do not cause injury or pol
lute the environment.
A WARNING
Improper care, servicing and repair proce
dures can increase the risk of personal in
jury and death by preventing an airbag from deploying when needed or deploying
an airbag unexpectedly:
- Never cover, obstruct, or change the
steering wheel horn pad or airbag cover
or the instrument panel or modify them
in any way .
- Never attach any objects such as cup
holders or telephone mountings to the
surfaces covering the airbag units.
- For cleaning the horn pad or instrument
panel, use only a soft, dry cloth or one
moistened with plain water. Solvents or
cleaners could damage the airbag cover
or change the stiffness or strength of the
material so that the airbag cannot de
ploy and protect properly.
Airbag system 165
- Never repair, adjust, or change any parts
of the airbag system.
- All work on the steering wheel, instru
ment panel, front seats or electrical sys
tem (including the installation of audio
equipment, cellular telephones and CB radios, etc .) must be performed by a
qualified technician who has the training
and special equipment necessary.
- For any work on the airbag system, we
strongly recommend that you see your
authorized Audi dealer or qualified work
shop.
- Never modify the front bumper or parts
of the vehicle body.
- Always make sure that the side airbag
can inflate without interference:
- Never install seat covers or replace
ment upholstery over the front seat
backs that have not been specifically
approved by Audi.
- Never use additional seat cushions that
cover the areas where the side airbags
inflate.
- Damage to the original seat covers or
to the seam in the area of the side air
bag module must always be repaired
immediately by an authorized Audi
dealer.
- The airbag system can deploy only once .
After an airbag has been deployed, it
must be replaced with new replacement
parts designed and approved especially
for your Audi model version. Replace ment of complete airbag systems or air
bag components must be performed by
qualified workshops only. Make sure that
any airbag service action is entered in
your Audi Warranty
& Maintenance book
let under
AIRBAG REPLACEMENT RE
CORD .
-For safety reasons in severe accidents,
the alternator and starter are separated
from the vehicle battery with a pyrotech
nic circuit interrupter.
- Work on the pyrotechnic circuit inter
rupter must only be performed by a
qualified technicians who have the ...
L..._ _____________ _j ...
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178 Child Saf ety
always correctly signaled by the PASSENGER
AIR BAG OFF
li g ht .
M any types and models of ch ild restra ints
have been ava ilable over the years, new mod
e ls are introduced regularly incorporating new
and improved designs and older models are
taken out of prod uction. Child restraints a re
not standardi zed. Ch ild restra ints of the same
type typically have different weights and s izes
and d ifferent "footprints", the size and shape
of the bottom of the child rest raint that sits
on the seat, when they are installed on a veh i
cle sea t. These differe nces ma ke it vi rtually
i mposs ible to ce rtify comp lia nce w it h the re
q ui rements for advanced a irbags w ith each
and every child restraint that has ever been
sold in the past o r will be sold over the course
of the useful life of yo ur vehicle.
F or this reason, t he United States Nat ional
Highway Traffic Sa fety Administration has
published a list of specific type, makes a nd
models of child restraints that must be used
to certify complia nce of the Advanced Airbag
System in yo ur vehicle with the suppress ion
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standa rd 208 . These child rest raints are :
Subpart A -Car bed child rest raint s
Model
Ange l Guard Ange l
Ride AA2403FOF
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
Subpart B -Rear-facing child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Century SmartFit December 1 , 1999
45 43
Cosco Arriva September 25, 2007
22-0 13PAW and base
l 22-999W HO
Evenflo D iscovery Ad-December 1, 1999
just Right 212
Evenflo First Choice December 1, 1999
1 20 4
Graco Infant 8457 December 1, 1999
-Model
Graco Snug ride
Manufactured on or
after
September 25, 2007
P eg Perego Primo Vi- September 25, 200 7
a ggio SIP IMU NOO US
Subpart C -Forward -facing and
convertible child restraints
Model Manufactured on or
after
Br itax Roundabout September 25, 2007
E9L02xx
December 1, 1999
Cosco Summit Deluxe September 25, 2007 H igh Back Booster
22-262
Cosco High Back September 25, 2007 Booster 22-209
E venf lo Tribute V September 25, 200 7
379xxxx
Evenflo Medallion December
1, 1999
254
E venflo Generations Se ptember 25, 20 07
352xxxx
Graco ComfortSport September 25, 2007
Graco Toddler Safety September 25, 2007
Seat Step 2
Graco Platinum Cargo Septembe r 25, 2007
.&_ WARNING ~
To reduce the risk of serious inju ry, ma ke
sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF
light comes on and stays on whenever a
chi ld restraint is insta lled on the front pas
senger seat and the ignit ion is switched
on.
- Ta ke t he chi ld restraint off the front pas
senger seat and install it properly at one
of the rear seat positions if the
PASSEN
GER AIR BAG OFF
li ght does not s tay on .
- Have the airbag system inspected by
your author ized Audi dealer immed iate
ly .

@ Tips
-Certain Audi pre sense functions are not
ava ilable when ASR is sw itched off (sport
mode) or when driving in reverse.
- The Audi pre sense functions may not be
available if there is a malfunction in the
ESC system or the airbag control mod
ule.
- The Audi pre sense front/plus functions
are not available if there is a malfunction
in the adaptive cru ise control* system
9 page 93.
-The Audi pre sense rear/plus functions
are not available if there is a malfunction
i n the Audi side assist* system
9page 93.
Audi pre sense 195
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198 Intelligent technology
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR on ly work correctly when
all four wheels are equipped w ith identi
ca l tires. Different tire si zes can lead to a
reduct ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems described are working.
- If the indicato r light
DJ or 11:11 (USA
models) 1i] (Canada models) appears,
there may be a malfunctio n¢
page 20,
¢ page 19.
Switching on and off
ESC turns on au toma tic ally when you s tart
t he engine.
F ig . 18 1 Cen te r con sol e w it h ESC OF F but ton
Sw itching sport mode on
Press the I~ OF FI button c::> fig . 181 . The ac
tions taken by the ESC system to stabilize the
ve hicl e are lim ited. In vehicles with front
wheel drive, the anti -s li p reg ulation (ASR) is
lim ited . In vehicles with a ll-wheel drive, the
ASR is switched off. The
It) ESC ind icator light
turns on and the message
St abili zation co n
trol (ESC): Off Warning ! Reduced stabilit y
¢.&. appears in the driver informa tion system
d isplay.
The follow ing examples are unusua l situa
tions where it may make sense to switch sport
mode on in orde r to allow the wheels to spin:
- Rocking the vehicle back and forth when it is
stuck
- Driving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Driving wi th s now cha ins
Switching sport mode off
Press the 1.$ O FF I button again. The I indica
tor light t urns off and the message
Stabiliza
tion control (ESC): On
appea rs in the dr iver
information system disp lay .
A WARNING
-
-Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose
control of the vehicle more easi ly when
ASR and ESC are in sport mode, especial
ly when the road is slippe ry .
- Sw itch to sport mode only when your
driving skills, traffic and weather condi
tions permit .
@ Tips
- You cannot switch sport mode on when
adaptive cru ise contro l* is working .
-
- If the rear spoi ler system malfunct ions,
sport mode may not switc h on or it may
switch off agai n automatically .
Rear spoiler
The rear spoiler improves vehicle handling
and enhances driver control.
Fig . 182 Center co n so le: Sw it c h for rea r s poile r
The rea r spoi le r deploys and retracts. Spoiler
operation can be se t fo r automat ic or ma nual
operation.
Automatic mode (normal operation)
- Au tomatic deployment : At a speed of about
8 0 mph (130 km/h), the rea r spo ile r deploys
au tomatically.
- Automati c retr act ion: When speed drops be
low abou t 50 mph (80 km/h), the rear spoil-
er retracts a utomat ica lly. ..,.

Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passen
ger transportation .
If you plan to tow a tra iler, p lease remember
that the addit ional load will affect durab ility,
economy and performance .
Trailer towing not on ly places more stress on
the vehicle, it also calls for more concentra
tion from the driver.
F or this reason, a lways fo llow the operating
and driving instructions provided and use
common sense.
(D Note
If you are going to tow a trai ler, you must
ac tivate the trailer operation mode
c::> page 209, Operating instructions.
Technical requirements
Traile r hitch
Use a weig ht-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer we ight. The hitch must be suita
b le for your veh icle and trailer and must be
mounted securely on t he ve hicle's chassis at a
technically sound location . Use only a trail er
hi tch w ith a removab le ball moun t. A lways
check wi th t he tra ile r hi tch man ufa ctur er to
make sure that you are using the cor rect
h itch.
Do not us e a bumper hitch .
The hitch m ust be installed in such a way that
i t does not interfe re with the impac t-absorb
i ng bumper syst em. No mod ificat ions should
b e made to the vehi cle e xhaus t and br ake sys
tems . From t ime to time, check th at a ll hitc h
mo unt ing bo lts rem ain securely fas tened.
When you are not towing a trail er, remove the
tra ile r hi tch ball moun t. T h is prevents the
hi tch from causing damage sho uld your ve hi
cle be str uck from behind~ .&.
Trailer towin g 209
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equippe d wi th a bra king sys
tem, check to be s ure that i t conforms to all
regulations .
T he trailer hyd ra u lic bra ke sys tem mus t not be
d irec tly connec ted to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains be tween your ve hicle
and t he tra ile r.
Trailer lights
Trai ler lights must meet all reg ulations. Be
su re to c heck with your Audi dea ler for correct
wir ing, switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you a re unable to see the traffic behind you
u sing the regula r outside mirrors, then you
must insta ll extended mir rors. It is important
t h at you
always have clea r vis io n to the rear.
_&. WARNING
-
Afte r removi ng the trailer hitch , do no t
s tor e i t in yo ur v ehicl e. In case of sudden
b raki ng, the hi tch co uld fly forwar d and in
j ur e you o r yo ur pass enge rs.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A tra ile r fo r you r vehi cle is l imited to a typi cal
cla ss 1 o r class 2 tr ailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the tra ile r is held secure ly
in place to p revent it from shift ing fo rward,
ba ckward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
c::> .& in Driving instructions on page 211 .
Engine cooling sy stem
Towing a t railer ma kes the engine wor k hard
er . It is impo rtant that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
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