2014 AUDI A7 brakes

16 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
- If the indicator light and the message ap­
pear
while dri ving , the emergency braking
function may not be available. It may not be
poss ible to set the parking brake or release
it once it has been set. Seek professional as­
s istance .
(USA models): If the warning light
1111 and
the warning light
EiJ appear together, imme­
diately contact your authorized Aud i dealer or
qualified workshop to have all brake pads in ­
spected
~ page 21 .
When the light comes on, an audib le warning
signal is also given.
.&_ WARNING
- Always observe the warnings in
~ page 22 7, before opening the hood
and checking the brake fluid .
- Driv ing with low brake fluid is a safety
hazard. Stop the car and get professional
assistance.
- If the 1111 (USA models)/ . (Canada
mode ls) brake system indicator light
tu rns on together with the ABS and ESC
indicator lights, the ABS/ ESC regu lating
function may have failed. Functions that
stabilize the vehicle are no longer availa­
ble. This could cause the vehicle to
swerve and increase the risk of sliding.
Drive carefu lly to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or other qualif ied workshop
and have the malfunction corrected .
- If the brake warning/indicator light does
not go out after a few seconds and the
park ing brake is released, or lights up
wh ile you are driv ing, the fluid level in
the brake f luid rese rvoir is too low . If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immedi ately at low speed to the nearest
authorized Aud i dealer o r qualified repair
facility and have the brake system in­
spected.
- Always keep in mind that after several
brake applications, yo u will need g reater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on stra ined brakes to
respond w ith maximum stopp ing power in critical situations
. You must allow for
increased braking distances. The extra
distance used up by fading brakes could lead to an accident .
PARK/(®) Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light -(USA models) /.
(Canada mode ls) turns on, the parking brake
was set. If the parking brake is set when the
ignition is off, the indicator ligh t turns off af­
ter about 20 seconds .
The warning/indicator light w ill go out when
the parking brake is re leased.
- (USA model s) /. (Canada m odel s)
Caut ion: Vehicle parked too steep
If the indicator l ight b links and the message
appea rs, there is not enough braking power to
keep the vehicle from roll ing. The b rakes have
overheated . The vehicle could roll away even
on a sma ll incline.
Pre ss brak e ped al to relea se parking brake
To re lease the park ing brake, press the brake
peda l and press t he button
@ii or sta rt driving
with sta rting assist at the same time
~ page 80.
Please re le ase parking brak e
To release the park ing brake manually, press
the brake pedal and press the button
@ii at the
same t ime. The parki ng brake only releases
automat ica lly if the driver's safety belt is fas­
tened .
Ill Parking b rake!
If the Iii indicator lig ht t urns on and this
message appears, there is a parking brake
malfunction . Drive to your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunct ion corrected.

Instruments and warning/indicator lights 19
II! Engine start system fault. Please con­
tact dealer
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the en­
gine start system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dea le r immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected.
~ Air suspension
Appl ies to vehicles: with air suspension
• Air suspension: system fault. Can contin­
ue slowly with max. 35 mph .
There is a malfunct ion that can result in re­
stricted dr iv ing stab ility.
Carefully drive at a maximum speed of 35
mph (60 km/h) to your authorized Audi dealer
or qua lified workshop to have the malfunction
cor rected.
• Air suspension: service mode. Vehicle
can only be moved with restrictions
Carefully drive to your authorized Audi dealer
or qualified workshop immediately to have
the service mode deactivated .
II Air suspension fault
There is a system ma lfunction that can result
in restricted driving stability or reduced
ground clearance.
Dr ive to your a uthorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
II Air suspension: vehicle too low. Ground
clearance reduced
The ground clearance is very low due to a sys­
tem malfunct ion . Wait until the air suspen­
sion system has restored normal ground clear­
ance. Otherwise, conditions such as an uneven
road surface can lead to vehicle damage.
G:;/ !f Safety systems
The fl (USA models) ;EI (Canada models) in­
dicator light monitors the safety systems (e.g .
airbags, pretensioners) and illuminates for a few
seconds each time you switch the ignition
on .
If the fl (USA models);EI (Canada models)
indicator light does not go out, or if it illumi­
nates while you are driving, or if it starts to
blink, then there is a malfunction somewhere
in the system.
If the light does not illum inate
when you switch the ign ition on, th is also
means there is a malfunct ion.
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your authorized Audi dealer immediately. Otherwise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acc i­
dent.
& Central indicator light
If the indicator light. or n turns on, check
the message in the instrument cluster .
nlft Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC)
If the JjJ indicator light blinks while driving,
the ESC or ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) is active ­
ly regulating.
If the
$.J indicator light turns on, the system
has switched the ESC off. In this case, you can
switch the ign ition off and then on to switch
the ESC on aga in. The indicator light turns off
when the system is functioning fu lly.
If the
1B indicator light turns on, ESC was re­
stricted using the
1 .$ OFF I button c> page 196.
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS): Fault! See
owner's manual
If the G) indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
fJ] (USA mode ls) ;flJ (Canada models)
turn on and the message appears, the ABS or electronic differential lock is malfunctioning.
This also causes the ESC to malfunction . The
brakes still function with their normal power,
but ABS is not active .
liJI,

20 Instruments and warning /indicator lights
Drive to your authorized Audi dea ler or quali ­
fied workshop immediately to have the mal­
function corrected .
.&_ WARNING
-
If the~ (USA models)/ . (Canada
models) brake system indicator light turns
on together with the ABS and ESC indica­
tor lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function
may have failed. Functions that stabilize
the vehicle a re no longer available. This
could cause the vehicle to swerve and in-
crease the risk of sliding. Drive carefully to
the nearest authorized Audi dea ler or oth­
er qualified workshop and have the mal­
function corrected.
(D Tips
For additional information on ESC and
ABS, refer to~
page 196 .
ABS/(e} Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
This warning/indicator light monitors the ABS
and the electronic differential lock (EDL).
The warning/indicator light~ (USA mod­
e ls)
;tiJ (Canada models) will come on for a
few seconds when the ignition is switched on.
The light will go out after an automatic check
sequence is completed.
There is a malfunction in the ABS when:
- T he warning/ indicator light does not illumi ­
nate when you switch the ign ition on.
- T he warning/ indicator light does not go out
after a few seconds .
- T he warning/indicator light illuminates
wh ile driving.
The ESC indicator light also illuminates if there is a malfunction in the ABS . The mes­
sage
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS ): Fault!
See owner's manual
also appea rs in the in­
strument cluster display and a warning tone
sounds.
The brake system will still respond even
without the assistance of the ABS system.
See your authorized Audi dealer as soon as possible to restore full braking performance.
For
more information regarding the ABS
¢page 196.
Malfunction in the brake system
If the brake warn ing light ¢ page 15 and the
ABS wa rning illuminate
together there may be
a malfunction in the ABS, and there may also
be a malfunction in the brake system itself
c:> .&.. The ABS will not work and you will no­
tice a change in braking response and per­
formance.
In the event of a malfunction in the brake
system
the warning/indicator light~
(USA models)/ . (Canada models) in the in­
strument cluster flashes¢
page 15.
Malfunction in the electronic differential
lock (EDL)
The EDL works together with the ABS. The
ABS warning light will come on if there is a
malfunction in the EDL system¢
page 196 .
See your author ized Audi dealer as soon as
poss ible.
.&_ WARNING
- If the C]J (USA models)/ti] (Canada
models) warning light does not go out,
or if it comes on whi le driving, the ABS
system is not working properly. The vehi­
cle can then be stopped only with the
standard brakes (without ABS). You w ill
not have the protect ion ABS provides.
Contact your Audi dealer as soon as pos­
sible .
-USA models: If the ~ warning light,
the
J$J warning light and the~ warn­
ing light come on together, the rear
wheels could lock up first under hard
b rak ing. 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 quali ­
fied workshop . Drive slow ly and avoid
sudden, hard brake applications.
-Canada models: If the brake warning
light ., the
DJ warning light and the
ABS warning light
ti] come on together, ~

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 21
the rear wheels could lock up first under
hard braking. Rear wheel lock-up can
cause loss of vehicle control and an acci­
dent. Have your vehicle repaired immed i­
ately by your authorized Audi dealer or a
qualified workshop. Dr ive slowly and
avo id sudden, hard brake applicat ions.
(0) Worn brake pads
IJ Brak e pads!
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your author ized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all bra ke pads inspect­
ed. O n USA models the wa rning light
IJ
comes on togethe r wi th the warn ing light
1111 . Both sets of brake pads on an axle
must always be replaced at the same time .
& WARNING
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the wa rning light IJ and the warning
light
11111 ) with the message B rake
pads ! comes on in the instrument cluster
display, immediately contact your au­
thorized Aud i deale r or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or replaced if necessary.
EPC Electronic powe r control
App lies to vehicles: with gaso line engine
This warning/indicator light monitors the
electronic power control .
The Ga warning/ indicator light (Electron ic
Power Control) illuminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check .
@ Tips
If this warning/indicator light illuminates
while you are dr iving, then there is a mal­
function in the engine electron ics. Have
the malfu nction corrected as soon as pos-
l ) - : USA models only
-
'
sible by your authorized Audi dealer or
qualified repair facility .
W Glow plug system
Applies to vehicles: with diesel eng ine
The control light illuminates when the glow
plug system is active.
If the II i ndicato r light illum inates, the g low
pl ug system is a ct ive. You sho uld start the en­
gine immediately after the ind icator light
switches off. The indicator light only illum i­
nates for approximate ly 1 second if the en­
gine is warm or if the outs ide temperature is
above 46 QF (8 Q().
(l) Tips
-If the glow plug indicator light illum i­
nates while dr iving, there is an eng ine
control malfunction. The engine should
be checked immed iate ly.
- If the ind icator light does not illuminate
at all when switch ing the ign it ion on,
there may be a malfunction in the glow
plug system. The engine sho uld be
ch ecked.
0 Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
T he Ma lf u nction Indicator Lamp ( MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
T he symbo l
¢.j lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will turn off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed. This indicates that the MIL is work ing
properly.
The warning lig ht ill uminates when there is a
malfunction in the engine electron ic system.
Contact your a uthorized Audi dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected.
An improperly closed fuel filler cap may a lso
ca use the MIL light to illuminate
c> page 221.
For more information c> page 30 .

62 Seats and storage
-Compartments* on the back of the front
seat backrests
- Garment hooks on the sides of the pillars in
the rear of the vehicle and in the rear grab
handles
- Compartment in the rear center armrest
- Storage in the trim panels in the luggage
compartment
~ WARNING
-
- Always remove objects from the instru­
ment panel. Any items not stored could
slide around inside the vehicle while driv­
ing or when accelerating or when apply­
ing the brakes or when driving around a
corner.
- When you are driving make sure that
anything you may have placed in the cen­
ter console or other storage locations
cannot fall out into the footwells. In case
of sudden braking you would not be able
to brake or accelerate.
-Always keep the lid of the compartment
for (sun)glasses* closed while driving to
reduce the risk of injury during a sudden
braking maneuver or in the event of an
accident.
- Any articles of clothing that you have
hung up must not interfere with the driv­
er's view. The coat hooks are designed
only for lightweight clothing. Never hang
any clothing with hard, pointed or heavy
objects in the pockets on the coat hooks.
During sudden braking or in an accident -
especially
If the airbag is deployed -
these objects could injure any passen­
gers inside the vehicle.
- To reduce the risk of personal injury in an
accident or sudden stop, always keep the
glove compartment closed while driving.
- Read and follow all WARNINGS
~ page 171, Important safety instruc­
tions on the side airbag system.
-Hang clothes in such a way that they do
not impair the driver's vision.
- The coat hooks must only be used for
lightweight clothing. Do not leave any
heavy or sharp edged objects in the pock- ets which may interfere with the side cur­
tain airbag deployment and can cause
personal
injury in a crash.
- Do not use coat hangers for hanging
clothing on the coat hooks as this can in­
terfere with proper deployment of the side curtain airbags in an accident.
- Do not hang heavy objects on the coat
hooks, as they could cause personal in­
jury in a sudden stop.
(D Note
Objects located on the rear shelf that rub
against the rear window could damage the heating wires for the rear window defog-
ger .
Roof rack
Description and mounting locations
Additional cargo can be carried with a roof
luggage rack.
Fig. 61 Roof rack attachment po ints
... Always read and follow the instructions pro­
vided by the roof rack manufacturer when installing the roof rack system.
If luggage or cargo is to be carried on the
roof, you must observe the following:
- Only use roof racks approved for your vehi­
cle. These approved roof racks are the basis
for a complete roof rack system. Additional
attachments or carrier systems are needed
to transport luggage and sports equipment.
We recommend using roof racks from the
Audi original accessories program . .,..

.. Hold the master key vertically in the loca­
tion indicated
y>>) c::> fig . 80 .
.. Press the brake pedal c:;, A in Starting the
engine on page
77.
.. Press the l~S_T_A_R_T_ E_N_ G_ I_ N _ E_ S_T_ O_ P~ I button . The
engine will start .
.. Drive to your author ized Audi dealer imme­
diately to have the malfunction co rrected .
('O Tips
You can view the message again by press­
ing the
! START ENGINE STOP I button.
Electromechanical
parking brake
Operation
The electromechanical parking broke replaces
the hand broke.
Fig. 81 Center console: Park ing brake
.. Pull on the switch (®) c::> fig. 81 to apply the
parking brake. The indicator light in the
switch illuminates .
.. Step on the brake pedal or the acce lerator
pedal and press the switch(®) at the same
time to release the parking brake. The indi­
cator light in the switch goes out.
Your vehicle is equipped w ith an electrome­
chanica l park ing brake. The parking brake is
designed to prevent the vehicle from rolling
un intentionally and rep laces the hand brake.
I n addition to the normal functions of a tradi­
tional hand brake, the electromechanica l
parking brake provides various convenience
and safety functions.
On the road 79
When starting from rest
-The integral start ing assist helps you when
driving by automatically re leasing the park­
ing brake
c::> page 80, Starting from rest .
- When start ing on inclines, the starting as­
sist p revents the vehicle from unintentional­
ly rolling back. The braking force of the
parking brake is not re leased until sufficient
driving force has been built up at the
wheels.
Emergency brake function
An emergency brake ensures that the vehicle
can be slowed down even if the
normal brakes
fail
c:;, page Bl, Emergency broking.
Indicator lights
- If the pa rking brake is closed with the ign i­
tion
switched on the indicator lights come
on - (USA
models) ,tl (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the switch.
- If the parking brake is closed with the igni­
tion
switched off the indicator lights come
on - (USA
models) ,tl (Canada models)
in the instrument cluster and in the sw itch
for about 20 seconds.
A WARNING
Do not press the accelerator pedal inadver­
tently if the veh icle is stationary but the
engine is running and a gear is selected .
Otherwise the vehicle w ill start to move
imm ediately and could result in a crash.
(D Note
If the symbol . in the display or the indi­
cator light
1111 (USA models)/. (Cana­
da models) in the instrum ent cluster flash­
es, there is a malfunction in the brake sys­
tem. Please refer to the detailed descrip­
tion of the indicator lights
c::>poge lS.
-If the indicato r light - (USA mod-
els) /. (Canada models) or
11',1 turns
on, there may be a malf un ction in the
parking brake
c::>poge 16.

the distance between your vehicle and
other vehicles.
- For safety reasons, the cruise control
should not be used in the city, in stop­
and-go traff ic, on twisting roads and
when road conditions are poor (such as
ice, fog, grave l, heavy rain and hydro­
planing) -risk of acc ident .
- Turn off the cruise control temporari ly
when entering turn lanes, highway exit lanes or in const ruction zones .
- Please note that inadvertent ly "rest ing"
yo ur foot on the accelerato r peda l causes
the cruise control not to brake. This is
because t he cr uise con trol is overr idden
by the driver's a cce le rat ion.
- If a brake system malfunction such as
overheat ing occurs when the cruise con­
t ro l system is sw itche d on, t he braking
f unction in the system may be switched
off. The other cr uise control f unctions re ­
main active as long as the indicator light
(~j(O~i4 (US models) !Iii (Canad ian mod­
els) is on.
The brake lights illuminate as soon as the brakes decelerate automat ica lly.
Changing speed
App lies to vehicles: with cruise contro l
.. To increase/decrease the speed in incre­
ments, tap the lever in the
0 10 d irection
<=>
page 84, fig . 85
.. To increase/dec rease the speed qu ickly, hold
the leve r in the
010 direction unti l the de­
s ir ed speed is d isplayed.
You can a lso p ress the accelerato r pedal down
to inc rease your speed, e.g . if you want to
pass someone. The speed yo u saved ea rlier
will resume as soon as yo u release the acceler ­
a tor peda l.
I f , however, you exceed your saved speed by
6 mp h (1 0 km/h) fo r longe r th an 5 mi nutes,
the cruise cont ro l w ill turn off te mpor arily.
The green sym bo l
M;\1)~14 (US models) !Iii
On th e ro ad 85
(Canadian mode ls) in the disp lay will go out
but the saved speed remains the same .
· Presetting your speed
Applies to vehicles : with cruise control
You can preset your desired speed while the
vehicle is not moving .
.. Switch on the ignition.
.. Pull leve r into posi tion (!)<=>
page 84,
fig. 85 .
.. Press the lever in the 0 or 0 direction to
increase or decrease your speed .
.. Release the lever to save that speed.
T his function makes it possib le, for examp le,
to save the speed you want before driving on
the h ighway. Once on the highway, act ivate
the cru ise control by pulling the lever toward
(!) .
Switching the system off
App lies to vehicles : with cruise control
Temporary deactivation
.. Press the brake pedal, or
.. Press the leve r into position @(not cl icked
into place)
<::;> page 84, fig . 85, or
.. Dr ive fo r longer t han 5 m inutes at mo re
t han 5 mph (10 km/h) above the stored
speed.
Switching off completely
.. Press lever into position @ (clicked into
plac e), or
.. Switch t he ignit ion off .
The system retains the saved speed if you de ­
activate the cruise control temporar ily . To re­
sume the saved speed, re lease the brake ped­
al a nd pu ll th e leve r to pos it ion (!).
Switc hing the ignit ion off erases the saved
speed .
_& WARNING
You shou ld only retu rn to the saved speed
if it is not too fast for the c urrent traffi c
conditions -ris k of an accident!

Audi adapt ive crui se c ontrol an d bra kin g guard 8 7
vehicles or obstacles that are not moving
can trigger a collision warning and if con­
firmed by the video camera, an acute col­ lis ion warn ing.
- For safety reasons, do not use adaptive
cruise control when driving on roads with
many curves, when the road surface is in
poor condit ion and/or in bad weather
(such as ice, fog, gravel, heavy rain and
hydroplan ing). Using the system under
these cond itions cou ld result in a co lli ­
sion .
- Switch adaptive c ruise control off tempo­
rar ily when driv ing in turning lanes, on
expressway exits or in construction
zones . This prevents the vehicle from ac­
celerating to the set speed when in these
situations .
- The adapt ive cru ise control system w ill
not brake by itse lf if you put your foot on
the accelerator pedal. Doing so can over­ ride the speed and distance regulation .
- When approaching stationary objects such as stopped traffic, adaptive cruise
control will not respond and braking
guard w ill have limited function.
- The adapt ive cruise control system and
braking guard do not react to people , an­
ima ls, objects crossing the road o r on­
coming objects .
- The function of the radar sensors can be
affected by reflective objects such as
guard ra ils, the entra nce to a tunnel,
he avy rain or i ce.
- Never follow a veh icle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safe ly. The
adaptive cruise cont ro l c anno t slow or
brake the veh icle safely when you follow
another vehicle too closely. Always re­
member that the automatic braking
funct ion cannot bring the veh icle to a
sudden or emergency stop under these
condit ions .
- To prevent unintended operation, always
switch ACC off when it is not be ing used. (D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. That cou ld affect the adaptive
cruise control system and brak ing guard .
Have your authorized Aud i dea le r or a u­
thorized Audi Serv ice Facility check their
funct ion.
In curves
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
I
F ig. 88 Ex ampl e: dri vin g in to a curve
When dr iving into a curve c:> fig. 88 and out of
a cu rve, the ad aptive cruise con trol m ay react
to a vehicle in the next lane and apply the
brakes . You can override or prevent the brak­
i ng by pressing the accelerator pedal b riefly.
Stationary objects
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive cruise control
Fig. 89 Ex ampl e: object chang ing l anes and s ta tio nar y
objec t
The adaptive cru ise con tro l system only reacts
to objects that a re mov ing o r th at the system
has a lready detected as moving . For examp le,
if a veh icle @, which has a lready been detect-
ed by the adaptive c ruise contro l, tu rns o r
changes lane s and another stationary vehicle .,._