2015 AUDI A3 CABRIOLET check engine light

12 Instrum ent s and indicator lamp s
Fuel level
The display @
c;, page 10, fig. 3 only works
when the ignition is sw itched on . When the
d isplay has reached the reserve mark, the bot­
tom LED wi ll turn red and the
tD indicator
light turns on¢
page 23 . The bottom LED
blinks red when the fue l level is very low .
The on -board computer shows the range
based on the fuel leve l
c;, page 2 7, On-board
computer display.
F or the tank capac ity in yo ur vehicle , refer to
the Tec hnical Data ¢
page 280.
CJ) Note
Never d rive until the tank is completely
empty. The irregular supp ly of fuel that re­
sults from that can cause the engine to
misfire. Uncombusted f uel will then enter
the exha ust system. This can cause over­
heating and damage to the catalytic con­
verter .
Coolant temperature indicator
The coolant temperature ind icator @
c::> page 10, fig . 3 only works when the ignition
is switched on . T o prevent engine damage, ob­
serve the fo llow ing notes about the tempe ra­
ture ranges.
Cold range
If only the LEDs at the bottom of the gauge
turn on, the engine has not reached operat ing
temperature yet . Avoid high engine speeds,
fu ll acce le rat ing and heavy engine loads.
Norm al range
The engine has reached its operating temper­
ature once the LEDs up to the center of the
gauge turn on under normal driving condi­
tions. The L EDs higher up may turn on if the
engine is under heavy load or the o uts ide tem­
perat ure is h igh. This is not a cause for con­
cern as long as the. indicator light in the
display does not t urn on. Hot range
If the L
EDs in the upper area of the d isp lay
and the. indicator light in the instrumen t
cluster disp lay t urn on, the coo lant tempe ra­
ture is too high
c::> poge 19.
A WARNING
-Always observe the warning in
c;, page 214 before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the eng ine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coo lant
dripping from the engine compartment .
You could burn yourself. Let the engi ne
coo l off first until you can no longe r see
or hea r steam or coolant escaping.
([) Note
- Add itiona l headlights and other compo ­
ne nts in front of the a ir intake impairs
the cooling eff ect of the coolant. This in­
creases the risk of the engine over heat ­
ing dur ing high outs ide temper atures
and heavy eng ine load .
- The front spoiler also he lps to distr ibute
cooling air correct ly wh ile driving.
If the
spoiler is damaged, the coo ling effect
wi ll be impai red and the risk of the en­
gine overheating will increase. See an au­
thorized Audi dealer o r authorized Aud i
Service Facility for ass istance.

18 Instruments and indicator lamps
Active lane assist*
¢ page 100
Audi side assist*
¢page 105
Transmission
¢ page 116
USA model s:
Electromechanical parking brake
¢ page 19
Canada model s:
Electromechanical parking bra ke
¢page 19
BRAKE/((i)) Brake system
If this indicator light tu rns on, there is a mal­
function in the brake system.
• (USA models) , • (Canada models)
Please stop vehicle and check brake fluid lev­
el!
Stop the vehicle and check the brake fluid lev­
e l. See an a uthorized Audi dea le r or author ­
ized Audi Service Facility for assistance if nec­
essary.
• (USA models) , • (Canada models)
Warning! Brake servo inoperative!
If the b rake assist (bra ke booste r) is not wo rk­
in g, you must use press the brake pedal hard­
e r to brake. See an authorized Aud i dealer or
authorized Audi Serv ice Facility fo r ass istance.
• (USA models) , • (Canada models )
Warning! Fault in brake sy stem . Please con­
tact Service
If the ABS indicator light (;I (USA models) /
KO) (Canada models), the ESC ind icator
light
Jil and the brake system indicator
light . (USA models)/ . (Canada models)
turn on and this message appears, the ABS,
ESC and braking distrib ution are ma lf u nction­
ing ¢.&. .
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer o r au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to
have the ma lfunction corrected ¢.&. .
• (USA models) , • (Canada models)
Parking brake system fault! See owner's
manual
- If the ind icator light and the message ap­
pear
when the vehicle is stationary or after
switching the ignition on ,
check if you can
re lease the parking brake. If you cannot re­
lease the parking brake, see your authorized
Aud i dealer or authorized Audi Service Facili­
ty . If you can release the parking brake and
the message still appears, see an author ized
Aud i dea ler or a uthorized Audi Service Facili­
ty immediately to have the ma lfunction cor­
rected.
- If the ind icator lig ht and message appear
while driving , the hill start assist or emer­
gency braking function may be malf uncti on­
ing . It may not be possib le to set the park­
ing brake or release it once it has been set.
Do not park your vehicle on hills and see an
author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Service Facility for assistance.
(USA mode ls) : I f the . and
liJ indicator
lights turn on together, take your vehicle to an
authorized Aud i dea ler or a uthorized Audi
Serv ice Facility immed iately to have the brake
pads inspected ¢
page 22.
There is also a warning tone when the lights
turn on.
A WARNING
-- Follow the warn ings on¢ page 214,
Working in the engine compartment
be­
fore opening the hood and check ing the
brake fluid level.
- If the brake system indicator light does
not turn off or it turns on while dr iving,
the brake fluid leve l in the reservo ir is
too low, and this increases the risk of an
accident. Stop the vehicle and do not
continue driving. See an authorized Aud i
dealer or authorized Aud i Service Facility
for assistance. ..,.

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
-If the brake system indicator light turns
on together with the ABS and ESC indica­
tor lights, the ABS/ESC regulating func­
t ion may be malfunct ion ing . Funct ions
that stabilize the vehicle are no longer
available . Th is could cause the rear of the
vehicle to swerve, wh ich increases the
risk that the vehicle will slide. Drive care­
fully to the nearest authorized Audi deal­
er or authorized Audi Service Facility and
have the malfunction corrected .
PARKl<® >f' l®i Electromechanical p arking
brake
If the . (USA models) I. (Canada models)
indicator light turns on, the park ing brake was
set .
• (USA models) /. (Canada models) Cau­
tion: Vehicle parked too steep
When the indicator light blinks and this mes­
sage appears, there is not enough braking
power to keep the veh icle from rolling. The
brakes have overheated. The vehicle could roll
away even on a small incline.
• (USA models) /. (Canada models)
Please press brake pedal to release parking
brake
To release the parking brake, press the brake
pedal and press the
[2] button at the same
time , or start dr iv ing wi th hill s tart assist
¢ page 83 , S tarting from a stop.
Ill Parking brake!
There is a parking brake malfunction. Drive to
an authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected .
Ill Parking brake: limited functionality!
There is a parking brake malfunction. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected.
litJ;):t :);Q3~ (USA models ) / ~ (Canada mod­
els) Please release parking brake
Instruments and indicator lamps 19
Release the parking brake if this message ap ­
pears.
j:lj;J:t:);JJJ~ (USA models) /~(Canada mod­
els) Parking brake auto release unavailable
If this message appears , press the brake pedal
first and then release the pa rking brake .
j:(;j;)J:);J:1:0 (USA models) / ¢@'A els) Caution: Vehicle parked too steep
When the indicator light blinks and this mes­
s a ge appears, there is not enough braking
power to keep the vehicle from rolling. The
brakes have overheated. Th e veh icle could roll
away even on a sma ll incline .
IIJ;):11:);J:1:0 (USA models) /~(Canada mod­
els) Parking brake is applied
If this message appears, press the brake pedal
first and then release the parking brake if nec ­
essary.
(D Tips
For additional informat ion on the parking
brake, refer to¢
page 82.
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant lev­
el!
The coolant level is too low or the coo lant
temperature is too high.
Do not continue driving and switch the engine
off . Check the coolant level¢
page 220.
- If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
¢page 221. Only continue driving once the
ind icator light turns off .
- If the coolant level is correct, the problem
may be caused by a malfunction in the radia ­
tor fan. Do not continue driving. See an au­
thorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Service Facility for assistance.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
Let the engine run at idle fo r a few minutes to
cool down . .,..
•

20 Instruments and indicator lamps
_& WARNING
-Never open the hood if you can see or
hear steam or coolant escaping from the
engine compartment . This increases the
risk of burns. Wait until you no longer
see or hear steam or coolant escaping.
-
-The engine compartment in any vehicle
can be a dangerous area. Stop the engine
and allow it to cool before working in the
engine compartment. Always follow the
information found in
<:;>pag e 214, Work­
ing in the engine compartment.
(D Note
Do not continue driving if the. indicator
light turns on - th is increases the risk of
engine damage.
• Switch
off engine! Oil pressure too low
Stop the engine and do not continue driving.
Check the engine oil level
<:;>page 218.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 217. Only continue driving once
the indicator light turns off.
- If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, turn the engine
off
and do not continue driving. See an author­
ized Audi dealer or author ized Audi Serv ice
Fac ility for assistance.
@ Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an oil level
ind icator. For this reason, check the oil lev­
el regularly.
0 Alternator/battery
• Alternator f ault: battery is not being
charged
There is a malfunct ion in the alternator or the
vehicle electrical system.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immed iately. Be­
cause the vehicle battery is draining, turn off all unnecessary electrical equipment such as
the
MMI. See your authorized Audi dea ler or a
qualified repair facility if the battery charge
l evel is too low.
(•] low battery charge: Battery will be
charged while driving
The starting ability may be impaired.
If this message turns off afte r a little while,
the battery has charged enough wh ile driving.
If the message does not turn off, have and au­
thorized Audi dea ler or authorized Audi Serv­
ice Facility repair the malfunction.
tli1 !I: Safety systems
The II (USA models) Im (Canada models)
indicator light monitors the safety systems.
Safety system
If the II (USA models)/ m (Canada models)
indicator light turns on or blinks, there is a
malfu nction in a safety system.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Serv ice Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
_& WARNING
-Have the safety systems inspected imme-
diately. Otherwise, there is a risk that the
systems may not activate during a colli­
s ion, wh ich increases the risk of serious in­
jury or death.
4f-Front safety belt
The. indicator light stays on until the driv­
er's and front passenger's safety belts are
buck led. There is also a warning tone above a
certain speed .
(D Tips
For additional information on safety belts,
refer to¢
page 138.

22 Instruments and indicator lamps
OFF also appears. You can turn the ESC on
again by press the
I~ O FF I button again.
The system switches on when the ignition is
switched on. The
fl indicator light turns off
when the system is functioning fully.
Stabilization control (ESC) malfunction! See
owner's manual
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS) malfunc­
tion! See owner's manual
ABS malfunction! See owner's manual
If the J..fd indicator light and the ABS indicator
light
ml (USA models)/ ii] (Canada models)
turn on and this message appears, there is a malfunction in the ABS system or electron ic
d ifferential lock. This also causes the ESC to
malfunction. The brakes still function with
their norma l power , but ABS is not active .
Drive to an authorized Aud i dea ler or author­
ized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the malfunction corrected .
A WARNING
If the . (USA models) I. (Canada mod­
els) brake system indicato r light turns on
together with the ABS and ESC indicator
lights, the ABS/ESC regulating function
may have failed . Functions that stabilize
the vehicle are no longer avai lab le . This
could cause the vehicle to swerve, which
increases the risk that the vehicle will
slide. Drive carefully to the nearest author­
ized Aud i dealer or authorized Aud i Service
Facility and have the ma lfunction correct­
ed .
(D Tips
For addit ional information on ESC and
ABS, refer to<=:> page 188.
BRAKE/ {01 Brake pads
1111 (USA models ) / llJ (Canada models)
Brake pads!
l) - : USA mod els onl y
If the warning light illuminates, immediate ly
contact your authori zed Audi dealer or quali ­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect­
ed. Both sets of brake pads on an axle must
always be replaced at the same t ime.
A WARNING Co....- -
Driving with bad brakes can cause a colli­
sion and ser ious personal injury.
- If the warn ing light
llJ or the warning
light
llll1l with the message Brake
pads!
comes on in the instrument cluster
disp lay, immediately contact you r au­
thorized Audi dealer or qualified work­
shop to have all brake pads checked or
replaced if necessary.
' ·~ Hill hold
Hill hold assist: unavailable
If
the 111 ind icator light tu rns o n and this
message appears, hill hold is not available.
111 Manual control!
If this message appears, press the brake ped­
al.
Continue driving with the help of the parking
brake.
<=:> page 82
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
App lies to vehicles : wit h gasoli ne e ngi ne
If the (3i indicator light turns on there is a
malfunction in the engine control.
Drive slowly to your authorized Audi dea ler or
qualified repair facility to have the engine
checked.
If the (3i indicator light turns on when you
start the engine, there is an automatic start
malfunction . To start the engine, follow these
steps:
- Vehicles with a mechanical ignition
<=:> page 77, Automatic start malfunction

M N ,....
> co ,...., \!) ..,.,
,...., ..,., ,....,
-Vehicles with a conven ience key
¢ page 79, Automatic start malfunction.
a System indicator light (MIL)
The system indicator light (MIL) is part of the
On Board Diagnostic system (OBD II). The
¢4 symbol turns on when the ign it ion is
switched on and turns off aga in once th e en­
g ine is started an d running at a st eady idle
speed. This ind icates that the M IL is funct ion­
ing cor rectly .
The indicator light turns on if there is a mal ­
function in the engine electronics . See an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Se rv­
ice Facility to have the malfunction co rrected.
The system indicator light (MIL) may turn on
if the fuel fille r cap is not closed correctly
¢ page 212.
For addit ional i nformation, refer to
¢ page 29.
!?) Engine speed limitation
Appl ies to vehicles: with engine speed limitation
(Ill Max. engine spee d: XXXX rpm
The engine speed is automatically lim ited to
the speed disp layed in the driver information
system. This protects the engine from over­ heat ing.
The engine speed limitation deactivates once
the eng ine is no longer in the cr it ica l tempera ­
ture range and you have released the accelera­
tor peda l.
If the engine speed limitation was activated by an eng ine control malfunction, the~ indi­
cator light also turns on. Make s ure the en­
g ine speed does not go above the speed dis­
p layed, for examp le when downsh ifting. Drive
to an author ized Audi dealer or author ized
Aud i Service Fac ility immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected .
'l'.::r., Engine oil level (min.)
II Check oil level
In strum ent s an d indicator lamp s 23
You may cont inue driving for the time be ing.
Check the oil leve l as soon as possib le
¢ page 217.
-If the eng ine o il level is too low, add eng ine
oil ¢page218 .
-If the eng ine o il level is correc t and the indi­
cato r light still turns on, drive at low engine
speed to the nearest authorized Audi dealer
or qualified repair facility.
~"" Engine oil sensor
• Oil le vel sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oi l level has
failed. Drive to an author ized Audi dealer or
authorized Aud i Service Fac ility immediately
to have the malfunction corrected.
(D Note
Refe r to the description in the Owner's
M anual
¢ page 218 and ¢page 218,
Adding engine oil
Elil Tank system
liD Please refuel
If the indicator light turns fi rst turns on and
th is message appears, the tank conta ins the
follow ing amount of fue l:
- Front whee l drive: approximate ly 1. 8 ga l­
lons (7 liters)
-All wheel drive: approximately 2 .2 gallons
(8 . 5 liters)
liD Plea se refuel immediately
If the indicato r light turns on the message ap­
pears, the fue l tank is a lmost empty . Refuel
t h e ve hicl e immed iate ly.
liD Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact
Service
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunct ion in the
ta nk system .
•

84 Driving
Emergency braking function
This is used if the conventional brake system
fails or locks up.
... To brake your veh icle in an emergency, pu ll
the @switch ¢
page 82, fig. 82 and hold it
pulled .
... As soon as you releas e the @ switch or ac-
cele rate, the braking p rocess stops.
Pulling and holding the @switch while driv­
in g at a speed of about 2 mph (3 km/h) or
h igher in itiates the emergency b rak ing func­
tion . The vehi cle is braked at all fou r whee ls
by activat ing the brak ing hydrau lics. The brake
performance is s imilar to heavy bra ki ng. ¢.&.
To help prevent act ivat ing the emergency
b rak ing by mis take, an audib le wa rning tone
(b uzzer) sounds when the @switch is pulled.
E me rgency braking s tops as soo n as the @
switch is released or the accelerator peda l is
p ressed.
&_ WARNING
Emergency braking shou ld only be used in
an emergency, when the normal brake
pedal has failed or the brake pedal is ob­
structed . Du ring emergency braking, your
vehicle will brake similar to heavy braking.
ESC and the assoc iated components (ABS,
ASR, EDL) cannot overcome the laws of
physics. In corners and w hen road or
weather conditions are bad, a full brake
application can cause the vehicle to skid or
the rear end to b reak away, which increas­
es the risk of an acc ident.
Hill hold
Applies to vehicles: with H ill Hold
Hill hold makes it easier to start on hills .
Requirement: The driver door must be closed
and the engine must be r unning .
The system is act iva ted when the brake pedal
i s pressed wh ile the veh icle is s ta tionary .
To prevent the vehicle from ro ll ing back when
start ing , the bra ke power is he ld for a br ief moment afte
r releasing the brake pedal. D ur­
ing t his time, you can easi ly begin to move
you r vehicle .
A WARNING
"---
-The intelligent technology of Hi ll Hold
cannot overcome the limitations im­ posed by natural physical laws . The in­
creased comfort offered by H ill Hold
should not cause you to take safety r is ks.
- Hill Hold cannot hold the vehicle in all
h ill sta rt situations (fo r example, if the
g round is slippery o r icy).
- If you do not beg in moving immediately
after releasing the brake pedal, the vehi­
cle could begi n to roll ba ckward unde r
certain ci rc u ms tances. Press the brake
pedal or set the pa rk ing brake immedi­
ately.
- If the eng ine "stalls", press the b ra ke
pedal or set the pa rking brake immedi ­
ately.
- Starting on inclines in stop-and-go t ra f­
fic: To help prevent the vehicle from ro ll­
in g back when starting, press and ho ld
the brake pedal fo r several seconds when
the vehicle is stationary.
(D Tips
You can find o ut if yo ur vehicle is equ ipped
with Hill Hold by checking at an a uthorized
A udi dealer or qualified repair facility.
Speed warning system
Introduction
The speed warning system helps you to stay
under a specified maximum speed .
The speed warning system war ns you if you
are exceeding the maximum speed that you
have set . You will hear a warning tone when
yo ur speed exceeds the stored value by ap­
proximate ly 3 mph (3 km/h). The . (U SA
models)/ . (Canada models) ind icator light
and the message
Speed limit e xceeded! ap­
pear in the instrument cluster display at the
same time. The./. indicator light turns ..,.

112 Autom atic tr an smi ssion
position longer than approximately 2 seconds
when th e brake pedal is not pressed.
Inter lock butt on
The interlock button in the selector lever han­
d le prevents you from moving the selector
lever inadvertently while in some se lecto r lev­
er positions. The positions that require the in ­
terlock button to be pressed are marked in
color in the illustration
c::> fig. 106 .
Ignition k ey s afe ty inte rloc k*
You can only remove the key from the ignition
after switching the ignition off if the se lector
lever is in the P position. The selector lever
will be locked in the P position as long as the
key is not in the ign ition.
_&. WARNING
Read and following all WARNINGS. c::> .& in
Selector lever positions on page 110.
(D Tips
- If the se lector lever does not engage,
there is a malfunction. The engine is dis­
abled to prevent the vehicle from driving
off unintentionally. Press the brake pedal briefly to allow the selector lever lock to
engage aga in .
- If the vehicle does not move forward or
in reverse even though a drive position is
se lected, proceed as follows:
- >If the veh icle does not move in the de­
s ired direction, the system may not have
engaged the dr ive position co rrectly.
Press the brake pedal and select the
drive position again.
- >If the veh icle st ill does not move in the
desired direction, there is a system mal­
f u nct ion . See an a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or authorized Audi Service Facility for as ­
sistance to have the system checked.
Driving tips
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The transmission shifts up and down auto­
matically when in the driving gears .
Fig . 107 Sect io n of the cente r co nsole: se lector leve r
w ith interlock b utto n
The eng ine will only be able start when these­
lector lever is in the P or N positions. At low
temperatures (below 14 °F ( -10 °C)), the en­
gine can only be started when the selector
lever is in the P pos it ion.
St arting from a stop
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Press and hold the interlock button in the
selector lever handle, select the desired se ­
lector lever pos ition such as D
c::> page 11 0
and release the lock button.
.,. Wa it a moment until the transmission
shifts . You will notice a slight movement
when the gear engages .
.. Release the b rake peda l and press the acce l­
erator pedal
c::> _A .
Stopping t emporarily
.,. Keep the veh icle stat iona ry using the brak­
ing pedal, fo r example at traffic lig hts.
.,. Do not press the accelerator peda l when do­
ing this.
.,. To prevent the vehicle from ro lling when you
start driv ing, set the parking brake when
stopping on steep inclines
c::> _A .
.,. The parking brake will release automat ically
and the vehicle will start mov ing once you
press the acce lerator pedal. Requ irement:
The driver's safety belt must fastened and
the dr iver's door must be closed . .,._