2015 AUDI A3 warning lights

22 Instruments and indicator lights ~Engine
• Engin e stopped: brake servo and power
steering not possible
There is a malfunct io n in the eng ine or in the
f u e l supp ly system .
A large amou nt of steering and braking force
i s required when driving a ro lli ng vehicle w it h
the eng ine stopped. Try to stop a ro lling veh i­
cle ca refully on the s ide of th e road . See your
author ized Audi dealer or qua lified repai r fa­
cili ty.
_&. WARNING
If the eng ine stops whi le driving, a la rge
amount of braking force is required . This
increases the risk of an accident. As long
as the ve hicle rolls wit h the ignition
sw itched on and there is e nough battery
charge, the power steering wi ll still work.
If not, a large amoun t of steeri ng force is
re quir ed.
-
;;IC, Electronic stabilization control
(ESC) and
(8) anti-lock braking system
(ABS)
If t h e J;,J indicator light b links w hile d riving,
the ESP or ASR (anti-s lip regulat ion) is actively
regulat ing.
I f th e
J;,J indicator light turns on, t he system
h as sw itche d the ESC
off . In th is case, you can
switch the ignition
off and then on to switch
the ESC on again. The indicator light turns
off
when th e system is functioning fully .
Stabilization control (ESC ): sport. Warning!
Rest ricted stability
When the II indica to r li gh t turns on, the ES C
sport mo de was switc hed on w it h the
!1' O FF I
button ¢ page 187. You can turn the ESC
bac k on by press ing the
!1' O FF i button again.
Stabilization control (ESC ): off. Warning!
Restricted stability
Wh en the II indicato r ligh t tur ns on, ESC i s
restri cte d or was sw itche d
off wi th the I~ O FF I
but ton ¢ page 187 . The mess age ESC OFF al- so appears
. You can t urn the ESC bac k on by
pressing the
1 -P. O FF I butto n again .
When the igni tion is sw itche d on t he sys tem
is tur ned o n. The
fl indica tor ligh t turns off
when the system is functioning f ully.
Stabilization control (ESC) malfunction! See
owner's manual
Stabilization control (ESC/ABS) malfunc­
tion! See owner's manual
ABS malfunct ion! See owner's manual
If the DJ in di cator light and the ABS indicator
li ght
i;l (U SA mode ls) ;tiJ (Canada mode ls)
turn on and this message appears, there is a
malfuncti on in the ABS system or electronic
differentia l lock . T hi s also causes the ESC to
malfu nction . The brakes st il l function wi th
t h eir normal power, but A BS is not
active.
Drive to y our auth orized A udi dealer or quali­
fied repa ir facility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected .
_&. WARNING
-If the. (U SA mode ls) • (Cana da mod-
e ls) brake sys tem indi ca tor ligh t turns on
to ge ther wi th the A BS an d ESC ind icat or
li g hts, the A BS/ ES C r egu la t ing func tion
may have fa iled . Fu nctions that s tabili ze
the veh icle are no longe r available . This
could ca use the vehicle to
swerve, wh ich
in creases the r is k th at the vehicle will
slide . Dr ive carefully to the nearest aut hor­
i z e d A udi dealer or ot her qualified repair
fac ility an d have t he malfu nction cor rect­
e d .
@ Tips
Fo r additional informat io n o n ESC an d
A BS, refer to
Q pag e 185.
(0} Worn brake pads
£t3 Brake pads!
If the warning light illuminates, immed iate ly
co ntact your author ized Audi dea ler or qua li-
fi ed wor kshop to have all b rake pads ..,_

inspected. On USA models the warning light
[IJ comes on together with the warning light
• . Both sets of brake pads on an axle must
always be rep laced at the same time.
_& WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a coll i­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the warning light
[IJ and the warning
light
. l) with the message Brake pads!
comes o n in the instrument cluste r dis­
play, immed iately contact your au thor­
i z ed Audi dea le r or q ualified wor kshop to
have all bra ke p ad s ch ecked or rep laced if
necessary.
· ~ Hill hold
Hill hold a ssis t: un available
If th e> #j •ndicato r light turns on and this
message appea rs, hill ho ld is not available.
II Manual control!
If this message appears, press the b rake ped·
al.
Continue driving w ith the help of the parking
brake ¢
page 76.
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
Applies to vehicles: with gasoline engine
If the ~ indicator light turns on there is a
malfunct ion in the engine control.
D rive s low ly to your authorized Audi dealer or
q ua lified repair faci lity to have the engine
checked .
I f the ~ indica to r li ght turns on when you
start the engine, there is a malfunction in the
l aunch contro l. To start the engine, follow
these steps:
- Vehicles wi th a mechanical ignition
¢ page 71 ,
-vehicles wi th a compor t igni tion
c:> page 73.
1) . : USA mode ls onl y
Instrument s and indicator ligh ts 23
o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfun ction Indi cato r Lamp ( MIL) is pa rt
of the On-Board Diagnos tic (OBD II) sys tem.
T he sym bo l
('4 lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will tur n off after the engine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed . This indicates that the MIL is work ing
properly.
T he wa rning lig ht ill uminates when the re is a
malfunction in the engine electronic system .
Contact your a uthorized Aud i dea ler and have
the malfunction corrected.
If the fuel fille r cap is closed incor rect ly, this
may also cause the MIL to turn on
c:> poge 208.
For more information ¢ page 29 .
!7, Engine speed limitation
Applies to vehicles: wi th engine speed lim itatio n
(m Max. engine speed: XXXX rpm
T he eng ine speed is automatically limi ted to
the speed displayed in the driver info rm ation
system . This pro te cts the engine from over ­
heating.
T he eng ine speed l imi ta tion dea ctivates on ce
the engine is no longer in the cri tical tempera ­
tu re range and yo u have re lease d the acce lera ­
tor pedal.
If t he engine speed limi tat ion was act iva ted
b y an engine cont rol m alfunc tio n, the ~ indi­
cator light also turns on. Make sure the en ­
gine speed does not go above the speed dis­
played, fo r example when downshifting . Drive
to yo ur authorized Aud i dea le r or qualified re ­
pair facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
~. Engine oil level (min.)
El Check oil level
•

24 Instruments and indicator lights
You may continue driving for the time being .
Check the oil level as soon as possible
¢ page 212.
-If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
oi l
¢ page 215.
-If the engine oil level is correct and the indi­
cator light still turns on, drive at low engine
speed to the nearest authorized Audi dea ler
or qualified repair facility.
_..,. Engine oil sensor
II Oil level sensor: system fault!
The sensor to check the engine oil level has
failed. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified repair faci lity immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
Q;) Note
Pay attention to the description in the
Owner 's Manual
¢ page 215 and
¢ page 215, Adding engine oil "l::;1:.
Bil Tank system
RD Please refuel
When the indicator light turns first turns on
and this message appears, the tank contains
the following amount of fuel:
- Front wheel drive : approximately 1.8 gal­
lons (7 liters)
- All wheel drive: approximately 2.2 gallons
(8 .5 liters)
RD Fuel tank malfunction! Please contact
Service
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a ma lfunction in the
tank system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer or quali­
fied repair facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
@) For the sake of the environment
Fuel should never enter the sewer system
or come into contact w ith the ground.
(D Tips
More information on refueling is available
on page ¢
page 207.
~ Washer fluid level
m Please add washer fluid
Fill the washer fluid with the ignition switched
off ¢
page 224.
• Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper: system fault!
There is a malfunction with the windshie ld
wipers .
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied repair facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
~ Defective light bulb warning
Applies to vehicles: wit h drive r info rmatio n system
If the S:i indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. The message ind icates the location of
the bulb .
Replace the bulb immediately.
Vehicle lights: system fault!
There is a malfunction in the headlights or
light switch. Drive to an author ized Audi deal­
er or qualified repair facility immediately to
have the malfunction corrected.
_&. WARNING
- Light bulbs are under pressure and can
explode when bu lbs are replaced -risk of
inj ury.
- With gas-discharge lamps* (xenon head­
lights), the high -voltage component
must be hand led appropriate ly. Other­
wise, there is a risk of fatal injury.
-

~(D Dynamic headlight range control
system
App lies to vehicles: with Xe non lig hts
II Headlight range control system: system
fault!
There is a malfunct ion i n the dynam ic head ­
light range con trol system, wh ich may cause
g la re for other drivers.
D rive to you r autho rized Aud i dea le r o r quali­
fied repair faci lity immediately to have the
mal funct ion cor rected.
l§O Audi adaptive light
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive light
rDI Audi adaptive light: system fault!
There is a malfunct io n in the adaptive lights.
The headlights still function.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or qualified
repair facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected .
@) Light/rain sensor
Applies to vehicles: with light/ra in se nsor
El Automatic headlights: system fault!
El Automatic wipers: system fault!
The light/rain sensor is not working.
F or safety reasons , the low beams are turned
on permanent ly with the switch in
AUTO. You
can continue to turn the lights on and off us­
ing the light switch. You can still control all
wiper functions that are independent of the
rain sensor.
Drive to an authorized Audi dea ler or qualified
repair facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected .
Q Adaptive dampers
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
II Suspension: system fault!
There is an adaptive damper malfunction.
Instruments and indicator lights 25
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or qualified
repair facility immediately to have the mal­
function corrected .
¢i Q Turn signals
If the B or 1B in dicator light blinks, a turn
s ignal is turned on. If both indicator lights are
blinking, the emergency flashers are on.
In an indicator light blinks twice as fast as
usual then a blinker bulb has failed. Carefully
drive to your author ized Audi dealer or quali­
fied repa ir facility immed iately to have the
malfu nction corrected . T he indicator light
does not indicate a malfunction if a turn sig­
nal on the trailer or on the vehicle fails when
towing a trailer.
(D Tips
For more information on the turn signals,
see
~ page 44.
{d i~ Rear safety belt
App lies to vehicles: with rear safety belt detection
The IJ ;ffl i ndicator light turns on briefly
when you swi tch the ignition on.
An indica tor light turns on briefly when the
safety belt in the rear seat is buckled or un­
buckled.
l!I -if the ind icator light turns on briefly, the
r ear seat is not occupied or the safety belt is
not buckled . Th ere is also an audio warning
signal if the be lt is unbuckled whi le driving.
II -if the ind icator light turns on briefly, the
r ear safety belt is buckled.
{D Tips
For additional information on safety belts,
refer to~
page 131.
•

Opening th e windows
"' Press the sw itch to the fir st sto p and hold i t
until the window reaches the desi red posi ­
tion .
"' Press the switch briefly to the
se cond stop
to automatic ally open the window .
Clos ing th e windows
"' Pull the swi tch to t he fir st sto p and hold it
until the window reaches the desi red posi ­
tion .
"' Pull the switch briefly to the
sec on d s top to
automatica lly close the window .
Pow er wi nd ow switch es
@ Sw itch c::> fig. 2 7 f or the window in the
driver's door.
@ Sw itch for the window in the fron t pas­
senger 's door .
© Switch for the window in the left rear
door.
@ Sw itch for the window in the r ight re ar
door.
® Safety bu tton* .
Child safe ty lock
When the safety button® c::> fig. 2 7 is press­
ed, the~ symbol in the button lights up . The
power w indow switches in the rear doors are
switched off.
A WARNING
- Always remove the ignition key when you
leave your vehicle, even for a short peri­
od of time . This applies particularly when
children remain in the vehicle . Otherwise
the chi ldren could start the engine or op­
erate electrical equ ipment such as power
windows. The power windows continue
to function unt il the driver 's door or
front passenger's door has been opened .
- Pay carefu l attent ion when closing the
window . It could cause injury by pinch­
ing.
- When locking the veh icle from outs ide,
the vehicle must be unoccupied s ince the
Opening and clo sin g 39
windows can no longer be opened in an
emergency.
(D Tips
After turning the ignition off you can s till
open and close the windows for approxi­ mately 10 seconds. The power windows
are not switched off until the driver's door
or front passenger's door has been
opened .
Convenience opening/closing
With the convenience open ing/closing func­
tion, you can centrally and eas ily ope n the
windows and the pano rama sunroof* from the
o utside.
Convenienc e opening
"' Press the open button~ on the remote con ­
trol key u ntil all w indows and the panorama
sunroof* have reached the desired position,
or
"' First unlock the vehicle using the open but­
ton
Im on the remote cont ro l key and then
keep the key in the lock on the driver's door
until a ll windows and the and the panorama
sunroof* have reached the desired position .
Conven ience closing
"' Hold the key in the lock on the drive r's door
i n the closed position unt il a ll windows and
the panorama sunroof * are closed.
Adjusting the convenience opening in the
MMI
"' Select: !MENU I > button System s contro l
button or
Car s ystems > Vehicle settings >
C entral locking > Open windows b y press­
ing long
or > F ront windo ws on /off or Roof
on /off *.
A WARNING
- Be careful when clos ing the windows and
panorama sunroof* - the re is a risk of in-
Jury.
li1'-
•

42 Lights an d Vi sion
Lights and Vision
Exterior lighting
Switching lights on and off
Fig . 29 Instrument pane l: l ig ht switc h
Light swit ch -'tj.-
The headlights only work when the ignition is
switched on. While start ing the engine or
when switching off the ignition, the head­
lights will go off and only the side marker
lights will be on .
If the system is not operating properly, a
warning symbol in the driver information dis ­
play is displayed
¢ page 25.
Turn the switch¢ fig. 29 to the corresponding
position . When the lights are switched on, the
respective symbol turns on.
0 -lights off. In some countries, the day time
running lights* are turned on and off together
with the ignition.
- USA model s: T he daytime running lights
wi ll come on automatically when the igni­
tion is on and the light switch¢
fig. 29 is in
the
O position or the AUTO position (only in
daylight conditions) . The
Daytime runn ing
li ghts function can be turned on and off in
the MM I ¢
page 44, ¢ .&. .
- Canad a models: The daytime running lights
will come on automa tically when the igni­
t ion is on and the light switch¢
fig. 29 is in
the
O posit ion , the :oo: pos ition or the AUTO
posit ion (only in daylight conditions) ¢,& .
AUTO* -Automatic headligh ts swi tch on and
off depend ing on brightness, for example in
tw il ight, during rain or in tunnels . In vehicles with integrated day time runn
ing lights *, ei­
t h er the daytime running lights or the head­
lights wi ll turn on automat ically, depending
on the amount of light (may vary depending
on the country).
: oo : -Parking lights
iD -Low beam head lights
T he following w ill happen in these light
switch pos itions when you lock the veh icle:
- iD -Low beam: the entire exterior lights
sw itch off
- AUTO*: the Coming home* function is
turned on ¢
page 44
Fog lights* / rear fog light (s)
Press the corresponding button¢ fig. 29:
}0 -Fog lights*. When the fog lights are
swi tched on, the
}0 symbol in the button illu­
minates.
0$ -Rear fog light(s) When the rear fog lights
are switched on, the
Ot symbo l in the b utton
illuminates.
All-weather lights*
apples to vehicles with LED headlights .
Press the
¢ fig. 29 button.
'i'!io -All-weather lights (this button rep laces
the fog light button
}0.)
In veh icles with all-wea ther lights , the front
l igh ts are adj usted automati cally so that yo u
are less like ly to see glare from your own
headlights, for example when driving on a wet
road.
Headlight range control system
T he headlight range adjus ts automatically
when there is a c hange in vehicle load and
during b raking and accelera ting so that the
headlig hts do not ca use g lare for oncom ing
traffic .
Audi adaptive light *
The ad aptive light only functions when the
li gh t switch is in the AU TO posit ion. You can
IJ,-

deactivate adaptive light in the MMI
¢ pag e 44.
When swi tched on, adapt ive light adjusts to
curves depend ing on the vehicle speed and
steering whee l ang le . This provides b etter
lighting through the curve. The system oper­
ates in a speed range from approx imately 6
mph (10 km/h) to 68 mph (110 km/h) .
Static corner ing light * (vehicles with adaptive
light) -the cornering light switch es on auto­
mat ica lly when the steer ing whee l is turned at
a certa in angle at speeds up to approximately
44 mph (70 km/h) and when the tu rn signal is
activated at speeds up to approximately 25
mph (40 km/h) . The area to the s ide of the ve­
h icle is illuminated bette r when turning .
Speed dependent ligh t dis tributi on* -The
speed dependent light distribution adapts the
light in towns and on h ighways o r express­
ways . Inte rsect io ns can also be illuminated on
veh icles w ith a navigation system* .
Highway light function*
(Vehicles wi th adap tive light or LED head­
lights) -T his function adapts the light ing for
h ighway driving based on vehicle speed .
A WARNING
-Automatic headlights* are only intended
to assist the dr iver. They do not relieve
the driver of responsib ility to check the
headlights and to turn them on ma nually
according to the current light and visibili­
ty conditions . For examp le, fog cannot
be detected by the light sensors. So al­
ways switch on the low beam under
these weather conditions and when driv­
ing in the dark
io .
-Crashes can happen when you cannot see
the road a head and when you cannot be
seen by other motorists . Always turn on
the headlights so that you can see ahead
and so that others can see your car from beh ind.
- Please obse rve lega l regulations when
using the light ing systems descr ibed . Ligh
ts and Visi on 4 3
(D Note
The rear fog lights shou ld only be turned
on in accordance with traffic regu lations,
to prevent glare for traffic behind your ve­
hicle.
{!) Tips
- The light sensor for the automatic head­
lights* is in the rearview mirror mount.
Therefore , do not place any stickers in
this area o n the windshield .
- Some funct ions of the exterior lighting
can be adjusted
c:> page 44.
- If you turn off the ignition while the ex­
terior lights are on and open the door,
you will hear a warning to ne.
- In some countries, the tail lights do not
switch on when the daytime runn ing
lamps switch on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of
the headlights, turn signals and tail
lights can fog over due to the tempera ­
t u re difference between the inside a nd
outside. They w ill clear shortly after
switching them on . This does no t affect
the serv ice life of the lighting.
- In the event of a light senso r malfu nc­
ti on, the dr iver is notified in the instru­
ment cl uste r display ¢
page 25.
Emergency flasher
Fig. 30 Ins trume nt panel : emer gency flash er butt on
The emergency flashers makes other dr ivers
aware of your veh icle in dangerous situat ions .
.,. Press the~ but ton to swi tch the emergency
flashe rs on or off.
Ill-

44 Lights and Vision
You can indicate a lane change or a turn when
the emergency flashers are switched on by us­
i ng the turn signa l lever. The emergency f lash ­
ers stop temporarily.
The eme rgency f lashers also work when the
ignition is tu rned off .
(D Tips
You shou ld tu rn on the emergen cy fl ashe rs
when:
- you are the last vehicle st anding in a tr af­
fic jam so that any o ther veh icles coming
ca n see you, or when
- you r vehicle has broken down or yo u are
i n an emergency si tua tion, or when
- you r vehicle is bei ng towe d by a tow
tru ck or if yo u are towi ng anothe r vehicle
b ehin d you.
Turn signal and high beam lever
The lever operates the turn signals, the high
beams and the headlight flasher .
Fig. 31 Turn s ig na l an d high beam leve r
Turn signals ¢¢
The turn signals activate when you move the lever into a turn s ignal pos ition when the ign i­
tion is switched on.
(D -Turn signal
@-Turn signal
The turn s ignal b links three times if you tap
the lever (conven ience turn s ignal).
High beam s and headlight flasher
~D
M ove the lever to the correspond ing position:
@ -high beams on
@-high beams off or headlight flasher
T he
II in di cator light in t he inst rument cl us­
te r tu rns on.
A WARNING
H igh be ams ca n cause glare for othe r driv­
e rs, which inc reases the r is k of an acci ­
dent . For this reason, on ly use the h igh
beams or the headlight flasher when they
will not create g lare for other drivers.
· Adjusting the exterior lighting
The settings ore adjusted in the MMI.
.,. Select: iME NUI button> Systems control
bu tton or Car system s > Vehicle settings >
Exterior lighting.
Automatic headlights
You can adjust the following sett ings in the
Automatic headlights menu:
Activation time: - You can adjust if the head ­
ligh ts sw itch on early, medium or late accord­
i ng to the sens it iv ity of the light sensor .
Audi adapt ive light * -you can switch adaptive
li ght on and off.
Coming home, Leaving home*
T he coming home f unction ill uminates the
area o utside the vehicle when you turn t he ig­
nition off and open the driver's door. To turn
the function on, se lect Lights when leaving
car > on .
The leaving home illum inates the area outside
the vehicle when yo u unlock the vehicle . To
turn the function on, se lect Lights when un­
locking car > on .
The coming home and leaving home functions
only operate when it is dark and the light
switch is in the AUTO position.
Daytim e running lights*
USA models: The day time running lights can
be switched on or off using the MMI. Se lect
on or off.
1111>