2015 AUDI Q3 check engine light

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 11
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& WARNING
-Always observe the wa rning in
¢
page 179, before opening the hood
and checking the engine coolant level.
- Never open the engine hood if you see or
hear steam, or if you see engine coolant
dripping from the engine compartment.
You could burn yourself. Let the engine cool off first so that you cannot hear or
see any steam or engine coolant.
(D Note
- Mounting additional lights or accessories
in front of the air inlets reduces the cool­
i ng effect of the rad iator. At h igh outside
temperatures or high eng ine load, the
engine could overheat.
- The front spo iler has been designed to
proper ly distr ib ute the cooling air when
the veh icle is moving.
If the spoiler is
damaged, this cou ld redu ce the cooling
effect and the engine co uld then over­
heat. Ask yo ur autho rized Aud i de aler f or
assistance.
Tachometer (engine rev counter)
The tachometer indicates the engine RPM
(revolutions per minutes).
If engine R PM drops be low 1,500, you should
downshift to the next lower gear. The red area
at the e nd of the sca le ind icates maximum
permissible engine RPM after the break- in pe­
riod. Before reaching this area, move these­
l ector lever to position D/S or ease your foot
off the accelerator peda l.
(D Note
The tachometer needle@¢ page 10,
fig. 3 sho uld only briefly be in the red
zone: you could damage your engine! The
beg inning of the red zone varies depend­
ing on the engine.
@) For the sake of the environment
Upshift ing early saves fue l and reduces en-
~ gine noise. ,....,
Fuel gauge
T he fuel gauge wo rks only when the ignition is
o n.
When the needle reaches the red a rea, the
warning light
Ii] in the instrume nt cluster
will illuminate
¢ page 18. Time to refuel!
The tota l tank capacity of your ve hicle is listed
i n
¢ page 235.
(1) Note
Never run the ta nk completely dry! An ir­
regular supply of f uel can cause engine
misfiring and fuel could enter into the ex­
haust system . The catalytic converter
could t hen ove rheat and be damaged.
Warning/indicator
Lights
Description
T he ind icator lights in the instrument cluster
blink or tur n on. They indica te funct io ns or
malfu nctions ¢
.&,..
Messages may appea r with some indicato r
lights. A warning signal may sound at the
same time. The indicato r lights and messages
in the disp lay can be replaced by othe r d is­
plays. In the dr iver informa tion system, you
can display the messages aga in
¢ page 21 .
Some indica tors lig hts in the d isplay can turn
on i n severa l colors.
& WARNING ~
- Failure to heed warning ligh ts and other
important vehicle information may res ult
in ser ious personal inj ury or vehicle dam­
age.
- Whenever stalled or stoppe d for repair,
move the vehicle a safe d istance off the
road, stop the engine, and turn on the
emergency flasher ¢
page 43.
-The engine compartment o f any motor
ve hicle is a potentially hazardous area.
Before you check anything in the engine

12 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
compartment, stop the engine and let it
cool down. Always exercise extreme cau­
tion when work ing under the hood
c::> page 179.
Overview
Some ind icator lights turn on briefly to check
the function of that system when you switch
the ign ition on. These systems are ma rked
with a ../ in the following tables. If one of
these indicator lights does not turn on, there
is a malfunction in that system.
Red indicator lights
USA models:
Brake system ../
c::>page 13
Canada models:
Brake system ../
c::>page 13
USA models:
Electromechanical parking brake
c::>page 14
Canada models:
Electromechanical parking brake
c::>page 14
Safety belts
c::>page 16
Engine cooling system
c::>page 14
Engine oil pressure
c::>page 15
Battery
c::>page 15
Electromechanical Steering../
¢ page 158
Steering column lock
¢page 16
Yellow indicator lights
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ../
¢page 16
TPMS
Electronic Stabilization Control
(ESC) ../
¢page 16
USA models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) de­
fective../
¢page 16
Canada models:
Anti-lock braking system (ABS) de ­
fective../
c::> page 16
Safety systems ../
c::> page 16
Worn brake pads
c::> page 17
Electromechanical park ing brake
¢ page 14
Tire pressure monitoring
system../
¢page 213
Tire pressure monitoring system
¢page 213
Elect ronic power control../
c::> page 17
• M
alfunct ion ind icator Lamp (MIL)../ ¢page 17
Engine speed limitat ion
c::> page 17
- Engine oil level
- c::>pagel7
• ·
-. Engine oil level _
1 c::> page 17
• Engine oil sensor c::> page 18
Battery
c::> page 15
-
Tank system
... c::> page 18
• Windshield
washer fluid level c::> page 18
- Ignition lock
IYiiil c::> page 18

14 Instrum ent s and w arn ing /indic ato r light s
(USA models): If the warning light . and the
warning light
ll] appear together, immedi­
ately contact your authorized Audi dealer or
qua lified workshop to have all brake pads in­
spected
¢ page 17.
When the light comes on, an audib le warning
signal is also given .
.&_ WARNING
- Always observe the warnings in
¢ page 179, 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 . (USA models) . (Canada
models) brake system indicator light
turns 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. Th is could cause the vehicle to
swerve and increase the risk of sliding .
Drive carefully to the nearest a uthorized
Audi dealer or other qualified 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 driving, the fluid level in
the brake fluid reservoir is too low .
If you
believe that it is safe to do so, proceed
immediately at low speed to the nearest
authori zed Audi dealer o r qualified wo rk­
shop and have the bra ke system inspect­
ed.
- Always keep in m ind that after several
brake applicat ions, yo u will need greater
pressure on the brake peda l to stop your
vehicle. Do not re ly on strained brakes to
respond with maxim um stopping power
in critical situations. You must allow for
increased brak ing distances. The extra
distance used up by fad ing brakes could
lead to an acc ident.
PARK !<®> Electromechanical parking brake
The warning/indicator light monitors the
electromechanical parking brake .
If the indicator light. (USA models) •
(Canada models) turns on, the parking brake
was set.
• (USA model s)/. (Canada models ) Press
brake pedal to release parking b ra ke.
To re lease the park ing brake, press the brake
peda l and press the button(®) at the same
t ime or start driving with starting assist
¢ page 71, Starting from rest.
Ill Pa rking br ake : S ys tem f ault! See owne r's
manual.
If the I.II ind ic a tor light tu rns o n and this
message appears, there is a parking b rake
malfunction. Drive to your authorized A udi
dealer or qualified workshop immediately to
have the malfunct ion corrected.
@ Tips
More informat ion on the parking brake
¢page 70 .
-L Engine cooling system
A malfunction in the engine cooling system
must be repaired as soon as possible.
• Turn off engine and ch eck coolant level
T he coolant level is too low .
Do not continue dr iving and turn
off the en­
gine. Check the coo lant level
¢ page 186.
-If the coo lant level is too low, add coo lant
¢ page 186. Only continue driving if the in­
dicator light turns off.
- If the coo lant level is correct, then the ma l­
function may be ca used by fa ilure of the
coolant fan. Do not continue driving. See
your authorized Audi dealer or qualified re­ pa ir fac ility .
• Coolant temperature! Let engine run
w ith vehicle stationar y.

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Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 15
If the indicator light turns on and the mes ­
sage appears , let the engine run at idle for a
few minutes to cool down .
A WARNING
-If your veh icle should break down for
mechanical or other reasons, park at a
safe distance from moving traffic, turn
off the engine and turn on the hazard
warning lights¢
page 43, Emergency
flashers.
-
- Never open the hood if you see or hea r
steam o r coolant escap ing from the en­
gine compartment - you risk being s cald­
ed . Wa it until you can no longe r see or
hear s team or coo lant escaping .
- T he e ngine compartment of any veh icle
is a dangerous a rea. Before you perform
any work in the engine compartment,
tu rn of the engine and allow it to cool.
Follow the warning stickers¢
page 179.
(D Note
Do not contin ue driving if the . symbo l
illuminates. There is a ma lf u nct ion in the
engine cooling system -you co uld damage
your eng ine.
The red engine oil pressure warning symbol
requires immediate service or repair . Driving
with a low-oil -pressure indication is likely to
inflict severe damage to the engine.
• Turn off engine! Oil pressu re i s too low.
Tu rn off the eng ine and do no t continue dr iv ­
ing . Chec k the engine oil leve l¢
page 184.
- If the engine oil level is too low, add engine
o il ¢
page 184 . Only continue dr iv ing if the
indica tor l igh t turns off.
- If the engine oil leve l is correct and the indi­
c ator lig ht st ill turns on, tur n the eng ine off
and do not contin ue d riving. See yo ur a u­
tho rized Aud i dea le r or q uali fied repa ir fa­
c ili ty.
(D Tips
- The engine oil pressure symbol. is
not an indicator for a low engine o il lev­
el. Do not rely on it . Instead, check the
o il level in yo ur engine at regular inter ­
vals, preferably each time you refuel ,
and alway s before going on a long trip .
- The yellow oil lev el warn ing indication
l!I requires oil refill or workshop serv­
ice without delay . Do not wait until th e
red oil pressure warning. start s to
fla sh before you respond to the low oil
level warning
m. By then, your engine
may alread y have suffered serious dam­
age.
D Battery
The .warn ing/ indicator light i llum inates
when you switch on the ignition and must go
out after the eng ine has started.
• Alternator fault : Battery is not being
charged.
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the generator or vehicle electrical system .
Drive to your authori zed A udi dealer or quali­
fied wor kshop immed iate ly . Because the ve hi­
cle battery is discharging, turn off all unnec ­
essary e lectrical equipment such as the radio.
Seek professiona l assistance if the battery
charge level is too low.
(•) low battery cha rge: B atter y will be
charged while driving .
If the indica to r ligh t turns on and the mes­
sage appears, there may be limited sta rting
ability .
If this message turns off afte r a little while,
the battery c ha rged enough while drivi ng.
If the message does not turn off, have you r
autho rized Aud i dea le r or qualified wor kshop
cor re ct t he malfu nction.

Instrument s and warnin g/indic ator ligh ts 17
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not illuminate when you switch the ignition
on, this also means there is a malfunction .
A WARNING
If you have a malfunction in the safety sys­
tems, contact your author ized Audi dealer
immediately. Otherw ise the safety sys­
tems may not work properly in an acci­
dent .
(0 ) Worn brake pads
Ill Brake pad s!
If the warn ing light illum inates, immediately
contact your authorized Audi dealer or quali­
fied workshop to have all brake pads inspect ­
ed. On USA models the warning light
Ill
comes on together with the warn ing light •.
Both sets of b rake pads on an axle must al­
ways be rep laced at the same time.
A WARNING
Dr iv ing with bad brakes can cause a coll i­
sion and serious personal injury.
- If the wa rning light Ill and the warning
light
. ll with the message Brake pad s!
comes on in the instrument cluste r dis­
play, immediately contact your author­
i z ed Audi dealer or qualified workshop to
have all brake pads checked or replaced if
necessary .
EPC Electronic power control
This warning/indicator light monitors the
elec tronic power control .
The [31 warning/indicator light (E lectronic
Power Control) i lluminates when you switch
the ignition on as a function check .
-
If t his warning/indicator light ill uminates
while you are driving, then there is a ma lfunc ­
tion in the engine electron ics. Have the mal ­
function corrected as soon as possible by your
,....,
~ 1 ) . : USA models only
authorized Aud i dea le r or a qualified repair fa ­
cility.
· o Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL)
The Ma lfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) is part
of the On-Board Diagnostic (OBD II) system.
The symbol
('4 lights up when the ignition is
switched on and will turn off after the eng ine
has started and has settled at a constant idle
speed . This i ndicates that the M IL is work ing
properly.
The warning light illuminates when there is a
malfu nction in the e ngine electron ic system .
Co ntact you r aut ho rized Aud i dea le r and have
t h e malfunc tion corrected.
An improperly closed fuel fille r cap may a lso
cause the MIL light to illuminate
q page 177 .
For more information q page 26.
!?; Engine speed limitation
App lies to vehicles: wi th engine speed limi tati on
(fl Do not e xce ed ma x. engin e speed of
XX.XX rpm
The Ill symbol illuminate s when there is an
engine contro l ma lf unct ion. The
(31 indicator
light in the instrument cluster also illumi ­
nates . The engi ne speed is limited to the
speed displayed in the d river info rmat ion sys­
tem. Keep in mind that the engine speed w ill
not exceed the val ue d isplayed in the dr iver in­
f ormat ion system, for example when down­
shifting .
D rive to your authori zed A udi dealer immed i­
ate ly to have the ma lfunction corrected .
!:( .. Engine oil level
1!1;111 Check oil level.
If the indicator light and the message appear,
add engi ne oil immediately
<=> page 181.

18 Instruments and warning/indicator lights
't':r.,. Engine oil sensor
1!11a Oil level sensor: System fault!
If the symbol illuminates, contact your au ­
thor ized Audi dealer a nd have the oil sensor
inspected. Until you have th is done, check the
oil level each time you refuel just to be on the
safe side~
page 184.
Bil Tank system
DD Please refuel
If the indicator light turns on for the first
time and the message appears, there are
about 1.8- 2.2 gallons (7.0 -8.5 li ters) of fue l
l eft in the tank . Time to refuel
~page 176.
ID'J Fuel tank system malfunction! Contact
dealer.
If the indicator light turns on and th is mes ­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
tank system.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
B Please refill washer fluid.
If the symbol illuminates, add windshield
washer fluid to the windshield washer system .
©-Engine start system
Ill Engine start system: Malfunction! Please
contact dealer.
If the indicator light turns on and the mes­
sage appears, do
not sw itch the ignition off
because you may not be able to switch it on
again.
Drive to your authorized Aud i dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
Engine start system: Malfunction. Please
contact dealer.
There is a malfunction in the engine start sys ­
tem . Drive to
your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the ma lfunction corrected.
i§i Defective light bulb warning
If the J:I indicator light turns on, a bulb has
failed. The message ind icates the location of
the bu lb .
Vehicle lights: System fault!
If the message appears, there is a malfunc­
tion in the headlights or lig ht switch.
Drive to your authorized Audi dealer immedi­
ately to have the malfunction corrected .
&, WARNING
-Light bulbs are pressurized and could ex­
p lode whi le they are being changed caus­
ing serio us personal injury.
- Work with due care when handling the
high-vo ltage section of gas discharge
(xenon) lights*. Failure to do so could re­
sult in death or serious injury.
{D Tips
Have the bulb replaced or the connect ion
r epaired by your authorized Audi Service
department.
~0 Headlight range control
II Headlight range control: System fault!
If the symbol II illuminates , the dynamic
headlight range control is no longer working
proper ly . Have the system checked and re­
paired at your a uthorized Audi dea ler.
§0 Audi Adaptive Light
Appl ies to vehicles : wit h Audi adapt ive light
mfl Audi adaptive light: System fault!
If the indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, there is a malfunction in the
adaptive light system. The headlights still
funct ion.

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Operating instructions
6"
~ ~
I 1,2 ..
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2
Fig. 139 Permit ted ball position of the trailer hitch
Trailer towing weights
With a factory-installed or an aftermarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permissible trailer
weight is 2,200 lbs (1,000 kg). The maximum permissible unbraked trailer weight is 1,650
lbs (750 kg) . These specifications apply when
driving on roads having an incline of less than
12%.
Permissible tongue load
For best vehicle handling under these
changed conditions, adjust the trailer load so
that the tongue load is at the maximum al­
lowable or slightly lower . You can get an ap­
proximation of the tongue load with a bath­
room scale or you can measure the load at a
trucking company or weighing station.
With a
factory-installed or an aftermarket
trailer hitch, the maximum permissible load
on the ball hitch may not exceed 220 lbs
(100 kg).
It is recommended to use the maxi­
mum permissible load.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely
in place to prevent it from shifting forward,
backward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer
¢.&. in Driving instructions on page 168.
Ball mount
The trailer hitch may only be used with suita­
ble ball mount and ball¢
fig. 139. Installa­
tion of the hitch ball must be carried out in ac-
Trailer towing 167
cordance with the manufacturer's instruc­
tions.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work hard­
er .
It is important that the cooling system's
performance is up to the additional load.
Make sure that the cooling system has enough
fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the cold tire pressure listed under
"Full load" on the tire pressure label. The tire
pressure label is located on the driver's side B­
pillar. Inflate trailer tires to trailer and tire
manufacturers' specifications .
Lights
The headlight settings should be checked with
the trailer attached before driving off. Check
to make sure both vehicle and trailer lights
are working properly.
Safety chains
Be sure trailer safety chains are properly con­
nected from the trailer to the hitch on the ve­
hicle. Leave enough slack in the chains to per­
mit turning corners. When you install safety
chains, make sure they will not drag on the
road when you are driving.
The chains should cross under the trailer
tongue to prevent it from dropping in case of
separation from the hitch.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra
core and consideration.
To obtain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the following :
.,. Do not tow a loaded trailer when your car it­
self is not loaded.
.,. Be especially careful when passing other
vehicles.
.,. Observe speed limits.
•
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Checking and filling Engine hood
Releasing and opening the engine hood
The engine hood is released from inside the
vehicle .
Fig. 1 43 Dr iver's side footwell: eng ine hood release
lever
F ig . 144 Re lease lever un der the engine hood
Make sure the wiper arms are not raised up
from the w indshield. Otherw ise the paint
could be damaged .
.. With the driver's door open, pu ll the lever
under the instrument panel in the direction
of the arrow
c> fig. 143.
.. Raise the hood slightly c> .&,
.. Press the rocker switch under the hood up­
ward
c> fig. 144 . This releases the catch .
.. Open the hood.
A WARNING
Hot engine coo lant can burn you.
- T o reduce the r is k of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coolan t escaping from the engine
compartment. Wait until no steam or
coolant can be seen or heard be fore care­
fully opening t he hood.
Checkin g and fillin g 179
Closing the engine hood
.. Pull the hood down un til the pressure from
t he stru ts is reduced.
.. Let the hood
drop down and latch in p lace .
Do not try to push it shut; it may fail to en­
gage¢ .&,.
A WARNING
-
A hood that is not completely latched
could fly up and b lock your view while dr iv­
ing.
- When you close the engine hood , check it
to make sure the safety catch has proper­
ly engaged. The hood shou ld be flush
with the surround ing vehicle body parts.
- If you notice while dr iving that the hood
is not secured properly, stop at once and
close it.
Working in the engine compartment
Be especially careful whenever you work in
the engine compartment.
Whene ve r you must pe rform an y wo rk in the
eng ine compa rtment , for e xample check ing
and filling different fluids, there is a risk of
injury , burns and accidents. To prevent per­
so nal injury alway s observe th e foll owing
WARNINGS . Th e engin e compartm ent of an y
v e hicle i s a ha zardou s area
c> .&, .
A WARNING
To help avoid injury, be fore yo u check any­
thing under the hood:
- Tu rn off the engi ne .
- Remove the ignition key.
- Apply the parking brake .
- Move selector leve r of automatic trans-
miss ion to "P" (Park) .
- Always let the engine cool down. Hot
components w ill bur n skin on contact.
- To reduce the risk of being burned, never
open the hood if you see or hear steam
or coo la nt escaping from the eng ine
compa rtment. Wait unt il no steam or