2015 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG warning

WARNING
Brake fluid is poisonous.
x To reduce the risk of poisoning, never use food, beverage or other non-original containers to store brake fluid. Someone might be misled by the original label on the container, or by the shape of the container, and drink the brake fluid. This could occur even if you relabel the container as “brake fluid.”
x Only store brake fluid in the closed, original container and keep it out of the reach of chil-dren.
NOTICE
Brake fluid will damage vehicle paint, plastic parts and tires. Wipe any brake fluid off vehicle paint and other vehicle parts immediately.
Brake fluid can pollute the environment. Brake fluid that has leaked out must be collected and disposed of properly, following all applicable environmental regulations.

Flashes Possible cause Proper response
locked/unlocked. switch it on again. Heed any
messages shown in the instru-
ment cluster display, if applica-
ble.
On vehicles with Keyless Ac-
cess, press the starter button
briefly twice in a row without
depressing the brake or clutch
pedal. Do not drive any farther
if the steering column remains
locked after you switch on the
ignition. Contact your authorized
Volkswagen dealer or an author-
ized Volkswagen Service Facility
for assistance.

When the ignition is switched on, several warning and indicator lights come on briefly for a function check. They go out after a few seconds.
WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
x Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.
x Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
NOTICE
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.
Steering system information

If the driver door is opened before the ignition is switched off, the electronic steering column lock is activated only after the vehicle has been locked with the vehicle key or via the sensor in the door handle.
Power steering
Power steering automatically adjusts to driving speed, steering torque, and the steering angle of the wheels. Power steering works only when the engine is running.
If power steering is reduced or lost completely, it will be much harder to steer and control the vehicle.
Counter-steering assistance
Counter-steering assistance is part of Electronic Stability Control (ESC). This feature makes it easier for the driver to control the vehicle in difficult situations. For example, if you have to brake hard on a surface that provides uneven traction, the vehicle could pull to the right or left. ESC detects this situa-
tion and helps the driver counter-steer with additional steering power ⇒ .
WARNING
The counter-steering assistance in ESC can do no more than help the driver steer in difficult situations. The driver must still control the vehicle. The vehicle does not steer by itself with this feature!
NOTICE
If the ignition is off, the steering column lock will engage and the vehicle cannot be steered. For this reason, you must leave the ignition on when going through an automatic car wash, for example, so that the wheels will still steer.

DANGER
The vehicle's high-voltage electrical system and high-voltage battery are dangerous and can cause burns, other serious personal injuries, electrocution, and death.
x Always assume that high-voltage battery and parts of the high-voltage system are fully charged and energized.
x Never touch or let jewelry or other metal objects contact high-voltage cables or the high-voltage battery and battery poles, especially if the cables, battery, and battery poles have been damaged in any way.
x Never do any work yourself on the high-voltage electrical system, the orange-colored high-voltage wiring, or on the high-voltage battery.
x Never open, service, repair, or disconnect any part of the hybrid electrical system.
x Never damage the orange-colored high-voltage cables. Never remove them and never disconnect them from the high-voltage electrical system.
x Never open or remove the orange-colored cover on the high-voltage battery.
x Always have work on the hybrid electrical system and systems that could be indirectly affected by it done by qualified, trained technicians who have the know-how, experience, documentation, and tools to do the work safely.
x All work on the high-voltage electrical system and the high-voltage battery must be done in compliance with Volkswagen standards and guidelines.
x Vehicle keys must be safely stored a safe distance from vehicle so that the ignition cannot be switched on and energize the electrical system.
x Gases vented or released from the high-voltage battery vapors are potentially poisonous and can burn.
x Physical damage to the vehicle or the high-voltage battery can result in immediate or de-layed release of poisonous gases that can also cause a fire.
x Always avoid contact with leaking fluids and gases escaping from the battery, particularly one that has been damaged.
x Always tell emergency responders that the vehicle has a high-voltage battery.
WARNING
Driver distraction causes accidents and serious personal injury. Using the instrument cluster or accessing Infotainment System menus while driving can take your attention off the road and cause accidents.
x To help reduce the risk of accidents and injuries, never change settings in the instrument cluster display or use Infotainment System functions unless the vehicle is standing still.

WARNING
When powered by the electric motor, the vehicle makes much less noise, both when idling and driving, than when it is running on the internal combustion engine. It is much harder or even impossible for the drivers of other vehicles and above all for cyclists, pedestrians, and children to hear the vehicle when it is running on electrical power.
x Pedestrians and others can be struck and seriously injured because they cannot hear the vehicle and tell that it is getting close to them, for instance when you are parking, backing up, or driving in a low-speed zone where there is likely to be pedestrian traffic.
x Always watch out for pedestrians, especially small children, cyclists, and others who may not hear the vehicle or realize that it is about to move or will cross their path of travel.
x Always be especially careful in residential areas, school zones, and other places where the speed of motor vehicles is restricted and pedestrians may be at greater risk.
x Make sure the ignition and the hybrid drive system have both been turned off before leav-ing the vehicle.
WARNING
Never leave the vehicle when hybrid drive system indicator lights are still lit. The vehicle can move if the accelerator is depressed even though the combustion engine has been stopped. This can cause accidents and severe or fatal injuries.
x Make sure the transmission is in Park (P) before you get out of the vehicle.
WARNING
Never support the vehicle with cinder blocks, bricks, or other objects to inspect it. The vehi-cle could slip or move suddenly and cause an accident with serious personal injury.
WARNING
Never let the hybrid battery get wet. Liquids and other fluids can cause short circuits, electri-cal shock, burns, and explosions.
x Never carry large amounts of liquids or other fluids in the luggage compartment.
x Always make sure that any containers with liquids and other fluids are properly secured and tightly closed to prevent leakage during normal driving as well as hard cornering, brak-ing, and other vehicle maneuvers. Leaking liquids can get into the cover of the high-voltage battery and the high-voltage cable connections. This can damage the electrical system and the high-voltage battery.
Never drive until the fuel tank is completely empty. There may not always be enough charge in the high-voltage battery to get to the next gas station.
When outside temperatures are low, a cold high-voltage battery can affect how the combustion engine starts up and can also reduce the vehicle's range in electric drive.
Warning and indicator lights

Warning messages
When the ignition is switched on, several warning and indicator lights come on briefly for a function check. They go out after a few seconds.
Warning lights and text messages are shown in the instrument cluster display. Acoustic warnings may also sound at the same time.

Lights
up
Warnings in the in-
strument cluster dis-
play
Proper response
∋
Fault in the hybrid sys-
tem: stop the vehicle at
a safe location!
Stop the vehicle in a safe place as
soon as it is safe to do so.
∋
Fault in the hybrid sys-
tem: Workshop!
See an authorized Volkswagen dealer
or an authorized Volkswagen Service
Facility.
Hybrid battery is charg-
ing, leave engine run-
ning.
While this message appears, do not
stop the engine.
2%!$9 Electric drive is
READY.
Never leave the vehicle parked in the
ready position. Remove the remote
control vehicle key out of the ignition
or for vehicle with Keyless Access
press the starter button ⇒ page 395.
When leaving the vehicle always take
the remote control vehicle key with
you.
%

Lights
up
Warnings in the in-
strument cluster dis-
play
Proper response
Electric driving is cur-
rently not possible.
Never leave the vehicle parked in the
ready position. Remove the remote
control vehicle key out of the ignition
or for vehicle with Keyless Access
press the starter button.
Request to start the
engine.
Start the engine with the ignition
switch or starter button.

Warning when leaving the vehicle
Switch off the ignition before leaving the vehicle unattended ⇒  Starting and stopping the engine. In certain situations, a message Ignition on appears in the instrument cluster display as you are leaving the vehicle. This message warns you that the vehicle's electric drive is still enabled and that the combustion engine might start automatically.
Always switch the engine off, remove the key, and take it with you when leaving the vehicle ⇒ . As a reminder to do so, the combustion engine may start automatically under the following conditions:
x The ignition is switched ON.
x AND: Electrical drive is functional (Ready).
x AND: The transmission is in Park (P) or Neutral (N).
x AND: The driver safety belt is not fastened. OR The driver door is open.
The message in the instrument cluster display also reminds you to switch the ignition off. In addition, always be sure to apply the parking brake, remove the key, and take it with you when leaving the vehicle.
WARNING
A parked vehicle that is not properly parked can roll away and cause accidents or severe injuries. When leaving the vehicle, always move the selector lever into Park (P) and engage the electronic parking brake.
WARNING
Failure to heed warning lights and instrument cluster text messages can cause the vehicle to break down in traffic and result in a collision and serious personal injury.
x Never ignore warning lights or text WARNINGS.
x Always stop the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
NOTICE
Failure to heed warning lights or text WARNINGS can result in vehicle damage.

This depends on vehicle conditions of the hybrid drive system is normal and is designed to save fuel. The power steering and the braking assistance systems remain active. In certain situations it may be necessary for the system to start the combustion engine even when the vehicle is not moving. With prolonged driving in traffic jams, the combustion engine will be switched on and off to charge the high-voltage battery for the following start-stop phase.
Sailing
If the accelerator is not depressed and the lever is in Drive (D), the internal combustion engine is switched off even at higher speeds. The vehicle then decelerates slower than conventional vehicles.
This feature can be used to help reduce fuel consumption when you keep traffic conditions in mind and can anticipate the vehicles power requirements. Even in this case, the rev counter in the instru-ment cluster displays zero engine speed (0 engine revolutions). The instrument cluster powermeter shows zero.
Brake energy regeneration (Recuperation/charge)
When the vehicle brakes, the electrical energy is generated by the electric motor, which works as an alternator and charges the high-voltage battery. The same thing occurs while the vehicle is coasting to a stop or driving downhill.
Energy regeneration is shown in the instrument cluster display or on the Infotainment System screen. The combustion engine may be switched off automatically in this situation. The instrument cluster powermeter registers below zero.
When the high voltage battery is fully charged, there is no brake energy recuperation, and therefore no engine braking. Recuperation and engine braking are also automatically reduced if the vehicle detects that the road conditions do not permit sufficient contact between the wheels and the road surface.
Automatic starting - combustion engine
The combustion engine is started automatically in a number of situations.
x Engine temperature is too low.
x Catalytic converter temperature is too low.
x High-voltage battery being charged at high rate when decelerating. The high-voltage battery can-not absorb any more energy and for this reason the electric motor cannot brake the vehicle. The combustion engine comes on to help slow the vehicle down (engine brake).
x Engine hood is open.
x Leaving the vehicle when the electric motor is still “live”. The status of the electric motor is not always obvious, particularly when the combustion engine is not running. The combustion engine will therefore start if the driver's safety belt is unlatched or the driver's door is opened when the transmis-
sion is in Park (P) or Neutral (N) ⇒  Warning when leaving the vehicle.