2016 AUDI A3 warning lights

Instruments and indicator lights
If the indicator light blinks and the message ap­
pears, there is not enough braking power to se­
cure the vehicle. The brakes have overheated. The
veh icle could roll away even on a small incline.
11J;J:t :);J;1:0 (USA models) / ¢@'A Parking b rake is applied
If this message appears, press the brake pedal
first and then release the parking brake if neces­
sary .
{D) Tips
For additional information on the parking
brake, refer to¢
page 85.
-L Cooling system
• Switch off engine and check coolant level!
• Park vehicle and check coolant level!
The coolant level is too low.
Do not continue driving and switch the engine
off.
Plug-in hybrid drive *: refer to
c!;> page 108.
Check the coolant leve l¢ page 244.
- If the coolant level is too low, add coolant
¢
page 245. Only cont inue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off.
• Coolant temperature too high! Let engine
run with vehicle stationary
Let the engine run at idle for a few minutes to
coo l off, until the indicator light turns off.
- If the indicator light does not turn off, do not
continue driving the vehicle. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Faci lity
for assistance.
A WARNING
- Never open the hood if you can see or hear
steam or coolant escaping from the engine
compartment. This inc reases the risk of
burns. Wait until you no longer see or hea r
steam or coolant escaping.
- The engine compartment in any veh icle can
be a dangerous area. Stop the engine and
20
allow it to cool befo re working in the engine
compartment. Always follow the informa­
tion found in ¢
page 236, Working in the
engine compartment .
Cl) Note
Do not continue driving if the . indicator
light turns on -this increases the risk of en­
gine damage.
"l=7: Engine oil pressure
• Switch off engine! Oil pressure too low
Stop the engine and do not continue driving.
Check the eng ine oil level¢
page 242.
-If the eng ine oi l level is too low, add engine oil
¢
page 240. Only continue driving once the in­
dicator light turns off .
- If the engine oi l level is correct and the indica­
tor ligh t still turns on, turn the engine off and
do not cont inue driving. See an authorized Aud i
dea ler or authorized Audi Service Facility for as­
sistance .
(D Tips
The oil pressure warning is not an oil level in­
dicator. Always check the oil level regularly.
D Alternator/battery
• Alternator fault : battery is not being charg­
ed
There is a ma lfunction in the a lternator or the ve­
hicle electrical system.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly. Because the ve­
hicle battery is dra ining, turn off all unnecessary
electrical equ ipment such as the MMI. See your
authorized Aud i dealer or authorized Audi Serv ice
Facil ity if the battery cha rge level is too low.
(•) Low battery charge: Battery will be charged
while driving
The starting ability may be impaired .
If this message turns off after a litt le whi le, t he
battery ch a rged enough while driv ing.
liJJ,

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., If the message does not turn off, have and a u­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi Se rvice
Faci lity repa ir t he malfunction.
ii !f Safety systems
The II (USA models)/ m (Canada mode ls) indi ­
cato r light monito rs the safety systems.
Safety system
If the fl (U SA mode ls)/ El (Canada models) i n­
d icator light tu rns on or blin ks, t he re is a ma l­
f u nction in a safety system.
Dr ive to an autho rize d Aud i dea le r o r a uth orized
Au di Service Facility immediately to have t he
malfunct ion corrected .
&_ WARNING
Have the safety systems ins pecte d imme di­
ately. Othe rw ise, there is a risk that the sys­
tems may not activat e duri ng a collision ,
w hich i ncreases the ris k of serious injury or
d eath.
-
4'-Front safety belt
The . indic a tor light stays o n until th e dr ive r's
a nd fr ont passenger 's safe ty be lt s are buckled.
Above a cert ain sp eed, t here w ill als o be a w ar n­
ing tone.
(1) Tips
For add itio na l i nfo rma tion o n safety be lts, re ­
f e r t o<>
pa ge 1 76.
~- Steering lock
• Do not drive vehicle: steering defective
Th ere is a m alfunc tion in the elec tronic s tee ring
lock. You can not turn t he igni tion o n.
Do
not tow your vehicle b eca use it ca nnot be
st eered . Se e an au thor ized A udi dealer or au tho r­
iz ed A udi Se rvi ce Fa cilit y for assis ta nc e.
1!\11 Steering lock: system fault! Please contact
Service
Instruments and ind icator lights
T he re is a ma lf u n ct ion in the e lectron ic s teeri ng
l ock .
Dr ive to an a uth oriz ed A udi dealer or au tho riz ed
A udi Se rvice Faci lity immed iately to h ave the
malfu nction corrected.
A WARNING
D o not tow you r vehicle when there is a mal­
f u nction in t he electron ic s teer ing lock - t his
i nc reases the risk of an acc ident.
=e Engine start system
• Engine start system malfunction. Please
contact Service
Do not switch the ignition off beca use you may
not be able to switch it on again.
Dr ive to an authorized A udi dealer or au tho rize d
Au di Service Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected.
l3 Engine start system malfunction. Please
contact Service
-
T he re i s a m alfu n cti on in the e ngine sta rting sys­
tem.
- Veh icles with ignition lock
c::> page 80, Auto ­
matic start malfunction
- Veh icles wit h co nvenience key c::> page 83, Au -
tomatic start malfunction
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Fac ility immed iate ly to have the
malfu nction corrected .
~ Engine
• Engine stopped : brake servo and power
steering not possible
The re is a ma lfunction in the engine or in the fuel
s u pply system .
More force is needed to steer and b rake the mov­
i ng vehicle when the engi ne is stopped. If the ve­
hicle is rolling, t ry to br ing it to a stop off to t he
s ide from mov ing traffic . See an author ized A udi
deal er or author ized A udi S ervice Fac ility for as-
s istance. .,..
21

Instruments and indicator lights
A WARNING
-
If the engine stops while dr iving, yo u w ill
need to use more fo rce to brake the vehicle .
T his increases the r is k of an accide nt. T here
w ill sti ll be power steering if the ignit ion is
switched on while the vehicle is rolling and
there is s ufficient batte ry charge. Othe rwise ,
yo u must use greate r fo rce whe n st eer ing .
;;,./ fj Electronic stabilization control (ESC)
and( §) anti-lock braking system (ABS)
If th e bl indica to r light blink s while dr iving, the
E S C or ASR (An ti- Sli p Reg ulation) is a ctive ly re gu­
lating .
I f th e
G1 indica to r li ght tur ns on, t he sys tem h as
s w itche d the ES C off. In this case, you ca n swi tch
t he ignition o ff and then on to switch the ESC on
again. The indicator light turns off when th e sys ­
tem is functioning fully .
Stabilization control (ESC) : sport. Warning! Re­
stricted stability
I f the II indicato r light turns on, ESC spor t
mo de was switc hed on using the
1.$ OFF I button
r=;,
page 160 . You ca n tur n th e ESC on again by
p ress the
1-~ O FF I button again.
Stabilization control (ESC): off . Warning! Re­
stricted stability
If t he Iii indicator ligh t tur ns on, the ESC was re ­
s tricted o r switched off using the
I !> OFF! button
r=;,
page 160 . The message ESC OFF also appears .
You can turn the ES C on aga in by press the
I.$ OFF I butto n ag ain .
The system switches on whe n the ign ition is
sw itched on . T he
II indicato r ligh t turns off
when the system is func tioning fully.
Stabilization control (ESC ) malfunction! See
owner 's manual
Stabilization control (ESC / ABS): malfunction!
See owner's manual
ABS malfunction! See owner's manual
l) - : U SA m ode ls onl y
22
If the bl ind icator light and the A BS indicato r
li ght
rJE (U SA mode ls)/ ti] (Canada models)
turn o n an d this message appears, there is a mal­
funct io n in the ABS system o r elec tronic differen­
tia l lock. This al so causes the ESC to malfunc tion .
T he bra kes still fu nction with their normal power,
but A BS is no t active .
D rive to an authori zed A udi dealer or authori zed
Aud i Service Fac ility immedi ate ly to have the
malfunction cor rected .
A WARNING
If the ... (USA models) tll (Canada mod ­
el s) bra ke system indicator light turns on to­
ge ther with the A BS and ESC indi ca tor ligh ts,
t he ABS/ ES C regula ting fu nction m ay have
failed . Functions t hat s tabilize the vehicle a re
no longer ava ila bl e. T his could cause the vehi ­
cle to swerve , which inc reases the risk that
the vehicle will sli de. Drive ca refully to t he
nearest aut horiz ed Aud i dea le r or a uthori zed
Audi Service Fac ility and have the malfunction
cor rected .
0) Tips
For additional in format ion on ESC and ABS ,
r efe r to r=;,
page 159 .
BRAKEt< O) Brake pads
... (USA models )
t El (Canada models )
Brake pads!
If the warning light illuminates, immediately
contact your autho riz ed Audi deale r or qua lified
workshop to have all b rake pads inspected . Both
sets of brake pads on an axle must always be re­
placed at the same t ime .
A WARNING
Drivi ng w it h ba d brakes ca n cause a coll is ion
an d se rious person al in jury.
- I f the war ning lig ht
El or the wa rni ng
light ...
ll wi th th e mes sage Brake pads!
co m es on in th e ins trumen t clus ter di spl ay, ..,.

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., immediately contact your authorized Audi
dealer or qualified workshop to have all
brake pads checked or replaced if necessary.
·~ Hill hold
Hill hold assist: unavailable
If thell indicator light turns on and this mes­
sage appears, hill hold is not available.
II Manual control!
If th is message appea rs, press the brake pedal.
Continue driving w ith the help of the park ing
brake . ¢
page 85
EPC Engine control (gasoline engine)
Applies to vehicles: with gaso line engine
I f the 13:B indicator light turns on if there is a
malfunction in the engine control.
Drive slowly to an author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility to have the eng ine
checked .
If the
13:B indicator light turns on when you start
the eng ine, there is an automatic start malfunc­
tion . To start the engine, follow these steps :
- Vehicles with ignition lock¢
page 80, Auto-
matic start malfunction
- Vehicles with a convenience key¢ page 83,
Automatic start malfunction.
W Engine control (diesel engine)
Applies to vehicles: with diesel engine
The engine is preheating if the II indicator light
turns on when the ign ition is switched on.
If the indicator light blinks whi le driving, there is
a ma lfunction in the engine control.
Drive slow ly to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility to have the ma l­
function corrected.
If the
II indicator light turns on when you start
the engine, there is an automatic start ma lf u nc­
tion. To start the engine, proceed as follows :
Instruments and indicator lights
vehicles with ignition lock ¢ page 80; vehicles
with convenience key
¢ page 83.
o System indicator light (MIL)
The system indicator light (MIL) is part of the On
Board D iagnost ic system (OBD II). Tht>
¢.,, c;ym­
bol turns on when the ignition is switched on and
turns off again once the engine is started and
running at a steady idle speed . This indicates that
the MIL is functioning correct ly.
The ind icator light turns on if there is a malfunc­
t ion in the engine electronics. See an author ized
Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service Fac il ity to
have t he malfunction corrected .
The system indicator light (MIL) may turn on if
the fuel filler cap is not closed correctly
¢ page 230.
For additional information, refer to¢ page 26.
.m,, Diesel particulate filter
Applies to vehicles: with diese l eng ine and diese l particulate
filter
II Particulate filter: system fault! See owner's
manual
T he diese l particu late filter requires regenera­
tion . To support the filter's self-cleaning func­
t ion:
Drive for approximately 15 minutes at
40 mph
(60 km/h) or above in the S selector lever posi­
tion . Keep the engine speed around
2,000 RPM .
The temperature increase that will result from
th is can burn off the soot in the fi lter. The indica­
tor light will turn off when the cleaning has com­ pleted successfully .
If the indicator light does
not turn off, drive im­
med iate ly to an authorized Audi dealer or author­
ized Audi Service Facility to have the malfunct ion
corrected .
A WARNING
Always adapt your speed to the current
weather, road and traffic condit ions. You
should neve r disobey traffic laws in order to
fo llow driving recommendations.
23

(D Note
Applies to veh icles w ith a diesel engine: if the
diese l fuel quality is poo r, it may be necessa ry
to have the water drained from the water sep­
arator
1 ) in the fuel filter more often t han
specif ied in the ma intenance schedule. This
can help red uce eng ine malfu nctions .
@I For the sake of the environment
Fuel should never enter the sewe r system or
come into contact w ith the ground.
@ Tips
More informat ion on ref ueling is ava ilable on
page
c:> page 230.
~ Washer fluid level
m Please add washer fluid
F ill the washer fluid for the w indshield washer
system and the headlight washer system* when
the ignition is switc hed off
c:> page 251 .
O Windshield wipers
m Windshield wiper: system fault!
There is a malfunction with the windshie ld w ip­
ers.
D rive to an autho rize d Aud i dea le r or a uth orized
Aud i Service Faci lity immediately to have the
malfunct ion corrected.
~ Defective light bulb warning
App lies to vehicles: with driver information system
If th e S:I indicato r light turns on, a b ulb has
fa iled . The message ind icates the loca tion of th e
bu lb.
Replace the bulb immediately.
Vehicle lights: system fault!
There is a malfunction in the he adlights or the
,...., ligh t swit ch . D rive to an a utho riz ed Audi d ealer o r
N
0 > co ,...., :;;: 1) Thi s fun ctio n is not a vai lab le in all c oun tries. ,....,
Instruments and ind icator lights
a uthori ze d Aud i Serv ice Facility immedia tely to
have t he malfunction cor rected.
A WARNING
-- Light bulbs a re under pressure an d can e x-
p lode when b ulbs are replaced, w hich in­
creases the risk of injury.
- W ith gas -discharge lamps * (xenon head­
lights), the h igh-vo ltage component must
be ha ndled approp riately. Ot he rwise, there
is a risk of fatal injury.
-
i,0 Dynamic Headlight range control system
Applies to vehicles: with Xenon lights
11 Headlight range control: system fault!
The re is a ma lf u nction in the dynam ic head light
r ange control system, which may cause g la re for
other drivers.
D rive to an authorized A udi dealer or authorized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
~O Audi adaptive light
Applies to vehicles: with Audi adaptive light
IIJ Audi adaptive light: system fault!
The re is a ma lf u nction in the adaptive lights. The
headlights st ill function.
Drive to an authorized A udi dealer or autho rized
Audi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have the
malfunction corrected.
@P Light/rain sensor
Applies to vehicles: wit h light/ra in sensor
El Automatic headlights: system fault!
El Automatic wipers : system fault!
T he light/ rain sensor i s m alfunctioning.
T he low beams remai n sw itched on a t all times
fo r sa fe ty reasons when the ligh t swi tch is in t he
AUTO p os ition. Yo u can cont in u e to tu rn t he
li gh ts on and off using t he lig ht sw itch . You can ..,.
25

Instrumen ts and ind icator ligh ts
still control all wiper functions that are
independent of the rain sensor.
Drive to an a uthorized Aud i dea ler or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected .
; Adaptive dampers
Applies to vehicles: with Audi drive select
R Suspen sion : sys tem f ault!
There is an adaptive damper ma lf u nction.
Drive to an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected.
¢¢ Turn signals
I f the . or
DI indicator ligh t bl inks, a turn s ig­
na l is turned on. If both i ndicator lights are blink­
i n g, the emergency flashers are on .
I n an indicato r light blinks twice as fast as usua l
then a blinker bulb has failed. Care fully drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected.
(D Tips
For more information on the turn signals, re­
fe r to~
page 48.
On-Board Diagnostic
system (OBD)
System indicator light (MIL)
The system indicator light (M IL)
¢4 in the instru­
ment cluster is part of the On Board Diagnostic
System (080 II).
The warning/indicator light turns on when the ig­ nition is switched on and turns off once the en­
gine is started and is running in id le at a stable
speed. This indicates that the MIL is functioning
correctly.
If the light doe s not turn off after starting th e
engine or turns on whi le driving, this may indi­
cate there is a malfunct ion in the engine. If the
26
indicator tu rns on, the cata lytic conve rter may be
damaged.
D rive with reduced engine performan ce (avoid
high speeds for extended per iods of t ime and/o r
fast acceleration) and have the ma lfunction cor ­
rected. See an authorized Audi dealer or author­
i zed Audi Service Facility .
The ind icator may turn on if the e lectro nic speed
li miter is faulty . For add itiona l information, refer
to
c::> page 130, Electronic speed limiter.
The MIL may a lso turn on if the fuel filler cap is
not clo sed corre ctly
c::> page 230.
On-Board Diagnostics
F ig. 7 Locat ion of Data Link Connector (DLC)
On-Board Diagnostics mon itors the components
of your emission con trol system. Each monitored
component in your engine system has been as­
s igned a code . In case o f a malfunction, the com­
ponent will be identified and the fault stored as a
code in the contro l module memory.
The M IL light m ay also illum inate if there is a
l eak in the on -boa rd fuel vapor recovery sys tem .
If the light illuminates after a refuelling, stop
the veh icle and make sure the fuel filler cap is
properly closed
c::> page 230.
In orde r to make an accu rate diagnosis, the s to r­
ed data can only be d isplayed using special d iag­
nostic equipment (generic scan tool for 080) .
In orde r to co nnect the special d iagnost ic equ ip­
ment, push the plug into the Data Link Connector
(DLC). The DLC is located to the r ight of the hood
release
c::> fig. 7. II>

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., Your authorized Audi dealer or a qualified service
station can interpret the code and perform the
necessary repair.
A WARNING
Do not use the diagnostic connector for per­
sonal use. Incorrect usage can cause malfunc­ tions, which can increase the risk of a colli­
sion!
-
Instruments and indicator lights
27

Driver information system
Lap timer and engine oil
temperature indicator
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with lap timer (S models)
The engine oil temperature is only shown in the
lap timer display.
Lap timer
You can record and evaluate lap times with the
lap timer in the display
i=:,page 32, fig. 16. Th e
time is measured in minutes, seconds and
1/10
seconds . With lap times longer than 60 minutes,
the hour is also shown and the display of
1/10 seconds is removed.
The time measurement on an individua l lap ends
after
99 hours 59 minutes and 59 seconds. A
new lap starts automatically after that .
The measurement ends after a maximum of
30
laps. You can then evaluated the lap times or
start a new time measurement .
Engine oil temperature indicator
I f the engine o il temperature is below
140 °F
(60 °C), the 'l=:1: symbol followed by three hy­
phens"- --" and the °C un it is shown .
The engine has reached its operating tempera­
ture when the engine oil temperature is between
176 °f (80 °C) and 248 °f (120 °C) under nor­
mal d riving conditions. The engine oil tempera­
ture may be higher if there is heavy eng ine load
and high temperatures outside. This is not a
cause for concern as long as the .¢
page 20 or
Ill i=:,page 24 indicator lights in the display do
not blink.
A WARNING
Your focus should always be on driving your
vehicle safely . As the driver, you have com­
plete responsibility for safety in traffic . Only
use the functions such as the lap timer in such
a way that you always maintain complete con­
trol over your vehicle in all traffic s ituations.
32
.
@ Tips
You can retrieve information from the trip
computer while the lap timer stopwatch is
running.
Opening the lap timer and measuring time
Applies to vehicles: with lap timer (S models)
Fig. 15 Multi functio n stee ring whee l: co ntro ls
Fig. 16 Instrumen t cluster: lap timer
Opening the lap timer
M 0,
0
> g;:
.. Press the button @ on the multifunction steer­
ing wheel and turn the thumbwheel
®
i=:, fig. 15 until Lap timer ¢ fig. 16 appears.
.. Press the thumbwheel
® to confirm the selec­
tion.
Timing laps
.. To start timing, press the thumbwheel @while
on the
Lap 1 - press OK menu item. The time
measurement is shown in line @¢
fig. 16.
.. To measure the lap time, press the thumb­
wheel
® again while on the New lap· press OK
menu item. This starts timing the next lap at
the same time . The last time measurement
moves up to the top line@. Line @ contains
the current lap t ime .