2016 AUDI A3 safety

Automatic transmissio n
Stopp ing /park ing
If the se lecto r lever is not in the P posit ion when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll .
In vehicles with a convenience key*, the message:
Shift to P , vehicle can roll away . Doors c an be
lo cked onl y in P
appears. You will a lso hear a
warn ing tone.
... Press and hold the brake pedal¢_&. .
... Set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the P selector lever position.
Stopp ing on an inclin e
.,. Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi ­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
¢ _&. . Do
not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
creasing the engine speed ¢(D.
Starting on an inclin e in vehicl es without Hill
H old *
... Set the parking brake.
.,. With the driving gear selected, press the acce l­
erator pedal carefully. The parking brake re­
leases automatically . Requirement : the driver's
door must be closed and the driver's safety belt must be fastened .
Starting on an incline in veh icles with Hill
Hold*
.,. With the driving gear selected, remove your
foot from the brake pedal and press the accel­
erator pedal~
page 87, Hill hold.
Under certain c ircumstances, (such as driv ing in
the mountains or towing a trailer), it may be use­
fu l to sw itch temporarily to the manua l shift p ro­
g ram in o rde r to adjust the gea rs to the driving
conditions by hand
c:? page 94.
When parking on a level surface, simply place the
selecto r leve r in the P position. On inclines, act i­
vate the parking brake first and then move the
selector lever to the P posi tion
~ page 85. This
prevents the loc king mechanism from being
loaded too heav ily and wi ll make it easier to
move the selector lever out of the P position.
92
A WARNING
- The vehicle can roll even when the engine is
sw itched off.
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serious injuries.
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle when the engine is running, set
the park ing brake and move the selector lev­
er to the P posit ion.
- Power is still transferred to the wheels when the engine is running at idle . To pre­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u must
keep your foot on t he b rake when the en­
gine is ru nning and the selector lever is in
the D, Sor R position or "tip tronic" mode is
selected.
- Do not inadve rten tly p ress the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other ­
wise the vehicle will start to move immedi­
ately, even if the parking brake is set. This
could result in a crash.
- Do not press the acce lerator pedal when
changing the selector lever posit ion while
the vehicle is stat ionary and the engine is
running.
- Never engage the R or P selector level pos i­
tions while dr iv ing. It could cause a crash.
- Before driving down a steep slope, reduce your speed and shift into a lower gear w ith
"t i ptronic".
- Do not ride the brakes or press the brake pedal too often o r too long when dr iv ing
downhill. Constant braking causes the brakes to overheat and substant ially re­
duces bra king performance, increases b rak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the bra ke sys tem.
- If you must stop on an incline, always hold
the vehicle in place w ith the foot brake or
p ar king bra ke to p revent it from rolling
back.
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clu tch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
over load . T he
l§1 indicator light turns on

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., and a message appears ¢ page 95 when
the clutch is over loaded.
- If the engine must run while you are work­
ing in the engine compartment with the
hood open, make sure a gear is not engag­
ed. The selector lever must be firmly in the
P position and locked in place and the park­
ing brake must be set¢
page 236. Other­
w ise, the vehicle could begin moving when
the engine speed is high, even w ith the
par king brake set.
(D Note
- When stopping on a n incline, do not t ry to
ho ld the vehicle in place by press ing the ac­
ce le ra to r pedal wh ile a driv ing gear is se­
l ected. This can ca u se the au toma tic trans­
mission to overheat and can damage it. Set
the pa rking brake or press the brake pedal
to prevent the vehicle from ro lling .
- Allow ing the vehicle to ro ll when the eng ine
is stopped and the se lector lever is in the N
pos ition w ill damage the automatic trans­
mission because it is not l ubricated under
those circumstances.
- The transmiss ion can overheat and be dam­
aged under certain driving and traffic condi­
tions such as frequent starts , creeping for a
l ong time, or stop-and-go traffic. When t he
mJ o r. indicator light tu rns o n, s top the
vehicle at the next oppo rt u nity and let the
transm issio n coo l
¢page 95 .
-Allow ing the ve hicle to ro ll when the eng ine
i s s topped w ill damage the S tro nic trans­
mission because it is not lubric ated
¢ page 297, Towing with a tow truck .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the parking b rake releases
au tomatically on ly w hen the dr iver's door is
closed and driver's sa fe ty belt is fastened.
Autom atic tran sm iss ion
Hill descent control
Applies to vehicles: with S tronic transmission
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills.
Hill descent control is act ivated when the se lec­
tor lever is in the D or S position and you press
the brake pedal. The transmission automatically
selects a gear that is su itable for the incline . H ill
descent con trol tr ies to maintain the speed ach­
i eved a t the time of braking, w it hi n physi cal a nd
technical lim itations . If may s till be necessary to
adjus t the speed w ith the bra kes . Because hill de­
scent control cannot shift down farthe r than 3rd
gear, it may be necessary to shift into tiptronic
mode in very steep areas. In this case, shift into 1st or 2nd gear in tiptronic mode to use the en­
gine's braking force to relieve the brakes .
Hill descent control switches off once the decline
levels out or you press the accelerator pedal.
On vehicles with a cru ise con trol system*
¢ page 130, hill descent control is a lso activated
when the speed is set.
A WARNING
-Hill descent control cannot overcome physical
limitat ions, so it may not be able to ma intain
a constant speed under all conditions. A lways
be ready to app ly the brakes.
93

e-tron
serious damage and/or a decrease of the ca­
pacity void coverage under the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
Starting/driving the vehicle
Applies to veh icles: w ith plug-in hybrid drive
The vehicle is started and stopped with the
I START S TOP I button. Also note the informa­
tion here ¢
page 82.
Establishing drive ready mode
See¢.& in Introduction on page 98.
Requ irement: a charging cable must not be con­
nected to the vehicle ¢
page 121 and the selec­
tor lever must be in the P or
N position.
- Press the brake pedal.
- Press the
I START STOPI button .
When the vehicle enters drive ready mode, the
status message
e-tron READY appears briefly in
the instrument cluster display and the needle in
the power meter points to
READY r:::;, page 101 .
Driving
The vehicle starts with the electric motor after
establishing the drive ready mode and if the con­
ditions for electric drive mode have been met
¢page 103.
The conditions to drive are essentially the same
for the automatic transmission : ¢
page 89
You and your passengers should anticipate the
possibility of a sporty acce leration.
Ending drive ready mode
- Place the selector lever in the P position.
- Switch the ignition off with the
le!> START STOPI
button.
Vehicle sound
The vehicle generates electronic vehicle sound at
speeds up to approximately 2S mph (40 km/h) so
that your vehicle can be heard from the outside
when in electric drive mode. The veh icle sound
automatically fades out at higher speeds when
the sounds from the tires and wind start increas­
ing .
100
Switching the ignition on/off
You can switch the ignit ion on without establish­
ing drive ready mode.
- Press the
I START STOP ! button to switch the
ign ition on and off. Do not press the brake ped­
al while doing this.
The needle stays pointing to
OFF@ r:::;, page 101,
fig. 88 when the ignit ion is switched on.
No indicator lights stay turned on when the igni­
tion is switched off .
Ignition is switched off automatically
To prevent the battery from draining, the ignition
will switch off automatically under the following conditions:
- The vehicle must have already been driven.
- The vehicle must be stationary.
- The gaso line engine must not be runn ing .
- The driver 's door must be open .
- The driver's safety belt must be unbuckled.
- The brake pedal must not be pressed.
In this case, the activated low beam is replaced
by the parking light. The message
Side marker
lights automatically shut off in 30 minutes. See
owner's manual
appears in the instrument clus­
ter display . The parking lights w ill switch off af­
ter approximately 30 minutes or when you lock
the vehicle.
If the gasoline engine was not stopped, the mo­
tor continues running and the ignition does not
automat ically switch off
r:::;, ,& .
A WARNING
To reduce the risk of poisoning, never allow
the engine to run in confined spaces.
(D Tips
The vehicle cannot start when outside tem­
peratures are below-18
°F (-28 °()
r:::;,page 101.
-

e-tron
overhangs, carports or similar structures . Switch
the ignition
off. Have the problem corrected by
an author ized Audi dealer or authorized A udi
Serv ice Facility .
• Elec tric s ystem: o verheated. Safel y park ve­
hicle and check coo lant
The coolan t leve l is too low or the coolant tem ­
pera ture is too high .
S top the vehicle in the outdoo rs as soon as it is
safe ly possible . Switch the ignition off.
Read the important safety precautions ¢.&.
in
Coolant on page 109 and check the coolant level
¢page 108.
If the coolant level is OK, the malfunction may be
caused by the system overheating . Let the vehi­
cle's electric drive system cool down for some
time .
If the message turns
off after cooling down and
sw itching the ign ition back on, you ca n continue
driving. Contact an author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized A udi Se rvice Facility immed iate ly to have
the ma lf u nction co rrected.
If the indicator lig ht stays on, contact an author­
ized A ud i dealer or authorized Aud i Serv ice Faci li­
ty .
Bil Drive system : sys tem fault! Pleas e contact
work shop
There is a malfunction in the plug-in hybrid sys ­
tem. Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have
the ma lfunction corrected .
II Drive sy stem: system fault! Restart not po s·
sible. Ple ase contact wo rkshop
There is a mal func tion in the plug -in hybrid sys­
tem . Do not open the engine compartment lid .
Drive to an a uth orized Aud i dea le r or authorized
Aud i Serv ice Facility immediately to have the
malfunct io n corrected.
II Batter y temperature too low . Engine start
not possible . See owner's manual
The outside temperature is too low. The vehicle
can no longer start at temperat ures below -18 °F
102
(- 28 °C) . Contact your author ized Audi dealer or
autho rized Audi Service Facility.
POWER LIMIT Warning! Limited power
If the indicator l ight turns on and this message
appears , there may be an engine cont rol mal­
funct ion. The
(m ind icator light in t he instr u­
ment clus ter a lso turns on. The e ng ine o utput is
reduced. Dr ive to an a utho rized Audi dea ler or
autho rized Audi Service Facility immedia tely to
have the malfunction corrected.
II e -tron mode : EV curr ently unavailable
This message appears w hen the 1-,$ 1 button is
pressed and the conditions for e lectric drive
mode are no t me t.
IIJ Vehicle sound: malfunction! Pedestrians
cannot h ear vehicle. P lease contact Service
if the indicator light t urns on and this message
appears, pedestrians and bicyclists can no longer
hear the vehicle when it is driving in electric
mode. Turn off the veh icle and switch to dr iv ing
with the gasoline e ngine . To activate the gasoli ne
engine, select the
Charge batt ery mode
¢page 103 with the kl"I button. Drive to a n au­
tho rized Audi dea le r or a uthorized Audi Service
Facility immediate ly to have the malfunction cor ­
rected.
Range display
Applies to vehicles: wit h pl ug-in hy brid drive
Fig. 89 Ins trument cluster example image: range disp lay
The range can be d isplayed in the on -board com­
p uter ¢
page 29.
Depend ing o n the selected p lug-in hybrid mode,
the d isp lay disp lays the follow ing informa tion:
Ill>

e-tron
The gasoline engine is no longer available be­
cause there is not enough fuel. Drive immediately
to a gas station.
Fuel filler door emergency release
A pp lies to ve hicles: w ith plug- in hy brid drive
You must use the emergency release to open the
fuel filler door when there is a malfunction
c::> page232 .
The tank is not vented. You can only fill a small
amount of fuel in the tank.
~ Fill only until the automatic fuel pump nozzle
turns off for the first time when it is operated
correctly.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediately to have the
malfunction corrected.
(D Tips
Pressure can escape if you open the tank cap
after using the emergency release. This can
create noises.
Charging
General information
A pp lies to veh icles: w ith plug -in hybrid drive
Two options are available for charging the vehi­
cle:
- Charge at a public charging station with a spe­
cial charging cable*
c::>page 112.
- Charge with household and industrial power
sockets using the Audi e-tron charging system
c::> page 112.
Environmental conditions when using the
charging system
-Operating temperature : -13 °F (-25 °C) to 95 °F
(+35 °C)
- Humidity:
5% to 95%, non-condensing
- 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) maximum above
sea level
110
Warnings when using the charging system
£
Surfaces can become very hot when
in direct sunlight.
&~
Incorrect use increases the risk of
electric shock.
~"-
Do not use any extensions cords or
cable reels.
~
Do not use any travel adapters.
~~
Do not use any power strips.
~~~
Do not use any charging cables with
damage to the electronics or the
connecting wires.
.&_ WARNING
-
Sockets that are installed incorrectly can
cause electric shock or fire when charging the
high-voltage battery using the vehicle charg ­
ing connection.
- Installation and setup of the household con­
nection for the Audi e-tron charging system
may only be performed by a qualified elec­
trician. The qualified electrician is thereby
fully responsible for adhering to applicable
standards and regulations.
- Make sure that the selected charging con­ nection is suitable for drawing 16 amps .
- Make sure that the
110 volt socket is
grounded and shielded from water.
- Always check the fuse for the GFI outlet be­
fore connecting the charge cable.
- Never use a damaged GFI outlet.
- Read and follow the safety precautions in
the Audi charging dock* assembly instruc­
tions.
.&_ WARNING
If you are not familiar with the socket or the
e lectrical installation or it has not been
checked by qualified experts, never use it for
charging. Even very low charging currents can
cause ser ious damage and in particular fires if
the socket or electrical installation is in bad
condition. If necessary, get expert assistance
~

,....,
N
0 > co ,...., from a qualified electrical installation specia l­
ist.
A WARNING
Incorrect handling of the connector contacts
can cause e lectric shock or fire.
- Do not touch the contacts on the vehicle charging port and on the Audi e-tron charg­
ing system .
- Do not insert any objects in the vehicle charg ing port or in the Audi e-tron charging
system .
- Protect the sockets and connectors against
any moisture, water and other flu ids.
A WARNING
Using a damaged or incorrect charging cable
or a damaged or incorrect socket, using the
Audi e-tron charg ing system incorrectly or
disregarding the safety precaut ions could
cause sho rt circu iting, e lectric shoc k, exp lo ­
sions , fires or burns.
- Do not use the Audi e-t ron c ha rging system
if it is damaged and/or dirty . Check the ca­
ble and connector for damage and dirt be­
f ore using .
- T he Aud i e-tron charg ing system must only
be connected to sockets that a re insta lled
correctly and that are not damaged as we ll
as to electr ica l installations that have no
faults.
- Do not use any extension cords, cable reels,
power str ips or (travel) adapters.
- Disconnect the Audi e-tron charging system
from the power network during a thunder­
storm .
- Do not modify or repair any electrical com­
ponents.
- Never immerse the Audi e-tron charging system and connectors in water.
- The Aud i e-tron charging system must only
be cleaned when the control unit is com­
pletely disconnected from the power supply
and from the veh icle. Use a dry towel to
clean.
- I f a 110 volt socket is used for charging, on­
ly connect one veh icle at a time to the same
e-tron
circuit. Use a different circuit if an add ition­
al vehicle needs to be charged at the same
time. Note the maximum permitted current
draw for the c ircuit. Contact a qualified elec­
tr ical technician if there is any doubt.
A WARNING '"---
The components in the Audi e-tron charg ing
system can trigger sparks which can cause
flammable or explos ive f umes to ignite .
- To reduce the r isk of explosions, espec ially
in garages, make sure the contro l unit is at
least 19 in ches (SO cm) above the floo r
when charging.
- Do not use the Aud i e-tron charg ing system
in areas at risk for exp losions .
- The Audi e-tron charging system is only suit­
ab le for use on Aud i vehicles and veh icles
within the Volkswagen Group. Using the de­
vice on vehicles made by another manufac­
turer is not authorized .
CI) Note
Make sure that you a lways use the s uitable
power plug prov ided with the A udi e-tron
charging system for the corresponding mar ­
ket. Contact an authorized Audi dealer o r au­
thorized Audi Service Facility for more infor­ mation.
(D Tips
- For an uninterrupted charging process, we
recommend only charging using sockets
that are connected to a separately protect­ ed circuit.
- Us ing NEMA sockets w ith a current rat ing of
at least 30 A or industrial sockets in accord­
ance with IEC 60309 when charging is rec­
ommended .
- When charging the high-voltage battery us­
ing household/ industrial sockets, the elec­
trical installation can be used at full capaci­
ty. Having a qualified electrician regularly inspect the electrical installations that are
used for charg ing is recommended.
111

e-tron
(D Tips
-You can set the timer a maximum of 7 days
in advance.
- You can operate the climate control in the
vehicle interior when the high-voltage bat­
tery is charging using the charging timer
c>page 116.
-Make sure the time and date match in the
MMI settings so that the timer can function
properly. Refer to the MMI Operating Man­
ual for setting the date and time.
- The auxiliary heating or auxiliary heating/
air conditioning* can run longer after the
departure time is reached.
Audi connect e-tron
services
General information
A pp lies to ve hicles : w ith plug- in hy brid drive
With Audi connect e-tron services l), you can ac­
cess various information or control individual
functions remotely using mobile devices (such as
a smartphone) or a web portal.
To use Audi connect e-tron services
l), please
note the following:
- You will need to register for Audi connect e­
tron services at
myaudiconnect .com. You can
access and manage e-tron services and features
at
etron.audiusa.com. If you need assistance
with your Audi A3 e-tron EV services, you can
contact customer service at 844-573-8766.
- Your mobile devices must be compatible.
A WARNING
Read and follow the safety precautions in
your MMI Operating Manual.
l) Wireless serv ice is provided by a thir d- part y provider.
-
Please contact your dea le r or call 877 -505 -2834 for more
informat ion about your carrier. Co nnected dev ices may
not be 4G -capab le. Full speeds avai lable but may be
slowed due to excessive usage, locatio n, coverage and
othe r factors. Coverage not available everyw here . See cov­
erage map for your Audi co nnect data carrier for more in­
format ion.
124
· Vehicle data
App lies to vehicles : wi th plug-i n hybrid drive
The Dr iver Information System collects data un­
der certain conditions and sends it to a server.
When data is stored, you can data such as the ex­
amples listed below using the Audi connect e­
tron services:
- Duration of the drive in hours and minutes,
- average speed driven in mph (km/h),
- distance driven in miles (km),
- average electric consumption .
For additional information on the Driver Informa­
tion System, refer to
c> page 28, Driver informa­
tion system.
Doors and lights
App lies to v ehicl es: wi th plug-in hybrid drive
You can access and display the current status of
the following vehicle data on your mobile devices
without having to be inside the vehicle.
- If the vehicle doors and lids are open/closed,
- If the parking l ights are on/off.
For additional information on opening and clos­
i ng the doors or for the vehicle light ing, refer to
c> page 3 5, Opening and closing or to c> page 46,
Exterior lighting.
(D Tips
-If the high-voltage battery is not charged,
the amount of access requests is limited to
15 after switching off the ignition. This
helps conserve the 12 volt vehicle battery.
You cannot contro l functions or access in­
formation if the charge level of the 12 volt
vehicle battery is too low.
- If at least two minutes have passed after
the last time the ignition was switched off,

,....,
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0 > co ,...., Trailer mode Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­
my and performance.
T railer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system . No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage should your vehicle be
struck from beh ind
~ ,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
Trailer mode
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system.
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra iler lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check with your Aud i dea ler for correct wiring,
switches and relays .
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
,8. WARNING
After removing the trailer hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer~.&.
in Driving instructions on page 128.
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance 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 ..,.
127