2016 AUDI A4 warning lights

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0 ::..:: co ,...., Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instructions and warnings that you need to
read and observe for your own safety, the safety
of your passengers and others . We have summar­
ized here what you need to know about safety
belts, airbags, child restraints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1. Al­
ways observe the information and warnings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information in this section applies to all
model versions of your vehicle. Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in this sections may be standard
equipment on some models, or may be optional
equipment on others. If you are not sure, ask
your authorized Audi dealer.
A WARNING
- Always make sure that you follow the in­
structions and heed the WARNINGS in this
Manual. It is in your interest and in the in­
terest of your passengers .
-
-Always keep the complete Owner's Litera­
ture in your Audi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the driver and
passengers.
- Always keep the Owner's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
tions.
Safety equipment
The safety features are part of the occupant re­
straint system and work together to help reduce
the risk of injury in a wide variety of accident sit­
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers
should not be left to chance. Advances in tech­
nology have made a var iety of features available
to help reduce the risk of injury in an accident.
Driving safety
The following is a list of just a few of the safety
features in your Audi:
- sophisticated safety belts for driver and all pas-
senger seat ing pos itions,
- be lt force limiters for the front seats,
- belt pretensioners for the seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags,
- specia l LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustable steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a w ide range of accidents. These
features cannot work as a system if they are not
always correctly adjusted and correctly used.
Safety is everybody's responsibility!
Important things to do before driving
Safety is everybody's job! Vehicle and occupant
safety always depends on the informed and care­
ful driver.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers,
before driving always:
.. Make sure that all lights and signals are operat­
ing correctly.
.. Make sure that the tire pressure is correct.
.. Make sure that all windows are clean and afford
good visibility to the outside .
.. Secure all luggage and other items carefully
c:::>page 65.
.. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.. Instruct rear seat passengers to adjust the
head restraints according to their height.
.. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
c:::> page 158, Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same
c:::> page 59, Seats
and storage.
121

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... The following situations are exceptions where it
may be useful to switch on sport mode (Sedan)
or offroad mode (allroad) to allow the wheels to
spin:
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Driving i n deep snow or on loose gro und
Sedan : ESC levels
Intellig ent Technology
- Driving with snow chains
- allroad: Dr iv ing o n ro ugh te rra in when much of
the car's weight is lifted off the whee ls (axle ar­
tic ulation)
- allroad: Dr iv ing down hill while brak ing on loose
gro und
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC/ASRon
Behavi or
The ESC and ASR stabili za- The stabilization funct io n is The f ull stabilization f unc -
t ion f unct ions are lim ited not avai lab le
~ &. . ESC and tion of the ESC and ASR is
~ &. . ASR are switched off . avai
lab le aga in.
Op eration Press the!.$ OFFI button Press and hold the!.$ OFFI Press the!.$ OFFI button
briefly . button longer than 3 sec- aga in .
o nds.
Ind icato r II turns on. fl and It'll•)~~ turn on. II turns off or II and
lights It'll•)~~ turn off.
D river me s-Stabilization contr ol (ES C): Stabilization cont rol (ESC ): S tabilization control
s age s Sport. Warning! Re stricted off. W arning! Restricted (ESC
): On
s tability stabilit y
all road: ESC levels
Offroad mode on Offroad mode off
Behavio r
The ESC and ASR stabilization f unctions The fu ll stabiliza tion f unction of the ESC
are limited
¢ & .
Operation Press the I.$ OFF I button .
In d icato r fl turns on .
light s
Driv er me s- Stabi lization control (E SC): Offro ad .
sage s Warning! Re stri cted stabili ty
It is only possible to turn off the ASR up to 30
mph (50 km/h) for vehicles w it h front wheel
drive. At about 45 mph (70 km/h) it automatical­
l y turns on again. It is possible to turn off the
ASR at any speed for vehicles with all whee l
drive.
A WARNING
You should only switch sport mode/offroad mode on or switch ESC/ ASR off if your dr iv ing
abilities and road conditions perm it .
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode/offroad mode is switched on .
The driving wheels could sp in and the veh i-
-
and ASR is avai lable again.
Press the I.$ OF FI button aga in .
II turns off.
Stabilizat ion control (ESC ): On
cle could swerve, espe cially on s lick o r slip­
pery road surfaces.
- Sed an: There is no veh icle stabili zation
when ESC/ASR are switched off .
(D Tips
ESC/ASR cannot be switched off or sport
mode/offroad mode cannot be swi tched on
when cru ise cont rol or adapt ive cr uise con ­
tro l* is switched on.
179

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... -You should perform braking maneuvers for
the p urpose of clean ing the brake system
only if road conditions permit. Other road
users must not be put at risk - you may
cause an accident!
- Before descend ing a steep grade, reduce
speed and shift transm iss io n into a lower
gear or lowe r d riv ing range. Do not ride the
bra kes or hold the pedal down too long or
t oo often. This could ca use the bra kes to get
hot an d diminish brak ing efficiency.
- Do not "r ide t he b rakes" by resting your foot
on the pe dal when yo u do not inten d to
br ak e. This may cause the br akes to over­
heat, p remat ure wea r and increased stop ­
ping distance.
- Under certa in climatic and operating condi­
tions such as passing thro ugh water, driving
in heavy ra in or after washing the vehicle,
the effectiveness of the brakes can be re ­
duced. In w inte r, ice can acc umulate on the
brake pads, linings, discs and drums. Care­
fully apply brakes for a test. Brakes will dry and ice coatings w ill be cleaned off after a
few careful b rake applica tions.
- Driv ing for an ex tended period of time on
salt-covered roads witho ut using your
bra kes can also affe ct bra king efficie ncy .
C le an off a ccumula ted s alt co ating from
bra ke discs and pads with a few caref ul
bra ke app lications.
- If you dam age the fro nt sp oiler, or if yo u in­
st all a diff erent spoi le r, be sure the ai r flow
to the front brakes is not obstr ucte d. Othe r­
wise the bra ke system could overheat reduc ­
ing the e ffectiveness of the entire b rake sys­
tem.
- Failure of one brake circuit will impair the
brak ing capability resulting in an increased
stopp ing distance. Avoid driving the vehicle
and have it towed to the nearest authorized
Audi dealer or qualif ied workshop.
- Never let the veh icle roll to a stop w ith the
engi ne shut off .
-If the brake booster is not working, the
bra ke pedal m ust be pressed conside rably
harder to make up for the lac k of booster
assista nee .
Intellig ent Technology
Electro-mechanical
power assist, dynamic
steering
The ele ctro-mechanical power a ssist helps the
driver when steering .
P ower s teer ing adapts electronically based on
t h e veh icle spee d.
Indicator lights and messages
• Steering defective! Do not drive vehicle!
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Do
not continue driving. See your author ized
Audi dealer or a qualified repair facility for assis­
tance.
' :r, y Dynamic steering: System fault! You can
continue d riving
If the indic ator l igh t turns on and the message
appe ars, the steering may be more diffic ult to
move o r more sensitive than usu a l. T he steering
whee l may a lso be at an angle w hen d riving
straight .
Drive slowly to you r autho rized Audi dea le r or
qualified wo rks hop to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
,T u Dynamic steering: initializing
If this drive r message appea rs and t he indicator
li ght is flashing on t he instrument pane l, dynam­
ic s teer ing* is being re ini tialized. After s tarting
t h e engine, t he steer ing w heel w ill move sligh tly.
Re- ini tializa tion might be necessary if the s teer ­
ing wheel was moved hard to the left a nd right
whi le the vehicle was not moving . The display
goes out as soon as initialization is comp lete.
A WARNING ~
Have the dynam ic steeri ng* system malfunc -
tion repaired as soon as poss ible by an au­
thor ized Audi dealer or qualified workshop -
r isk of acc ident!
181

..... N
0 ::..:: co ,...., -Clean off the dirty windows, headlights, tail
lights and the license plate .
- Perform a brake test (especially after dr iving
t h rough water) .
& WARNING
-Be espec ially aware and attentive when driv­
ing under difficult conditions. Damages to
the vehicle and injuries may occur when
dr iv ing at an excessive ly high speed or w ith
incorrect dr iving maneuvers.
- Always adjust your speed and handling to
the roads, terrain, traffic and weather con­
ditions. Drive especially slow if offroad wit h
low v is ibility.
- Please note that the wheels can spin and
the vehicle can break away when the ESC
Off road Mode is switched off, especia lly
w he n t he roa d is slippery.
- Driv ing stabi lity is reduced in the ESC Off­
road mode.
@) For the sake of the environment
Avoid harming the environme nt and take na­
ture into conside ra tion .
(D Tips
Only drive where it is allowed and always stay
on t he p rovided roads and paths.
Driver messages
App lies to vehicles: allroad
There is only one right way to drive in difficult
conditions: slowly and with caution!
When driving offroad, observe the fo llowing:
.. Never dr ive the veh icle in te rrai n which is not
s ui tab le for the vehicle, o r which exceeds your
driving skills. Never ta ke any unnecessary risks!
.. Drive slowly and ca utiously!
.. Pay attention to the
ground clearance of yo ur
vehicle! This may vary depending on the load and compos it io n of the ground and the environ­
me nt. The driver is therefore responsible for
deciding whether a vehicle can handle a specif ic
s itu atio n.
Driving and the envir onment
.. Activate the ESC-Offroad-Mode ¢ page 178 as
needed .
Difficult terrain
Never dr ive in areas t hat are not fam ilia r to you
and dr ive slow ly when off road and be prepare d
and expect the unexpected (e .g. potho les, bould­
ers, t ree stumps, etc.)
T o p reve nt the vehicle from bottom ing and avoid
damage to t he un derbody, you shou ld dr ive
straight ac ross seve re bumps in the ground w ith
on ly one side of the vehicle so tha t on ly two of
your whee ls cross the bumps .
Dr ive quickly th ro ugh sandy o r m ars hy off road
sections and do not stop, if at all possible .
Driving through water on roads
Read the informa tion on ¢ page 185.
189

Trailer mod e
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.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
F or this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Tr aile r hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your veh icle 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 w ith the t rail­
er hitch man ufact urer to make su re that you are
using the co rrect hitch .
Do not use a bump er hit ch .
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No mod ificat ions should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From t ime to t ime, check that a ll hitch mount ing
bolts rema in securely fastened.
When you are not tow ing a tra iler, remove the
tra iler hitch ba ll mount . This prevents the hitch
from caus ing damage shou ld your veh icle be
s truck from be hind ¢
,&..
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a brak ing system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
190
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake system ¢&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between you r vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
Traile r lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
r ec t wiring , switches, and relays.
M irrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outs ide mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors . It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
.&_ WARNING
- If a tra ile r has e lectr ica l brakes p lease no te
t hat these brakes are not activated by the
factory-fit ted contro l unit -risk of accident!
'
- After removing the trai ler hitch, do not
store it in your vehicle. In case of sudden
braking, the hitch co uld fly forward and in ­
jure you or yo ur passengers.
Operating instructions
Ma ximum traile r we ight
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 trai ler is held securely in
place to p revent i t from shifting forward, back ­
ward or sideways.
Nev er allow a pa ssen ger to rid e in a trailer ¢ &.
in Driving instructions on page 191.
Engine cooling system
Towing a tra iler makes the engine work harder . It
i s important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cool ing system has enoug h fluid.

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Tire pressure
When tow ing a tra ile r, infl ate the tires of yo ur
ve hicl e to the co ld tire press ure listed under "Fu ll
l oad" on the label located on the driver's side B­
pi llar (visib le when th e door is open). Inflate
tra ile r tir es to t railer and tire manufacture rs'
specifications.
Light s
The headlight settings should be checked wi th
the trai ler attached before driv ing
off . Check to
make sure both veh icle and trai ler lights are
wo rking prope rly .
Safety chains
Be s ure trai ler s afety chains are p ro p erly conne ct­
ed from the trailer to the hitc h on the vehicle .
L eave enough slack in the chains to permit turn­
ing corners . When you install safety cha ins, make
sure they w ill not drag on the road when yo u are
driving.
The chains s hou ld cross under the t railer tongue
to p revent it from dropp ing in case of separat ion
from t he hitc h.
Driving instructions
Driving with a trailer always requires extra core
and consideration.
To ob tain the best possible handling of vehicle
and trailer, please note the fo llowing :
.,. Do no t tow a lo ad ed t railer w hen yo ur car i tse lf
i s not lo ad ed.
.,. Be especia lly caref ul when passing ot he r
vehicles .
.,. Observe speed limits.
.,. Do not d rive at the maximum permissible
speed .
.,. Always apply brakes early .
.,. Moni to r th e temperature gauge .
Weight distribution
T owing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car res ults
in a high ly unstable distribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds o nly
to avoid the risk of losing steering control.
Trailer mode
A "ba lanced" rig is easier to opera te and co ntrol.
This means that the tow vehicle sho uld be loaded
to the extent possib le and permissib le, w hile
keeping the trailer as light as possible under the
cir cumstances . Wheneve r poss ib le, transfer
some cargo to the luggage compartment of the
tow ve hicle while observing tongue load require­
ments and vehicle loa ding consi de rations .
Speed
The higher the speed, the mo re diff icult it be­
comes for the driver to control the r ig. Do not
drive at t he max imum permissib le speed. Reduce
you r sp eed even more if load, weathe r or wind
cond it ions are u nfavo rab le -pa rticularly when
go ing down hill.
Reduce vehicle speed
immediately if the trailer
shows the slightes t sign of sway ing .
Do not try
to stop the swaying by accelerating .
Observe speed limits . In some a reas, speeds fo r
vehicles towing trailers are lower tha n for regular
vehicles .
Always apply bra kes early . When d riving down­
hill, shift into a lower gear to use the e ngine
braki ng effect to slow the vehicle . Use of the
brakes alone can cause them to overhea t and fa il.
Coolant temperature
The coo lant tempe rature gauge c:> page 10 m ust
be obse rved caref ully. If the needle moves close
to the upper end of the scale, reduce speed im­
me diate ly and/or t urn
off th e a ir cond it io ne r .
If the coolant temperat ure warning light . in
t h e instr ument cluster starts flashing, pull
off
the road, stop and let the engine idle for about
two m inu tes to pre vent heat build -u p .
A WARNING ,.__ -
A nyone not prope rly restr ained in a moving
ve hicl e is at a m uch grea te r risk in an a cci ­
d ent. Never le t anyon e ride in your car w ho is
n o t pr ope rly we arin g th e res tra ints p ro vid ed
by Au di .
191

Care and cleaning
Component Situation Solution
Te xtil es
Deposits adhering to Vacuum cleaner
a rt ifici al le ather , the surface
Alcant ara Water-based deposits Absorben
t cloth and mild soap solutiona>
such as coffee, tea,
blood, etc.
O il-based deposits Apply a m ild soap solution a), blot away the dissolved oil or
such as oil, make-up, dye, treat afterward with water, if necessary
etc.
Special deposits such Special stain remover, b lot with absorbent material, treat
as ink, na il polish, la- afterward with mild soap solution, if necessary a)
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Natural leather Fresh stains Wool cloth with a mild soap so
lutiona)
Water-based deposits fresh sta ins: absorbent cloth
such as coffee, tea, d ried stains: stain remover suitable for leather
blood, etc.
Oil-based deposits Fresh staiins: absorbent cloth and stain remover suitable
such as oil, make-up, for leather
etc. dried stains: oil cleaning spray
Special deposits such Spot remover suitab le for leather
as ink, nai l polish, la -
tex paint, shoe pol-
ish, etc.
Ca re Regularly apply cond ition ing cream that protects from
light and penet rates into the materia l. Use specia lly-co l-
ored conditioning cream, if necessary.
Carbon parts Deposits clean the same way as plastic parts
a) Mild soap solution: maximum two tablesp oons of neutral soap in 1 quart (l liter) of water
_& WARNING
The windshie ld may not be trea ted with wa­
ter-repelling windshield coating agents. Un­
favorable conditions s uch as wetness, dark­
ness, or low sun can result in increased glare .
Wiper blade chatter is also possible.
(D Note
- Headlights/tail light s
-Never clean headlights or tail lights with a
dry cloth or sponge.
- Do not use any cleaning product that con­
tains alcohol, because they could cause
cracks to form.
- Wheels
196
-
- Never use any paint polish or other abra­
sive materials.
- Damage to the protect ive layer on the
rims such as stone chips or scratches must
be repaired immediately.
- Sensors /camera lenses
- Neve r use wa rm or ho t wa ter to remove
snow or ice from the camera lens . This
could cause the lens to crack .
- N eve r use ab rasive cleaning materials or
a lcohol to clea n the camera lens . This
could cause scratches and cracks .
-Doo r window s
-Remove snow and ice on windows and ex-
terior mirrors with a plast ic scraper. To

Check ing and F illing
Using the proper engine oil is impo rtant for the
functionality and service life of the engine. Your engine was facto ry-filled with a h igh-quality oi l
which can usually be used throughout the entire
year.
@) Note
Your Limited New Vehicle War ranty does not
cover damage or malfunctions due to failure
to follow recommended maintenance and use
requirements as set forth in the Audi Owner's
Manual and Warran ty
& Maintenance booklet.
- Use only a high quality eng ine oil t hat ex-
p ressly complies with the Audi oil qua lity
standard specified for your vehicle's engine .
Using a ny o ther oil can cause serious engine
d am age.
- D o not mix any lubricants o r other addit ives
i nto the engine oil. Doing so ca n cause en­
g ine damage.
(D Tips
I f you need to add oil and there is none availa­
ble t hat meets the Audi o il quality standard
your eng ine requi res , you m ay ad d a tot al of
no more than 0.5 qu art /li ter o f a h igh-quality
"synthe tic"oil that meets t he following speci ­
fications.
- Vehicles w it h gasoline eng ine: AC EA A3 o r
API SM with a viscosity grade of SAE 0W-30,
SAE SW -30 or SAE SW-40.
- Fo r more information about en gine o il that
has been approve d for your ve hicle, please
contact eithe r you r a uthorized Aud i dea ler
or A udi C ustome r Relat ions at
1 (800) 822-2834 or visit our web site at
www .audiusa .com or www.aud icanada .ca .
Engine oil consumption
The engine in your vehicle depends on an ade­
quate amoun t of oil to lubricate and cool all of
its moving parts .
In order to provide effective lubr ication and coo l­
ing of in ternal engine components, all internal
combustion eng ines consume a certain amou nt
of oil. Oil co nsumption varies from engine to en­
g ine and may change significant ly over the life of
206
th e engine. Typically, engines w ith a specified
break-in period (see
r=:> poge 185) consume more
o il dur ing the b reak-in per iod than they consume
after oil consumption has stabili zed .
U nder normal cond itions, the rate of oil con ­
sumption depends on the q ua lity and viscosity of
the oil, the RPM (revo lutions per m inute) at
which the engine is operated, the ambient tem­ perature and road condit ions. Further factors are
the amo unt of o il di lution from water condensa ­
t ion or fuel residue a nd the oxidation level of the
o il. As any engine is subject to wea r as mileage
builds up, the o il cons umption may increase ove r
t i me unt il repla ce m ent of wo rn components m ay
be come necessary .
With a ll these va riab les coming into p lay, no
sta ndard rate of o il cons umption can be estab­
li sh ed or spec ified . T he re is no alte rn ative to reg­
ul ar and frequen t checking of the oi l level, see
Note .
If the yellow engine oi l leve l wa rning symbo l Ill
in the instrument clus ter lights up , you sho uld
c h eck t he o il level as soon as possible
r=:> page 207 . Top off the oi l at your ea rliest con­
venience
r=:> poge 207.
A WARNING
Before you check anyth ing in the engine com­
partment, always read and heed all WARN­
INGS
r=:> .&. in Working in the engine compart­
ment on page 203 .
@ Note
Driving wit h an insuffic ient oil level is like ly to
cause severe damage to the eng ine.
(D Tips
- The oil pressure warning display. is not
an indicator of the oil level. Do not rely on
it . Instead, check the oil level in your en­
gine at regular intervals, preferably each
time you refuel, and always before going
on a long trip .
-If you have the impress io n your e ngine con­
sumes excessive amou nts of oil, we recom-
mend th at yo u consult an authori zed A udi .,.