2016 AUDI A4 ESP

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-Take the child restraint off the front passen­
ger seat and install it properly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PASSENGER AIR
BAG OFF
light does not stay on.
- Have the airbag system inspected by your
authorized Audi dealer immediately.
Secure unused safety belts on the rear seat
Fig . 160 Schemat ic overv iew: keep unused s-afety belts
away from children in chil d safety seats.@· oute r rear
sa fety belt,
@ -center rear safety bel t
If a chi ld safety seat is used on the rear bench,
especia lly with LA TCH universal lower anchorag­
es, the unused safety belts
must be secured so
that the child in the child restraint cannot reach
them
c::> ,& .
-Gui de the safety belt webbings @ and @ be­
hind the head restra int of the seat where the
child restraint is installed
c::>fig. 160. When do­
ing so, do not engage the convertible locking
retractor! You should not hear a "click ing"
sound when w inding up the safety belt .
- Let the belt retractor wind up the safety belt
webbing .
A WARNING
A child in a child safety seat installed with the
LATCH lower anchorages or with the standard
safety belt or a child in a booste r seat on the
rear seat could play with unused rear seat
safety belts and become entangled. This
cou ld cause the chi ld serious personal injury
and even death.
- Always secure unused rear seat safety belts
out of reach of children in child seats such
as by proper ly routing them aro und the
Child safety
head restraint of the seat where the child
restraint is installed .
- Never activate the convertible locking re­
tractor when routing the safety belts around
the head restraints.
- Never let anyone sit at the center rear seat­
ing position if the center rear safety belt has
been routed around a rear head restraint.
Child seats
Infant seats
Babies and infants up to about one year old and
20 lbs. or
9 kg need special rearward-facing
child restraints that support the back, neck and
head in a crash.
Fig. 161 Sc hem atic overv iew: rearward -fac ing infa nt seat ,
proper ly i nsta lled o n the rear seat
., When using the vehicle safety belt to install a
child safety seat, you must first activate the
convertib le locking retractor on the safety belt
to prevent the chi ld safety seat from moving
c::> poge 167 or install the seat using the LATCH
attachments .
.. Push the child safety seat down with your full
weight to get the safety belt really tight so that
the seat cannot move forward or sideways
more than one inch (2 .5 cm) .
., Sec ure unused safety belts on the rear seat
c::> page 163.
Infants up to about one year (20 lbs . or 9 kg) are
best protected in special infant carriers and child
safety seats designed for the ir age group. Many
expe rts be lieve that infants and small children
shou ld ride only in special res tra ints in wh ich the
child faces the back of the vehicle. These infant ..,.
163

Child safety
BAG OFF light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on.
Booster seats and safety belts
Properly used booster seats can help protect
children weighing between about 40 lbs. and 80
lbs. (18 kg and 36 kg) who ore less than 4 ft .
9
in. (57 inches/1.45 meters) tall.
Fig. 164 Rear seat: child properly restra ined in a booster
seat
The vehicle's safety belts alone will not fit most
children until they are at least 4
ft. 9 in. (57 in­
ches/1.45 meters) tall and weigh about 80 lbs.
(36 kg). Booster seats raise these children up so
that the safety belt will pass properly over the
stronger parts of their bodies and the safety belt
can help protec t them in a crash.
• Do not use the convertible locking retractor
when using the vehicle's safety belt to restrain
a child on a booster seat.
• The shoulder be lt must lie as close to the cen­
ter of the child's collar bone as possible and
must lie flat and snug on the upper body. It
must never lie across the throat or neck. The
lap belt must lie across the pelvis and never
across the stomach or abdomen. Make sure the
belt lies flat and snug. Pull on the belt to tight­
en if necessary .
• If you must transport an older child in a boos­
ter seat on the front passenger seat, you can use the safety belt he ight adjustmen t to help
adjust the sho ulder portion properly .
• Secu re unu sed safety belts on the rear seat
~page 163.
Children up to about 40 lbs. ( 18 kg) are best pro­
tected in ch ild safety seats designed for their age
166
and weight. Experts say that the skeletal struc­
ture, particularly the pelvis, of these children is
not fully developed, and they must not use the
vehicle safety be lts without a suitable child re­
straint.
It is usually best to put these children in appro­
priate booster seats. Be sure the booster seat
meets all applicable safety standards.
Booster seats raise the seating position of the
child and reposition both the lap and shoulder
parts of the safety belt so that they pass across
the chi ld's body in the right places. The routing of
the belt over the child's body is very important
for the child's protection, whether or not a boos­
ter seat is used. C hil dre n age 12 and u nder must
always ride in the rear seat.
Children who are at least 4 ft. 9 in. (57 inches/
1.45 meters) tall can generally use the vehicle's
three point lap and shoulder belts. Never use the
l ap belt portion of the vehicle's safety belt a lone
to restrain any child, regard less of how big the
child is . Always remember that children do not
have the pronounced pelvic structure required for
the proper function of lap be lt portion of the ve­
hicle's three point lap and shoulder belts. The
ch ild's safety absolutely requires that a lap belt
portion of the safety belt be fastened snugly and
as low as possible around the pelvis. Never let
the lap belt portion of the safety be lt pass over
the chi ld's stomach or abdomen.
In
a crash, airbags must inflate w ithin a blink of
an eye and with considerable force. In order to do its job, the airbag needs room to inflate so that it
will be there to protect the occupant as the occu­
pant moves forwa rd into the airbag.
A vehicle occupant who is out of pos it ion and too
close to the airbag gets in the way of an inflating
airbag. When an occupant is too close, he or she
will be struck vio lent ly and will receive serious or
possibly even fatal injury.
In order for the airbag to offer protect ion, it is
i mporta nt that all vehicle occupants, especially
any ch ildren, who must be in the fron t seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances, be properly
restrained and as far away from the airbag as
possible. By keeping room between the child's ..,_

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... body and the front of the passenger compart­
ment, the airbag can inflate completely and pro­
vide supp lemental protect ion in certain frontal
collisions.
_&. WARNING
Not using a booster seat, using the booster
seat improperly, incorrectly installing a boos­
ter seat or using the vehicle safety belt im­ properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death in a collision or other emer­
gency situat ion. To help red uce the risk of se­
rious personal injury and/or death:
- T he shoulder be lt must lie as close to the
center of the child's collar bone as possible
and must lie f lat and snug on the upper
body. It must never lie across the throat or
neck. The lap belt must lie across the pelvis
and never across the stomach or abdomen.
Make sure the belt lies flat and snug. Pull on
the belt to tighten if necessary.
- Failure to properly route safety belts over a
child's body will cause severe injuries in an
accident or other emergency situation
¢page 130.
-The rear side of the child safety seat should
be pos itioned as close as poss ible to the
backrest on the vehicle seat. Adjust or re­
move the rear seat head restraint if it is d if­
ficult to install the child seat with the head restra int in place
¢page 62. Install the
head restraint again immediately once the
child seat is removed. Driving without head
restraints or with head restraints that are
not properly adjusted increases the risk of
serious or fatal neck injury dramatically.
- Children on the front seat of any car, even
with Advanced Airbags, can be seriously in­
jured or even killed when an airbag inflates.
- Never let a child stand or kneel on any seat.
- Never let a child ride in the cargo area of
your vehicle.
- Always remember that a child leaning for­
ward, sitting sideways or out of position in
any way during an accident can be struck by
a deploying airbag. This will result in serious personal injury or death .
Ch ild safety
-If you must insta ll a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances the
P AS ·
S ENGER AIR BA G OFF
light must come on
and stay on, whenever the ignit ion is switch­
ed on .
- If you must install a booster seat on the front passenger seat because of exceptional circumstances the
PASS ENGE R AIR BAG
OFF
li ght must come on and stay on, when ­
eve r the ignit io n is switched on.
- Take the child restra int off the front passen­
ge r seat and install it prope rly at one of the
rear seat positions if the
PAS SENGER A IR
BAG O FF
light does not stay on whenever
the ignition is switched on .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 130, Safety belts,
¢ page 138, Airbag system and
¢ page 158, Important information.
Securing child seats
Securing a child safety seat using a safety
belt
Safety belts for the rear seats and the front pas­
senger's seat can be locked with the convertible
locking retractor to properly secure child safety
seats.
T he safety belts emergency lock ing retractors for
the rear seats safety be lts and for the front pas­
senger's seat safety be lt have a convertible lock ­
ing retractor for child restraints . The safety be lt
must be locked so that be lt webbing cannot un ­
reel. The retractor can be activated to lock the
safety belt and prevent the safety belt webbing
from loosening up dur ing normal driving . A ch ild
safety seat can only be properly installed when
the safety belt is locked so that the ch ild and
ch ild safety seat will stay in place.
Always remember : Even though your vehicle is
equipped with an Advanced Airbag system, all
ch ildren, especially those 12 years and younger,
shou ld a lways r ide in the back seat properly re-
strained for thei r age and weight.
II>-
167

..... N
0 ::..:: co ..... ..... -Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possible before installing the for­
ward-facing child restra int. The backrest
must be adjusted to an upright posit ion.
- Make sure that the
PA SSEN GER AI R BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on.
A WARNING
Rearwa rd-facing child restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat wi ll be
seriously injured and can be killed if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
or roof.
- Always be especially careful if you must in­
stall a rearward facing child safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional c ir­
cumstances.
- A tight tether strap on a rearward-facing
child restraint attached to the front passen­
ger seat can put too much pressure on the
we ight-mat in the seat and register a heavi­
er we ight in the Advanced Airbag System.
The heavier we ight registered can make the
system work as though an adult were on the
seat and deploy the Advanced Airbag when
it m ust be suppressed c ausing serious or
even fatal injury to the child.
- Make sure tha t the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the time
whenever the ignition is switched on .
-If the PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immediately in ­
stall the rearward-facing child safety seat in
a rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer.
Ch ild safety
Activating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufactu rer 's
ins truct ions when installing a child restraint in
your vehicle . To activate the convertible locking
retractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a seat, prefer ably
on the rear seat .
.. Slowly pull the belt
all the w ay out .
.. Route it around or through the child restra int
be lt path
¢ & .
.. Push the ch ild safety sea t down with you r full
weigh t to ge t the safety belt really tight.
.. Insert the belt tong ue into the b uck le for that
seating position .
.. Guide the safety belt back into the retractor un­
til the belt lies flat and snug on the child safety
seat .
.. You should hear a ''cl icking" noise as the belt
w inds back into the inertia reel. Test the con ­
vert ib le lock ing retractor by pull ing on the belt .
You shou ld no longer be able to pull the belt
out of the re tractor. The convertib le loc kin g re­
t ractor is now activated.
.. Make sure that the red release button is facing
away from the c hild restraint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety belt is
properly tight and fastened so that the seat
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
A WARNING
Using the wrong ch ild rest raint o r an improp­
e rly inst alled child restra int can cause se rio us
personal injury or death in a crash.
- Always make sure that the safety be lt re­
tr actor is locked when installing a child
safety seat . An un locked safety be lt retrac­
tor cannot hold the ch ild safety seat in p lace
during normal driving or in a crash.
- Always buckle the child safety seat fi rm ly in
p lace even if a child is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly a round during
a sudden stop or in a crash. .,.
169

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0 ::..:: co ..... ..... (D Note
If you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cushion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed . The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around
the tether strap . This applies especially to
leather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Currently, few rearward -facing child restraint
systems come with a tether. P lease read and
heed the child rest raint system manufacturer's
instruc tions care fully to de termine how to prop­
erly install the tether.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat installed on the front passenge r seat w ill be
ser ious ly injured and can be killed if the front
airbag infla tes · even w ith an Advanced A irbag
System.
- T he inflating a irbag wi ll hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door .
- A tight tether or other strap on a rearward­
facing child restra int attached to the front
passenger seat can put too much pressure
on the weight-mat in the seat and register a heavier weight in the Advanced Airbag Sys­
tem . The heav ier weight registered can
make the system wo rk as though an adult
we re o n the seat a nd deploy the Advanced
Airbag when it must be supp ressed caus ing
serious o r even fatal in jury to the c hild.
- If you must install a rearward fac ing ch ild
sa fety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediate ly install
the rearward-facing child safety seat in a rear seat ing pos ition and have the airbag
Ch ild safety
system inspected by your authorized Audi
dealer .
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources o f additional in ­
formation about child restraint se lection, instal­
lation and use :
N HT SA advises tha t the best ch ild safety seat is
the one that fits your child and fits in your vehi ­
cle, and that you wi ll us e correct ly and consis ­
tent ly.
T ry before you buy!
U.S National H igh way Traffic Safety Administra ­
tion
T el. : 1-888 -327-4236 ( TTY: 1-800 -424-9153)
www.nhtsa .gov
Nati onal SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel. : (202) 66 2-0600
www .safekids.org
Saf ety BeltSaf e U.S .A
T el. : (800) 745-SAFE (English)
T el. : (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
www .carseat.org
Tran sport C anada Information Centr e
Tel. : 1-800-333-0371 o r ca ll 1-613-998-86 16 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/ roadsafety/men u. htm
Audi Cu stom er Re lations
T el. : (800) 822-2834
175

Inte llig ent Techn olo gy
In extreme cases, EDL automatically switches off
to help keep the brake on the braked wheel from
overheating. EDL will switch on aga in automati­
cally when conditions have returned to normal.
St eer ing r ecomm endation
The ESC helps to stabilize the vehicle by chang ing
the steering torque .
I n vehicles with dynamic steering*, ESC also
helps to stabilize the stee ring in critical situa­
tions.
Electron ic inter axle differential lock*/
sel ective whe el t orque control *
The electronic interaxle differentia l lock (front
wheel drive) or the selective wheel torque control
(a ll whee l drive) operates when driving through
curves . The front wheel on the inside of the curve
or both wheels on the inside of the curve are
braked selectively as needed. This allows more
precise driving in curves. The applicable system
may not activate when driving in wet or snowy
conditions.
.,&. WARNING
- The ESC and its in tegrated systems canno t
overcome the laws of phys ics. This is espe­
c ially important on slippery or wet roads.
If
the systems begin acting to stabilize your
Switching on /off
vehicle, you should immediately change
your speed to match the road and traffic
conditions. Do not let the increased safety
provided by these systems tempt you to
take risks. Doing so will increase the risk of
a loss of vehicle control, collision and seri­
ous personal injuries.
- Always adapt your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions. The risk of los ing con­
trol of the vehicle increases when driving
too fast, espec ially through curves and on
slippery o r wet roads, and when driving too
close to vehicles up ahead . The ESC and its
integrated systems cannot always prevent
collisions -there is still a risk of accidents!
- Always accelerate with specia l care on even,
smooth surfaces such as those that are wet
or covered with ice and snow. The drive
wheels can spin even with these assistance
systems that cannot always help to reduce
the risk of loss of vehicle control.
@ Tips
- ABS and ASR only work correct ly when all
four wheels are equipped with identical
t ires. Different tire sizes can lead to a reduc­
t ion in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
ESC turns on automatically when you start the engine .
Fig. 173 Version A: lower center console,~ OFF button
The ESC is des igned to function in levels. Depend­
i n g on the level tha t is selected, the stabilization
function of the ESC is limited or switched off. The
178
Fig. 174 Version B: upper center console,~ OFF button
amount of stabilization contro l w ill diffe r de­
pending on the level.
"' N N N ~ 0:, m

..... N
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

Intelligent Technology
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the firs t 25 0 miles (400 km), new b rake
pads do not possess their full braking effect , they
have to be "broken i n" first ¢& . You can com­
pensate for this slight ly reduced braking power
by push ing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid
heavy braking loads during the break-in period .
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles a re still sub ­
ject to wear, depend ing largely on ope rating con ­
ditions and driving habits¢& . On vehicles that
are either dr iven most ly in stop-and-go city traf­
f ic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by you r authorized Aud i dea ler more of­
ten than spec ified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet .
Failu re to have your brake pads
i n spected c an resu lt in reduced bra ke pe rform­
ance.
O n steep slopes, you sho uld use the braking ef ­
fect of the eng ine . This way, you prevent unnec­
es sary wear on t he b rake system. If yo u m ust use
your b rake s, d o not hold the brakes down cont in­
uously. Pum p th e b rakes at intervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when brak ing depend ing on the
speed, b raking force and outs ide cond it ions such
as tempe ra tu re and humidi ty.
Effect of water and road salt
In certain s ituations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy ra in, afte r ove rnig ht con ­
densat ion or after washing your car, the b raking
effect can be reduced by mo isture or ice on the
b rake rotors and b rake pads . T he brakes must be
d ried first w ith a few careful b rake a pplica tions.
At highe r speeds and with t he windsh ield wipers
tur ned on, the br ake pads press aga inst the brake
rotors for a sho rt amoun t of time. This occur s at
regular intervals w it h out t he dr iver noticing and
p rov ides for better bra ke response time under
wet conditions.
180
The effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a salt-covered road
and t he b rakes are not used . Likewise, yo u clean
off accum ulated salt coating from brake discs
and pads with a few caut ious app lications of the
brake ¢& .
Corrosi on
There may be a tendency fo r dirt to build up on
the b rake pads and corrosion to form on the discs
i f the car is not driven regu larly or only for short
trips with little use of the brakes .
If the bra kes are not used frequent ly, or if corro­
s ion has formed on the discs, it is advisable to
clean off the pads and discs by braking firmly a
few times from a moderately high speed ¢ &.
Faults in th e brake system
If you shou ld notice a sudden increase in brake
pedal travel , then one of t he two brake circu its
may have failed¢& .
Low brake fluid level
Malfu nctions can occu r in the brake system if the
br ake fluid level is too low . The brake fluid leve l
is mo nitored electronica lly .
Brake booster
The bra ke booster i ncreases the press ure t hat
yo u ge nera te with the brake ped al.
It works only
whe n the eng ine is ru nning .¢ &
Brake lining wear status
Brake lining wea r may be c hecked by visua l in­
spection o f the condition of the brake pads
t hr ough t he openings in t he wheel. If necessary,
t h e wheel m ay be removed fo r thi s inspe ction
¢ page 240, Replacing wheel s.
_& WARNING
- New brake pads don't have the be st sto p­
ping power and m ust be " broken-in" du ring
the initial 250 miles (400 kilometers). You
can compensate for this by p ressing the
brake pedal more firmly. This also app lies
later w hen new pads are installed.