2016 AUDI A6 light

Child safety
Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 175 Tether anchors: recess flaps behind the rear seat·
backs
The tether anchors fo r the rear seating positions
are located in recesses in the rear window shelf
~ fig.175
A tether is a stra ight or V-shaped strap tha t at­
taches the top part of a child restra int to speci al
anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the tether is to red uce the for­
ward movement of the child restraint in a crash,
in order to help red uce the risk of head injury
that could be caused by strik ing the vehicle inte­
rior.
Forward fac ing child restraints manufactured af ­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements. These
new perfo rmance requirements make a tethe r
necessary on most new child safety seats.
A WARNING
Improper installation of ch ild restraints will
increase the r isk of injury and death in a
crash.
- Always follow the instructions provided by
the manufacturer of the child restra int you
intend to install i n your Audi .
- Improper use of child restra int anchors (in­
clud ing tether anchors) can lead to inj ury in
a collision . The ancho rs are designed to
withs tand only those loads imposed by cor­
rectly fitted child restra ints.
- Never mount two chi ld restraint systems on
one LATCH lower a nchor po int.
182
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment .
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety be lts or other kinds of occu­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attach any luggage or othe r
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If you must install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptional circumstances and the
PASSEN GER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rea r-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the ai rbag system
inspected by yo ur Audi dea ler.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fi g. 176 Tether strap: p roper rout ing and mount ing
Install ing the tether strap
.. Release or deploy the tether strap on the ch ild
restraint according to the chi ld restraint manu­
facturer's instructions.
.. Guide the upper tether strap
under the rea r
head restraint ~
fig. 176 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary).
.. Tilt the recess flap up to expose the anchor
bracket.
.. Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into
the opening of the tether a nchorage .
., Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catc h of the hook engages .
.. Tigh ten the te ther strap f irm ly following the
c hild restra in t manufac turer's ins truc tions.

Releas ing the t eth er strap
"'Loosen the tension following the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
"' Depress the spring catch on the hook and re ­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
I f you leave the chi ld restraint with the tether
strap firmly installed for several days, this
could leave a mark on the upholstery on the
seat cush ion and backrest in the area where
the tether strap was installed. The upholstery
wou ld also be permanently stretched around
the tether strap . This applies especially to
leather seats .
Using tether straps on rearward -facing
child restraints
Current ly, few rear-facing chi ld restraint systems
come with a tether. Please read and heed the
chi ld restraint system manufacturer's instruc­
tions carefully to determine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
A WARNING
A child in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat w il l be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
airbag inflates -even w ith an Advanced A irbag
System.
- T he inflating a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrie r wi th great force and
will smash the chi ld safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, or
door.
- If you mus t install a rearward facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of exceptiona l circumstances and the
PA SSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immed iate ly install
the rear-fac ing ch ild safety seat in a rear
seating pos it ion and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Ch ild safety
Additional information
Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number of sources of additional in ­
formation about child restraint se lection, instal­
lation and use:
N HT SA advises that the best ch ild safety seat is
the one that fits your child and fits in your vehi­
cle, and that you wi ll u se correct ly and consis ­
tent ly.
T ry befo re yo u buy!
U.S National H ighwa y Tr affic S afety Administra ­
ti on
Tel. : 1-888-3 27-4236 ( TTY: 1-800-424-9153)
www .nhtsa .gov
National SAF E KIDS Campai gn
Tel. : (202) 662-0600
www .safekids.org
S af ety Belt Saf e U.S. A
Tel.: (800) 745-SAFE (English)
Tel.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
www .carseat.org
T ransport C anada Information C entre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 or call 1-613-998-86 16 if
you are in the Ottawa area
http://www.tc.gc.ca/ eng/ roadsafety/men u. h tm
Aud i Cu stom er R elations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834
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Audi pre sense
Audi pre sense
Preventative passenger
protection
A pp lies to ve hicles : w ith Audi p re se nse
Pre sense can initiate steps to protect vehicle oc­
cupants in certain dangerous situations. The
functions described are available depending on
veh icle equipment :
Pre sense basic*
The following functions can be triggered in cer­
tain driving situations:
- Tensioning of the safety belts (for example,
during heavy braking): The front safety belts
have reversible belt pretensioners. If a collision
does not occur, the safety belts loosen slightly
and are ready to trigger again .
- Closing the windows and the sunroof* (for ex­
ample, when
over-or understeering): The door
windows and the sunroof* are closed almost
completely until only a small gap is open .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be triggered at
speeds
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Drive select : The dep loyment time is adapted in
Dynamic mode.
Pre sense front (vehicles with adaptive cruise
control*}
Pre sense front contains the functions of pre
sense basic . In addition, the likelihood of a rear­
end collision with the vehicle ahead is also calcu­
lated, within the limits of the system. If the risk
of a collision is detected, the following functions
can trigger :
- Braking guard
c:> page 90
- Tensioning of the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*
Pre sense rear (vehicles with side assist*)
Pre sense rear contains the functions of pre sense
bas ic. In addition, the likelihood of a rear-end
coll ision from the vehicle beh ind is also calculat­
ed, within the limits of the system. If the risk of a
collision is detected, the following functions can
trigger:
184
- Tensioning of the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*
Pre sense plus*
Pre sense plus contains the functions of pre
sense front and pre sense rear .
Error message
Audi pre sense: Unavailable
Preventative passenger protection is not availa­
ble. Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
Pre sense cannot overcome natural physical
laws. It is a system designed to assist and it
cannot prevent a collision . Do not let the in­
creased safety provided tempt you into taking
risks. This could increas e your risk of a colli­
sion.
- The system can deploy incorrectly .
- Please note that the sensors do not always
detect all objects . This increases the risk of
a collision .
- Pre sense does not react to people or ani­
mals or objects that are crossing the vehi­
cle 's path or are difficult to detect
c:> page 84.
- Reflective objects such as guard rails or the
entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain and ice can
affect the function of the radar sensors and
the system's ability to detect a collision risk.
(D Note
The sensors can be displaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. Pre sense can be impaired by this.
Have an authorized Aud i dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility check their function.
{!) Tips
-Certain pre sense front functions switch off
when sport mode is switched off or when
driving in reverse.
1J11>

shared, please see your contract with the
wireless telecommunications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Aud i connect > About
Audi conn ect.
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road ho ld ing and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of skid­
d ing and loss of vehicle control. It works only
when the engine is runn ing . E SC detects certain
d ifficult dr iving sit uat ions, including when t he
ve hicl e is begin ning to spin (yaw) out of contro l
and helps you to ge t the veh icle back under con­
tro l by se lective ly braking the wheels, and/or re ­
ducing engine powe r and provid ing steering as­
sistance to help hold the vehicle on the dr iver's
intended course. The indicator light
GJ in the in­
strument cluster blinks when ESC is taking action
to help you co ntrol the vehicle.
ESC has limitations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not a lways be able to help out under all con­
d itions you may come up aga inst. For example,
ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coeff icient of friction of the road surface. When
there is a section of dry road that is sudde nly cov­
e red with water, slush o r snow, ESC cannot pe r­
form the same way it wo uld on the dry s urface . If
the vehicle hydrop lanes (rides on a cushion of wa­
ter i nstead of the road su rface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been interrupted and the
ve hicle cannot be braked or steered. Dur ing fast
cornering, pa rticula rly on w inding roads, ESC
cannot always deal as effect ively w it h difficult
d riving si tuations tha n at lowe r speeds.
Always adjust your speed and driving style to road , traffic and weather cond itions . ESC cannot
override the vehicle's physical lim its, increase the
ava ilab le traction, o r keep a ve hicle on the road if
road departure is a resu lt of driver in attention .
I nstead, ESC imp roves the possibi lity of keep ing
Intellig ent Technology
the vehicle under contro l and on the road d uring
extreme mane uvers by using the driver's steering
i nputs to help keep the vehicle go ing in the in­
tended direction. If you are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can provide any assistance, you may not exper i­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switched on all the time. In certain s itua­
tions when you need less tract ion, you can sw itch
off ASR by press ing the button
lm c> page 188,
fig . 177 . Be sure to switc h ASR on again whe n
you no longer need less traction.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti-lock braking sy stem (ABS )
ABS prevents the wheels from locking when brak ­
ing. The vehicle can still be steered even dur ing
hard braking. Apply steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A pulsing in the
brake pedal ind icates that the system is acting to
stab ilize the veh icle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease braking dis­
tance. It increases braking power when the dr iver
presses the brake peda l quickly in emergency sit­
uat ions. You must press and ho ld the brake pedal
unt il the dange rous situation is over . In vehicles
with adaptive c ruise cont rol*, the b rake ass ist
system is more se nsitive if the distance detected
to the ve hicle ahead is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR reduces engine power whe n the dr ive wheels
begin spin ning and adapts the force to the road
co ndit ions. This makes it eas ier to s tart, acce ler­
ate a nd d rive up incl ines.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
The EDL brakes wheels that are spinning and
transfers the drive power to the other dr ive
wheel or wheels if the vehicle is equ ipped with all
whee l drive*) . This function is not available a t
highe r speeds .
In extreme cases, EDL automat ica lly switches off
to keep t he brake o n the braked wheel from over­
hea ting . T he veh icle is still working co rrectly. EDL
IJJ>
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ESC levels Sport mode on Sport mode off
Behavio r
The ESC and ASR stabilization functions The fu ll stabilization function of the ESC
are limited ¢ .&. . and ASR is avai lable again.
Operation Press the I .a OFF I button.
Press the I.a OFFI button again .
Indicator II turns on. II turns off.
lights
Driver mes- Stabilization control (ESC): sport. Warn- Stabilization control (ESC): on
sages ing! Restricted stability
A WARNING
Only switch sport mode on when your driving
abilities and the traffic s ituation permit, be­
cause there is a r isk of slid ing .
- The stabilization function is limited when
sport mode is sw itched on. The driving
wheels could spin and the vehicle cou ld
swerve, espec ially on slick or slippery road
surfaces .
(D Tips
Sport mode cannot be sw itched on if the
cru ise control system* or adaptive cruise con­
trol* is switched on.
Braking
What affects braking efficiency?
New brake pads
During the first 250 miles (400 km), new brake
pads do not possess the ir full braking effect, they
have to be "broken in" first¢.&. . You can com­
pensate for this slightly reduced braking power
by push ing harder on the brake pedal. Avoid
h eavy braking loads during the break-in period .
Operating conditions and driving habits
The brakes on today's automobiles are still sub­
ject to wear , depend ing largely on operating con­
d itions and dr iving habits ¢.&. . On veh icles that
are e ither dr iven most ly in stop-and-go city traf­
fic or are driven hard, the brake pads should be
checked by your authorized Audi deale r more of­
ten than specified in the
Warranty & Mainte­
nance booklet.
F ailure to have your brake pads inspected can result
in reduced brake perform­
ance.
On steep slopes, you should use the braking ef­
fect of the engine. This way, you prevent un nec­
essa ry wea r on the brake system. If you must use
you r brakes, do not hold the brakes down contin­
u ous ly. Pump the brakes at intervals.
Operating noise
Noises may occur when braking depending on the
speed, bra king fo rce and outside conditions such
as temperature and humidity.
Effect of water and road salt
In certain situations, for example after driving
through water, in heavy rain, after overn ight con­
densation or afte r wash ing your car, the brak ing
effect can be reduced by moisture or ic e on the
brake rotors and brake pads. The brakes must be
dried f irst with a few careful brake applications .
At h igher speeds and w ith the windshield wipers
turned on, the brake pads press against the brak e
rotors for a short amount of time. This occurs at
regular intervals without the driver noticing and
provides for better brake response t ime under
wet conditions.
T he effectiveness of the brakes can be reduced
when the vehicle is driven on a sa lt-covered road
and the brakes are not used . Likewise, yo u clean
off accum ulated salt coating from brake discs
and pads with a few cautious applications of the
brake¢ .&..
Corrosion
There may be a tendency fo r dirt to build up on
the brake pads and corrosion to form on the discs .,..
189

Indicator lights and m essa ges
• Do not dri ve v ehicle : steerin g defe ctive
If th is ind icator light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steer ing may
h ave fa iled.
Stop the vehicle in a safe locat ion as soon as pos ­
sib le . Do
not continue dr iving. See an authorized
Aud i deale r or autho rized Aud i Serv ice Facility fo r
assistance .
'1:I Stee ring: System fau lt You ca n continu e
dri ving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appears, the steering may be more difficult to
move or more sensit ive tha n usual. The steering
wheel may also be at an angle when driving
stra ight.
Drive s lowly to your author ized Audi dealer or au­
thor ized Audi Service Fac ility to have the mal ­
function corrected.
kr.ij D ynam ic steering : Ini tializing
If the indicator lig ht ls b link ing and th is message
appears, dynamic steering* is being initialized.
Once you start the engine after this is finished,
the steering wheel will be easy to move. Re-in iti­
alization m ight be necessary if the steering wheel
was moved hard to the left and right wh ile the
ve hicle was not moving . The display turns off if
the initialization was successfu l.
{D) Tips
-If the . or '1:I indicator light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving .
- The dynamic steering stability systems
¢ page 187 are not available in the event of
a system ma lf u nction.
- For additional informat io n on dynamic
steering, refer to¢ page 100.
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All wheel drive (quattro)
Applies to vehicles: with all wheel drive
In all wheel drive, all four wheels are powered.
General informat ion
In all whee l dr ive, the dr iving power is div ided be­
tween all fou r wheels . This happens automatical­
ly depending on yo ur driving behavior as we ll as
the cur rent road conditions . Refer to ¢ page 187,
E lectronic Stabilization Control (ESC).
A center d ifferential d istribu tes the driving power
variab ly to the front and rear axle. It works to­
gether with selective whee l torque contro l, w hich
activates when driving through curves
¢ page 188. With the sport d ifferential*, power
distribution to the rear wheels is variable and can
be adjusted with drive select¢ page 100 .
The all wheel drive concept is designed for high
engine power. Your vehicle is except ionally pow­
erfu l and has excellent driv ing characteristics
both under normal driving conditions and on
snow and ice . Always read and follow safety pre­
cautions ¢
..1:)..
Winter tires
By using all wheel dr ive, your veh icle has good
forward motion with standard tires in w inter con­
ditions. However, in w inter we recommend using
winter or all seaso n tires on all four wheels, be­
ca use this will improve the brak ing effect.
Snow chains
If there are snow chain laws, snow cha ins must
also be used on veh icles w ith all wheel dr ive
¢ page 246 , Snow chains .
Replacing tires
For vehicles with a ll wheel drive, on ly wheels with
the same roll ing circumference should be used.
Avo id whee ls with different tread depths
¢ page 238, New tires or wheels .
Offroad vehicle?
Your Audi is not an offroad vehicle - there is not
enough ground clearance. For this reason, avoid
difficult terrain. ..,.
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& WARNING
- Also, in vehicles with all wheel drive, adapt
your driv ing style to the curre nt road and
traffic conditions. Do not let the increased safety provided tempt you into tak ing risks,
because th is increases the r is k of an acci­
dent.
- T he brak ing ability of your vehicle is limited
to the tra ction of the wheels. In this way, it
is not diffe rent from a two whee l dr ive ve hi­
cl e. Do not be tempted to accelerate to a
high speed when the road is slippery this in­
c reases the risk of an acc ident.
- Note that on wet stree ts, the front wheels
can "hyd roplane" if d riving at speeds that
are too high. Unlike front whee l drive
vehicles, the eng ine does not rev higher sud­
denly when the vehicle begins hydroplaning.
For this reason, pay attention to the road
condit ions regardless o f you r sp eed to re­
duce the r is k of an accident.
Energy management
The starting ability is optimized
The energy managemen t system manages the
electrical energy distribution and optimizes the
availability of electrical energy for starting the
engine.
When a ve hicle wit h a co nven tional energy sys ­
tem is not driven for a long time, the batte ry is
d rained by equipment (for example t he immobi l­
izer) . In certain circumstances, there could may
not be eno ugh energy to start the engine.
Your vehicle is equipped with a n intelligent ener ­
gy management system for distr ibuting e lectric i­
ty. This s ignificantly improves the starting ability
and increases the b attery life.
The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagno sis , idling current management
and dynamic energy management .
Battery diagnosis
T he batte ry d iagnosis de term ines t he b att ery
ch arge level. The senso rs detect the battery, the
battery current, and the battery temperature.
192
The c urren t cha rge level and the performance of
the battery are determined based on this .
Idling current management
The idling current manageme nt decreases the
energy used while parked. Wi th the engine
swi tched off , it m anages t he energy dis trib ution
to the d ifferent e lectrica l components. Date from
batte ry diagnosis is taken into acco unt for this.
De pend ing on the b atte ry charge level, ele ctrical
equipmen t is switched off one item a fter the o th ­
er, to preven t the bat tery from draining and to
retain the starting ability .
Dynamic energy management
While driv ing , dynam ic energy manageme nt dis ­
t ribu tes the appr opr iate amo unt of energy to the
e lectri ca l eq uipment. It contro ls the battery
charge level so that more energy is not used then
is being generated in order to maintain an opti­
mal battery charge level.
(D Tips
- Ener gy management cannot overcome the
laws of p hysics . Note that the charge level
and length of the battery life are limited.
- Whe n the sta rting ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light t urns on
~page 16.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority.
A lo t of st ress is placed on the b attery when dr iv­
i ng sho rt distances, in t raff ic, and at cold times
of the year . A lot of energy is used but litt le is
generated. It is also critical when the engine is
not running but e lectr ica l equipment is sw itched
on. In th is case, energy is used but none is gener­
ated.
In sit uat ions like th is, ene rgy management w ill
active ly regulated the dis trib ution of energy.
Long periods without use
I f you do not drive yo ur vehicle for sever al days o r
weeks, e lectrica l equipment is gradua lly sca le d
back or sw itched off. This reduces ene rgy use and ..,.

ensures the vehicle wi ll be able to start after long
periods of time. Some convenience functions,
such as interior lighting or power seat adjust­
ment, may not be available under certain circum­
stances. These convenience functions will be
ava ilable aga in once you switch the ign ition on
and start the engine .
With the engine switched off
The battery will drain if you use functions s uch as
listening to the radio while the engine is sw itch­
ed off.
The vehicle's ability to start may be impaired by
the energy use, a message will appear in the In ­
fotainment system d isp lay.
The message indicates that the system will switch off automatically soon . If you wou ld like
to continue using the functions, you must start
the eng ine.
With the engine running
Although electrical energy is generated while
d riving, the battery can drain. This can happen
when little energy is generated, and much is used
and the charge level of the battery is not optimal.
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo­
rari ly scaled back or switched off. Heating sys­
tems in part icu lar require a great deal of energy.
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear w indow defroster is not working, then it
has been temporarily reduced or switched off .
These systems are available again as soon as the
e n ergy ba la nce has been restored.
In addition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased . Th at is normal and no
cause for conce rn. Due to the increased idling
speed , the additional required energy w ill be
generated and the battery will be charged.
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193