2016 AUDI Q3 ECU

Automatic transmissio n
Stopp ing temporarily
.,. Press the b rake peda l to stop the vehicle, fo r
example at a traffic light. Do not press the ac­
ce lerator peda l when doing this.
... To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
start driving, set the parking brake when stop­
ping on steep inclines ¢
,&..
.,. The park ing brake w il l release automatically
and the vehicle will start moving once you press
the accelerator pedal.
Stopp ing /park ing
If the selector lever is not in the P posit ion when
you open the driver's door, the vehicle could roll.
The message
S hift to P and turn off ign it ion ,
otherwi se vehicle can roll awa y
appears.
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal
c> ,&. .
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. To engage the P selector lever posit ion, press
the button on the selector lever and sh ift into
the P position
i:> page 82.
Stopp ing on an incline
.,. Always press the brake peda l to hold the vehi­
cle in place and prevent it from "rolling back"
c> ,&. . Do not try to prevent the vehicle from
"ro lling back" when a gear is engaged by in­
c reasing the eng ine speed
i:> 0.
Starting on a hill
.,. Set the parking brake.
.,. Se lect the D posit ion .
.,. Press t he accelerator pedal carefully . If you r
safety belt is fastened, the pa rking brake is au­
tomat ica lly released a nd your ve hicle beg ins to
move .
Unde r ce rtain c ircumstances, such as driv ing in
the mountains, it may be usef ul to sw itch tempo­
rarily to the manua l shift program in o rde r to ad­
just the gea rs to the d riving conditions by hand
i:>page 85 .
On inclines, act ivate the park ing brake first and
then move the se lector lever to the P pos it ion
c>page 72. This prevents the lo cking mechanism
from being loaded too heav ily and w ill make i t
easier to move the se lec tor lever out of the P po­
sition.
84
A WARNING
- The vehicle can also ro ll when the eng ine is
stopped.
- Unintended vehicle movement can cause se­
rious injury.
- Never leave your veh icle with the engine
running while in gear. If you must leave
your veh icle w hen the engine is r unning, ac­
tivate t he pa rking brake a nd move the selec­
tor lever to P .
- Power is still transmitted to the wheels
when the engine is running at idle . To p re­
vent the vehicle from "creeping", yo u m ust
keep your foo t on t he b rake when the en­
g in e is ru nning and the selector lever is in D/
Sor R or "tiptronic" mode is se lected .
- Do not press the a cce le ra to r peda l when
changing the se lec to r l ever posi tion while
the vehicle is s ta tionary and the engine is
r u nning .
- Never sh ift into R or P whi le driving.
- Before d riving down a s teep sl ope, redu ce
your spee d and sh ift into a lower gea r w ith
"t i ptronic" .
- Do not ride the brakes or press the bra ke
pedal too of ten o r too long when dr iv ing
down a hi ll. Constant braking ca uses the
brakes to ove rheat and substantially re­
duces brak ing performance, increases b rak­
ing d istance or causes comp lete failure of
the brake system.
- To prevent the veh icle from rol ling back
when stopp ing on inclines, always hold it in
place with the brake peda l or park ing brake .
- Never hold the vehicle on an incline with a
slipping clutch. The clutch opens automati­
cally when it becomes too hot from the
overload. An ind icator lam p. illumina tes
and a dr iver message appears¢
page 86
w hen t he clu tch is overloade d.
- If the e ngine must rema in running, never
have a ny driving posi tion engaged when
checking unde r th e hood. Make s ure these­
lec to r l ever has secu rely eng aged an d is
loc ked in P with the parking b rake set

Preparations
"'To prevent your vehicle from ro lling un inten­
tiona lly, set the parking brake<®) or press the
brake pedal¢_& .
"' Insert the flat side of the maintenance tool
sideways in the s lot near the shift cover and pry
off the shift cover¢
fig. 94.
"' Pull the frame and the cover upward. You can
fold the cover up over the sh ifter knob.
Selector lever emergency release
"' Press and hold the yellow release button
¢ fig . 95.
"' Press the button on the selector lever and move
the lever into N position.
"' Clip the frame to the cover again .
A WARNING
-
If you re lease the parking lock using the
emergen cy release , secure your vehi cle with
the parking brake or the brake pedal if the
parking brake is not work ing. The vehicle can
roll away if it is not secured and cause a crash.
Automatic transm ission
87

.... N
ci ::, 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,
- belt height adjustment for the front seats,
- head restraints for each seating position,
- front airbags,
- side airbags in the front seats,
- side curtain airbags with ejection mitigation
features,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- adjustab le steering column.
These individual safety features, can work to­ gether as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide 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
~page 100, ~page 54 .
.,. Make sure that nothing can interfere with the
pedals.
.,. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for your height.
.,. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their height.
.,. Make sure to use the right child restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
c:> page 132, Child
safety. ..,.
95

Driving sa fe ty
-Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument pane l, out of the window, etc. The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in­
c rease the risk of injury in a crash .
- Never dr ive with the backrest reclined or
t il ted far bac k! The farther the backrests are
t il ted back, the greater the risk of in ju ry due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and imp roper seating position.
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats r=;,
page 132 . Special pre caut ions ap­
ply when installing a ch ild safety seat on the
front passenger seat r=;,
page 112.
Proper seating positions for passengers in
rear seats
Rear seat passengers must sit upright wi th both
feet on the floor consistent with their physical
size and be properly restrained whenever the ve ­
hicle is in use.
To reduce the risk of injury caused by an inco rrect
seating position in the event of a sudden braking maneuver or an accident, your passengers on the
rear bench seat must always observe the follow­
ing :
~ Make su re that the seatback is secu rely latched
in the upright pos ition r=;,
page 59.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing pos it ion, slide the center head restra int up­
ward at least to the next notch
c:> page 52 .
~ Keep both feet flat in the footwell i n front of
the rear seat.
~ Fasten and wea r safety be lts p roperly
r:=;, page 107.
~ Make s ure that children are always properly re­
strained in a c hild rest raint t hat is appropriate
f or their size and age r=;,
page 132.
A WARNING
Passengers who are improperly seated on the
rear seat can be seriously injured in a crash.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of their own and properly fasten and wea r the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
98
- Safety belts only offer maximum protect ion
when the seatback is securely latched in the upright pos ition and the safety belts are
properly posit ioned on the body . By not sit­
ting upright, a rear seat passenger increases
the risk of personal injury from imprope rly
posi tioned safety belts!
- Always ad just the head restra int properly so
that it can give maximum p rotection.
Proper adjustment of head restraints
Correctly adjusted head restraints are an impor­
tant part of your vehicle's occupant restraint sys­
tem and can help to reduce the risk of injuries in
accident situations.
Fi g. 10 8 Head restra int: v iewed from t he front
The head restraints must be correctly adjusted to
achieve the best protection.
~ Adjust the head res traints so the upper edge is
as even as possib le w ith the top of you r head. If
that is not possible, t ry to adjust the head re­
straint so that it is as close to this pos it ion as
possible r=;,
fig. 108.
~ If there is a passenger on the rear center seat­
ing position, slide the center head restraint up ­
wa rd at least to the nex t notch .
Adjust ing head restraints r=;,
page 51.
A WARNING -
All seats are equipped w ith head restraints.
Driving w ithout head restraints or w ith head
rest raints tha t are not prope rly adjusted in­
creases the r isk of se rious or fata l neck injury
d ra mat ic al ly. To help reduce t he risk of injury:
Ill-

-Always drive with the head restraints in
place and properly adjusted.
- Every person in the vehicle must have a
properly adjusted head restraint.
- Always make sure each person in the vehicle
properly adjusts their head restraint. Adjust
the head restraints so the upper edge is as
even as possible with the top of your head.
If that is not possible, try to adjust the head
restraint so that it is as close to th is position
as possible.
- Never attempt to adjust head restraint
while driving. If you have driven off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea·
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at·
tempting to adjust the head restraint.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a ch ild restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
qpoge 132.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system con only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants ore properly
seated.
Improper seating positions can cause serious in·
jury or death. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body . Im·
proper seating positions reduce the effectiveness
of safety belts and will even increase the risk of
injury and death by moving the safety belt to crit·
ical areas of the body. Improper seating posit ions
also increase the risk of serious injury and death
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seating position. A driver
is responsible for the safety of all vehicle occu·
pants and especially for children . Therefore:
.. Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition when the vehicle is being used
¢ ,&. .
The following bulletins list only some sample po·
sitions that will increase the risk of serious injury
and death. Our hope is that these examples will
make you more aware of seating posit ions that
are dangerous.
Driving safety
Therefore , whenever the vehicle is moving :
-never stand up in the vehicle
- never stand on the seats
- never kneel on the seats
- never ride with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on the rear seat
- never lean up against the instrument panel
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never s it sideways
- never lean out the window
- never put your feet out the window
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- never rest your feet on the seat cushion or back
of the seat
- never ride in the footwell
- never ride in the cargo area
A WARNING
Improper seating positions increase the risk
of serious personal injury and death whenever
a vehicle is being used.
-Always make sure that all vehicle occupants stay in a proper seating position and are
properly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .
Pedal area
Pedals
The pedals must always be free to move and
must never be interfered with by a floor mot or
any other object.
Make sure that all pedals move freely without in·
terference and that nothing prevents them from
returning to their original positions .
Only use floor mats that leave the pedal area free
and can be secured with floor mat fasteners .
If a brake circuit fails, increased brake pedal trav­
el is required to bring the vehicle to a full stop .
A WARNING
-
Pedals that cannot move freely can cause loss
of vehicle control and increase the risk of seri·
ous injury. ""
99

Driving safety
-Never place any objects in the driver's foot­
well. An object could get into the pedal area
and interfere with pedal function . In case of
sudden braking or an accident, you would not be able to brake or accelerate!
- Always make sure that nothing can fall or
move into the driver 's footwell.
Floor mats on the driver side
Always use floor mots that con be securely at­
t ached to the floor mo t fas teners and do no t in­
terfere with the free movement of the pedals .
• Make sure that the floor mats are properly se­
cured and cannot move and interfere with the
pedals
c> _& .
Use only floor mats that leave th e pedal area un ­
obstructed and that are firmly secured so that
they cannot slip out of position. You can obtain
suitable floor mats from your authorized Audi
dealer .
Floor mat fasteners are installed in your Audi.
Floor mats used in your vehicle must be attached
to these fasteners. Properly securing the floor mats will prevent them from sliding into posi­
tions that could interfere with the pedals or im­ pair safe operation of your vehicle in other ways.
A WARNING
Pedals that cannot move freely can result in a
loss of vehicle control and increase the risk of
serious personal injury .
- Always make sure that floor mats are prop ­
erly secured .
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings in the vehicle that cannot be
properly secured in place to prevent them
from slipping and interfering with the ped­
als or the ability to control the vehicle.
- Never place or install floor mats or other
floor coverings on top of already installed
floor mats. Additional floor mats and other
coverings will reduce the size of the peda l
area and interfere with the pedals .
- Always properly reinstall and secure floor
mats that have been taken out for cleaning .
100
-Always make sure that objects cannot fall
into the driver footwell while the vehicle is
moving. Objects can become trapped under
the brake pedal and accelerator pedal caus­
ing a loss of vehicle control.
Storing cargo correctly
Loading the luggage compartment
All luggage and other objects must be properly stowed and secured in the luggage comport­
ment.
Fig. 109 Safe load positioning: place heavy ob jects as low
and as fa r forward as poss ib le.
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift suddenly, changing vehicle handling charac­
teristics . Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal injury in a sudden vehicle ma ­
neuver or in a collision .
• Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment .
• Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for­
ward as possible
c> fig. 109 .
• Secure luggage using the t ie-downs provided
c> poge 60.
• Make sure that the rear seatback is securely
latched in place .
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or other items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­ sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident . To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury: ..,.

-Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always secure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
suitable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles . To help reduce the risk of a loss
of control leading to serious personal injury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting
heavy objects, that a change in the center of
gravity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distribute the load as evenly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as possible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
or the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the left
door jamb. Exceeding permissible weight
standards can cause the vehicle to slide and
handle differently .
- Please observe information on safe driving
¢page 95.
A WARNING
To help prevent poisonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving .
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed .
- If you absolutely must drive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning:
- Close all windows,
- Close the Pano ramic sliding sunroof*,
- Open all air outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switch off the air recirculation,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed .
Driving safety
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doors, all win­
dows, the Panoramic sliding sunroof* and the
rear lid are securely closed and locked to re­
duce the risk of injury when the vehicle is not
being used .
-After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your vehicle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
could crawl into the vehicle through the lug­
gage compartment and close the rear lid be­
coming trapped and unable to get out. Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to serious
personal injury.
- Never let children play in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compartment. Vehicle occupants must al­
ways be properly restrained in one of the ve­
hicle's seating positions.
(D Tips
-Air circulation helps to reduce w indow fog­
ging . Stale air escapes to the outside
through vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.
- The tire pressure must correspond to the
load. The tire pressure is shown on the tire
pressure label. The tire pressure label is lo­
cated on the driver's side B-pillar . The tire
pressure label lists the recommended cold
tire inflation pressures for the vehicle at its
maximum capac ity weight and the tires that
were on your vehicle at the time it was man­
ufactured. For recommended t ire pressures
for normal load conditions, please see chap­
ter ¢
page 201.
Tie-downs
The luggage compartment is equipped with four
tie-downs to secure luggage and other items.
Use the tie-downs to secure your cargo properly
<=? page 100, Loading the luggage compartment. ..,_
101

Driving sa fe ty
In a collision, the laws of physics mean that even
sma ller items that are loose in the vehicle will
become heavy missiles that can cause ser ious in­
jury. Items in the veh icle possess energy which
vary with vehicle speed and the weight of the
item . Veh icle speed is the most s ignificant factor .
For examp le, in a frontal collision at a speed of
30 mph (48 km/h), the forces act ing on a 10-lb
(4.5 kg) object are about 20 times the normal
weight of the item . Th is means that the weight
of the item would suddenly be about
200 lbs . (90 kg) . You can imagine the injuries
that a 200 lbs. (90 kg) item flying free ly through
the passenge r compartmen t could c ause in a co l­
lision like this.
A WARNING
Weak, damaged or improper straps used to
secure items to tie-downs can fail d uring hard
brak ing or in a collision and cause serious per­
sonal injury.
- Always use suitab le mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help p revent
items from shifting or flying forward as dan­
gerous missiles.
- When the rear seat backrest is folded down,
always use suitab le mounting straps and
properly secure items to the tie-downs in
the luggage compartment to help p revent
items from flying forwa rd as dangerous
missiles into the passenger compartment.
- Never a ttach a child safety seat tethe r strap
to a tie-down.
Reporting Safety Defects
Applicable to U.S.A.
If yo u b eliev e that your vehi cle
h as a defect which could cause a
c ra sh or could cau se injur y or
d ea th, you should immedi ately in­
form th e National Highw ay Tr affi c
Safet y Admini str ation (NHTSA ) in
102
ad dition t o notif yin g Audi of
Amer ic a, Inc .
If NHTSA re ce iv es similar com­
pl aint s, it ma y op en an in vestiga ­
tion , and if it finds that a safety
defect s ex ists in a group of
vehicles, it m ay order a recall and
remedy campaign. Howe ver,
NHTS A cann ot b ecome in volved in
indi vidual probl em s bet ween you,
your dealer, or Audi of America,
Inc.
To conta ct th e NHT SA, you ma y
e ither call:
T el.: 1-888- 327-4236 (TT Y:
1-800-4 24-9 153) o r
1-800-424-9393
or you ma y write t o:
NHTSA
U .S. Dep art ment of Tran sp o rta­
tion 1200 Ne w Jers ey Ave ., S. E.
W est Building
W ashington , DC 20590
You can also obtain other info r­
mation about motor vehicle safe­
ty from:
http: / /www. safer car.go v