2017 AUDI A4 parking brake

Driving
A WARNING
-Always switch th e ignit ion off and take the
vehicle key with you when leav ing the veh i­
cle, eve n for a short per iod of t ime . This ap­
plies particularly when chi ld ren remain in
the ve hicle. Othe rwi se, children coul d sta rt
the engine, re le ase the p arki ng bra ke o r op­
er ate ele ctrica l equipmen t such as power
windows, which increases the risk of an acci ­
dent.
- When the vehicle is loc ke d , no one -particu ­
larly not children -sho uld rema in in the ve­
hicle . Locked doors make it more difficult
f or eme rgency workers to get into the vehi­
cle, which p uts lives at risk.
Starting from a stop
The hold assist function ensures that the parking
brake releases automatically when the vehicle
starts moving .
Stopping and setting the parking brake
" Pull th@(®) switch to s@t th @ parking bra k@ .
Starting and automat ically releasing the
parking brake
" When you pr ess t he accelerator pedal, the
par king b rake is autom atically released and
yo ur vehicle begins to move.
T he parki ng b rake c an be set if you must s top the
ve hicl e at a stop lig ht or in t raff ic. Th e ve hicle
does not have to be he ld with the brake pedal.
The parking brake e liminates the tendency to
creep when a selector lever position is engaged .
The par king b rake releases automatica lly and the
ve hicle beg ins to move as soon as you press the
accelerator pedal as usual.
Starting on hills
When starting on hills, hill start assist prevents
the vehicle from un intent iona lly rolling back. The
braking force of the parking brake does not re­
lease until the wheels bu ild up enoug h driving
force.
82
(D Tips
Fo r safety reasons, the par king brake only re­
l eases automatically when the drive r's door is
closed.
Starting to drive with a trailer
To prevent rolling back unintentionally on a hill,
do the following:
.. Keep the(®} switch pulled and press the acce l­
erator pedal. The parking brake remains set
and prevents the ve hicle from roll ing backwar d.
.. You can release the<®> switch once you a re sure
that you are giv ing enough driv ing force to the
wheels by pressing the accelerator pedal.
Depend ing on the weight of t he rig (vehicle and
trailer) and the steepness of the incline, you may
r oll backward as you start.
Emergency braking function
In the event that the standard brake system fails
or locks up.
.. To brake your veh icle in an eme rgency, pull the
<® > switch and ho ld it pulled.
.. As soon as you re lease the <®> switch or acceler-
ate, the braking stops.
P ulli ng and ho ld ing the C®l switch wh ile driving
the ve hicle activates the eme rgency brak ing func­
tion. The ve hicle brakes at all four wheels by acti­
vat ing the braking hydraulics . T he braking effect
i s sim ila r to mak ing a n emergency stop .
Q &
To reduce the risk of act ivat ing the emergency
braking by m istake, an audib le warning tone
(buzzer) sounds w hen the C®l switch is pulled.
Emergency b raking s tops as soon as th e<®>
switch is re leas ed or the ac celerator p eda l is
presse d.
A WARNING
Eme rgen cy braking sho uld only be used i n an
emergency, when the normal brake pedal has
failed or the brake peda l is obst ructed. Using
the park ing bra ke for emergency b raking w ill
~

slow your vehicle down as if you had made a
full braking maneuver. ESC and the associat ­
ed components (ABS, ASR, EDL) cannot over­
come the laws of physics . In corners and
when road or weather conditions are bad , a
full brake application can cause the vehicle to skid or the rear end to swerve, which increas­
es the risk of an accident.
Hill hold assist
Hill hold assist makes it easier to start on hills .
The system is activated when the brake pedal is pressed for a
few seco nds. The vehicle must be in
an uphill direction of travel.
After releasing the brake pedal , the brake power
is held for a
brief moment to prevent the vehicle
from rolling back when starting. During this
time , you can easily begin to
move your vehicle.
& WARNING
- If you did not begin moving immediately af­
ter releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle
could begin to roll backward under certain
conditions . Press the brake pedal or set the
parking brake immediately .
-If the engine stalls, press the brake pedal or
set the parking brake immediately.
- To prevent the vehicle from rolling back un­
intentionally when starting in stop-and-go
traffic, keep the brake pedal pressed for a
few seconds before you start driving.
- Switch the ignition off when you leave the
vehicle, even for a short period of time. Also
set the
parking brake to prevent the vehicle
from rolling unintentionally . This applies
particularly when children remain in the
ve­
hicle, because there is the risk of an acci­
dent .
Automatic transmission
Introduction
The automati c transmission is controlled elec ­
tronically . The transmission shifts up or down au­
tomatically depending on which drive program is
selected .
Driving
When a moderate driving style is used, the
transmission selects the most economical driving
mode. The transmission shifts up at a lower RPM
and shifts down at a higher RPM to improve fuel
efficiency.
The transmission switches to a sporty mode after
a kick-down or when the driver uses a
sporty
driving style
characteri zed by quick accelerator
pedal movements, heavy acceleration, frequent
changes in speed and t raveling at the maximum
speed .
If desired, the driver can also select the gears
manually (tiptronic mode) ¢ page 86.
Selecting selector lever positions
Fig. 83 Selecto r lever
The current selector l ev e r pos ition is shown next
to the selector lever¢
fig. 83 . The current selec­
tor lever position is also shown in the instrument
cluster d isplay .
.,. You may need to release the selector lever lock
depending on which selector lever position is
selected and which one you would like to se­
lect .
.,. To do this, press the locking button (Don the
selector lever¢
fig. 83.
.,. To engage the nearest se lector lever position,
move the selector lever forward/back until you
feel the first pressure point. The selector lever
will return to its original position.
.,. To skip
over one selector lever position, move
the selecto r lever past the pressure point into
the desired position . The selector lever will re­
turn to its original position.
For example, you can skip
over the N position if
you would like to go directly from D into R. ..,.
83

Driving
Sel ector l ev e r lo ck
The se lector lever lock prevents you from se lect­
ing a position unintentionally, causing the vehicle
to ro ll. When engaging some selector lever posi­
tions, you must press the locking button
CD on
the selector lever and/or press the brake pedal
¢fig. 83.
You must press the brake pedal to engage a se­
lector lever position when the engine is running
and the vehicle is stationary.
You do not have to press the brake peda l if you
shift from D to R within one second. This allows
you to "rock" the vehicle to free it when it is stuck.
P -Pa rk
The whee ls are loc ked in this pos it ion. On ly shift
into park when the veh icle is stationary ¢&. . T o
select the P selector lever position, press the P
button @on the selector lever ¢
fig. 83. Pap­
pears next to the se lector lever.
You can only shift out of park when the engine is running and you are press ing the b rake pedal. To
release the parking lock, press the brake peda l,
press the locking button
CD on the selector lever
and select the desired pos it ion ¢
fig. 83.
P engages automat ically if you switch the engine
off while the selector lever is in D, E, Sor R.
If yo u sw itch the engine off when the N position
is selected, the transmission remains in N for ap ­
proximate ly 30 minutes and then Pis engaged .
You must use the par king loc k emergency release
before towing the vehicle¢
page 89.
R -Reverse
The reverse gear is engaged in this pos ition. Only
select reverse when the vehicle is stationa ry and
the engine is ru nning at id le speed ¢.&. . T o en­
gage the R selector lever position, press the b rake pedal, press the lock ing button
CD on the
selecto r lever and select the R position ¢
fig. 83.
A confirmation tone wi ll sound when the reve rse
gear is engaged.
84
N -Neutral (idle )
The t ransmission is in idle in th is position. To en­
gage the N selector lever position, press the lock ­
i ng button
CD on the se lector lever and shift into
the N position ¢
fig. 83.
If you switch the engine off when the N posit io n
i s selected, the transmission remains in N for ap ­
prox imately 30 minutes and then P is engaged.
You cannot se lect t he N pos ition when the ig ni­
tion is swi tched off. When dr iv ing th rough an au­
tomat ic car wash, fi rst select the N position and
then turn the eng ine off.
Fo r safety reasons, the veh icle canno t be loc ked
whe n the t ransmiss io n is in the N pos it ion.
D IS -Driving forward
When the transm iss ion is in the D/S posit ion, it
can be operated either in the norma l D mode or
i n the S sport mode. Move the selector lever bac k
to engage the S sport mode. You ca n only se lect
the S se lector lever position when the Dor E pos i­
tion is se lected . To select the Dor E position
again when S is engaged, move the selector lever back ¢&. . To sh ift from N to D when traveling at
speeds below 1 mph (2 km/h), press the brake pedal and shift into the D position¢&. .
In the
normal mode D, the transmission auto­
matically selects the suitable gear ratio. It de­
pends on engine load, vehicle speed and driving
style.
Se lect the
sport mode S fo r sporty driving . The
vehicle makes f ull use of the engine 's power.
Sh ift ing may become noticeable when accelerat­
i ng .
The S selector lever posit ion engages automati ­
ca lly when you select
dynamic mode in drive se­
l ect*.
A WARNING
Read and follow all WARNINGS.
-The vehicle can roll even if the ignit ion is
sw itched off.

-Power is st ill transmitted to the wheels
when the eng ine is r unning at idle. To pre­
vent the veh icle from "creeping", you must
keep your foot on the brake in all selector
lever posi tions (except P and N) when the
engine is ru nning.
- Before opening the hood, se lect the P selec­
tor leve r pos ition and set the parking bra ke.
T his redu ces the risk of an accid ent. Always
read and fo llow the appli cable warnings
¢ page 30 4, Wor king in the engine com­
partment.
@ Tips
If you accidentally se lect N wh ile d riving, take
your foot off the a ccele rat or pedal an d wait
for the engine to s low down to idle before se­
lect ing Dor S.
Driving tips
Starting the engine
.,. The P or N posi tion m ust be selected .
Starting from a stop
.,. Press and hold the brake pedal.
.,. Start the engi ne ¢
page 76.
.,. Press t he lo ck ing bu tton (D on the se le ctor lev­
er and select the D, E, Sor R pos ition
¢ page 83.
.,. Wait a moment unti l the transmission shifts.
Yo u w ill notice a slight movement when the
gear engages .
.,. Release the brake pedal and press the acce lera­
tor pedal ¢
A,.
Stopp ing temporarily
.,. Press t he brake peda l to stop the vehicle, fo r
example at a t raff ic light. Do not press the ac­
ce le rator peda l when do ing this.
.,. To prevent the vehicle from rolling when you
sta rt driving, set the park ing brake when stop­
ping on steep hill s¢
A, .
.,. The park ing bra ke w ill release automatically
;;§ and the vehi cle will s tart moving on ce you press ....
~ th e accelerator pedal.
N .... 0 0
3 D riving
Stopping /parking
If the selector lever is not in the P position when
yo u open the drive r's door, the vehicle cou ld ro ll.
.,. Press and hold the b rake pe dal¢
A, .
.,. Se t the par king bra ke.
.,. To sele ct the P se lec to r lever posit io n, press the
P button @on the selector lever¢
page 83,
fig. 83.
Un der certa in conditions , such as d riv ing i n the
moun tains o r whe n towi ng a t railer, it may be
helpful to swi tch to man ua l mode tempo rari ly
and shift
manually to adapt to the driv ing condi ­
t ions ¢
page 86 .
On hills, ac tivate the park ing brake fi rst and then
shi ft into the P position¢
page 81 . This preven ts
too much stress from being p laced on the locking
mechan ism .
A WARNING
----The vehicle can roll even when the eng ine is
sw itched off .
- Unintended vehicle movement can lead to
serio us inju ries .
- Do not press the acce le rator pedal when
chang ing the se lector lever position while
the vehicle is stationary and the engine is r u nning . This could result in a c rash .
- To reduce the r isk of an accident, never se­
lect the R o r P positions while dr iv ing .
- Do not inadvertently p ress the accelerator
pedal when the vehicle is stationary. Other­
wise the veh icle wi ll start to move immedi­
ately , even i f the pa rking brake is set. This
could result in a c rash .
(D Tips
For safety reasons, the park ing bra ke only re­
l eases automatically when the drive r's door is
closed .
Hill descent control
The hill descent control system assists the driver
when driving down hills .
Hill descent control activates when the t ransmis-
s io n is in the Dor 5 position and you press the ..,.
85

Driving
There is a malfunction in the P button on these ­
lector lever. The transmission automatically en­
gages in P when you switch off the engine . Drive
to an author iz ed Audi deale r or author iz ed Audi
Serv ice Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected .
[iJ Transmission : m alfun ction ! Sel. le ver pos.
can only be changed using both paddle le vers.
Ple ase contact Service
There is a system malfunction in the transmis ­
sion. You can contin ue driving with restricted
function . The selector lever is not working. Gears
can only be selected by tapping both sh ift pad­
d les at the same time when the vehicle is station ­
ary ¢
page 86, fig. 85 . Pay attention to these­
lected transm ission position i n the instrument
cluste r display . The park ing lock engages au to­
mat ic all y w hen you t urn off the engine. Drive to
an author ized Audi dealer or author ized A udi
Service Facility immediately to have the malfunc­
tion corrected.
[iJ Transmi ssion : plea se pre ss brake pedal and
se lect gear again
Press the brake pedal and se lect the desired se­
lecto r leve r posit ion aga in. You can then continue
d riving.
[O] Transmi ssion : too hot . Plea se adapt dr iving
s tyle
The transm ission temperature has incre ased s ig­
n ificantly due to the sporty driving manner . Drive
i n a less sporty ma nner until the temperature re­
turns to the normal range and the indicator light
sw itches of .
[O] Transmi ssion : malfunct ion! You can contin­
u e driving . See owner 's manual
There is a system malfunct ion in the transm is­
sion . You may continue dr iving . Drive to your au­
thor ized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Service
Facility soon to have the malfu nction corrected .
[O] Transmission : malfunct ion! You ma y contin­
ue dri ving in D until engine off
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. If you turn the engine off, you will not be
88
able to se lect any othe r se lector lever positions
after starting the engine again . Drive to an au­
thorized Audi dea ler or a uthorized Audi Service
Facility immediate ly to have the malfunction cor­
rected .
[iJ Transmission: malfunction! You ma y contin­
ue dr iving (limited functionality ). Please con­
tact Serv ice
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
sion . The transmission is switching to emergency
mode. This mode only s hifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
Drive to an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility immediate ly to have the
malfunction corrected .
[iJ Transmission: malfunction! You ma y contin ­
ue dr iving. No re verse gear
There is a system malfunction in the transmis­
s ion. The transmission is switch ing to emergency
mode. This mode only s hifts into certain gears or
will no longer shift at a ll. The eng ine may sta ll.
You cannot engage the reverse gear . Dr ive to an
authorized Aud i dealer or a uth orized Aud i Serv ice
Facility immediate ly to have the malfunction cor­
r ected .
[iJ Danger of rolling away! P not possible .
Pl ea se apply park ing brake
- The parking lock was re leased us ing the emer ­
gency release¢
page 89. Or
- The parking lock can no longer be engaged.
Dr ive to an authori zed Audi dealer or author­
ized Aud i Service Facility immediately to have
the malfunction corrected .
[iJ Move selector lever to automatic position
There is a ma lfunction in the tiptron ic mode . End
tiptronic mode by pus hing the selector lever to
the left into the D/S position .

Parking lock emergency release
The parking lock must be released using the
emergency release before towing the vehicle .
Fig. 86 Front cup holder: removing the cover
Fig. 87 Front cup holder : parking lock eme rge ncy release
~ 0
~ a, ID
The eme rgency re lease is located in the fron t cup
ho lde r under a cover
Releasing the parking lock using the
em ergency r ele ase
.. To prevent the vehicle from rolling unintention­
ally, set the parking brake<®>
c::>page 81 or
press the brake peda l.
.. Remove the rubber mat.
.. There is one slit open ing on the cover . Use the
screwdriver (from vehicle tool kit) to pry the
cove r off at the opening
c::> fig . 86 .
.. Inse rt the socket wrench (from the vehicle tool
k it) into the opening .
.,. Push and turn t he so cket w rench 90° until it
locks into place
c::> fig. 87 .
.. Leave the socket wrench inserted .
Resetting the parking lock
~ .. Pull the socket wrench out ve rtically c::> 0.
;:::: .. Reinsert the cover and rubber mat . ...... N ..... 0 0
~ co
Drivi ng
When the parking lock emergency release is
used, the
mJ indicator light and the N selector
l ever posit ion turn on in the instrument cluster .
The message
Da nger of rolli ng away ! P not po s­
sible. Please apply park ing bra ke
also appears.
A WARNING
-- Only activate the emergency release while
on a level surface or a slight slope.
- If you release the park ing lock us ing the
emergency release, secu re your vehicle with
the park ing b rake or the brake pedal if the
pa rking brake is not wo rking . T he veh icle
c a n roll away if it is not se cure d and cause a
crash.
(D Note
Do not tur n the socket wrench back when re­
setting the parking lock or else there is a risk
of damage.
89

Trailer towing
Backing up is difficult and requires practice .
Backing up with a trailer generally requires steer­
ing action oppos ite to that when backing up your
veh icle w ithout a trailer .
Maintain a g reater distance between your vehicle
and the one in front of you. You w ill need more
room to stop. To compensate for the tra iler, you
will need a larger than normal turn ing radius.
When passing, remember that you cannot accel ­
erate as fast as you norma lly would because of
the added load. Make sure you have enough room
to pass. After passing, allow plenty of room for
your tra iler before chang ing lanes again .
Avoid jerky starts , sharp turns or rapid lane
changes .
@ Tips
- Do not tow a trailer during the break -in per i­
od of your vehicle.
- If you tow a trailer, your Audi may require
more frequent maintenance d ue to the ex ­
tra load
~ page 363.
Parking on a slope
Do not pork on a slope with a trailer. If it cannot
be avoided, do so only o~er doing the following:
When parking:
.. Apply t he foo t brake .
.. Have someone place chocks under both t he ve­
hicle and the tra ile r whee ls .
.. With chocks in p lace, slowly release t he brakes
u ntil the whee l chocks absorb the load .
.. Turn the wheels towards the curb .
.. Apply the parking brake .
.. Move the selector lever to P .
When restarting after pa rking:
.. Apply the foot brake .
.. Start the engine .
.. Move the selector lever to D/S .
.. Release the parking brake and slowly pull out
and away from the wheel chocks .
.. Stop and have someone retrieve t he wheel
chocks .
92

Assist
Messages
Applies to: vehicles with Audi adaptive cruise control
II ACC with Conge stion assist: unavailable. See
owner 's manual
Th e system c annot guarantee that it w ill detec t
ve hicl es co rre ctly and it h as swit ched
off. T he ra ­
dar senso rs have s hifted o r are faul ty . D rive to an
authorized Audi dealer or authorized Audi Se rvice
Facility immediately to have t he mal function cor­
rected.
II ACC with Congestion assist: currently un­
available. Sensor v ision restricted due to sur­
roundings. See owner 's manual
T hi s message appears if the radar sensor view is
obs truc ted, for example by leaves, snow, heavy
spray or dirt. C lean the sensors ~
page 97,
fig . 90.
IIJ ACC with Congestion assist : currently un­
available. Gradient too steep
T he road exceeds the maximu m possib le grade
for safe ope ra tion. The systems c annot be swi tch ­
e d on.
IIJ ACC with Congestion assist: only available in
D, Sor M
Select the D/S o r M selector lever position .
Bl ACC with Congestion assist: currently un·
a vailable . Parking brake applied
The systems sw itch off if yo u set the pa rk in g
brake. The systems a re availab le again after you
release the pa rking brake .
IIJ ACC with Congestion assist : currently un­
available. Stabilization control (ESC ) input
This message appea rs if the Ele ct ro nic St abiliza­
tion Cont rol (ESC) is ta king a ction to s tabilize the
ve hicl e. The sys tems sw itch
o ff in this s cenar io.
IIJ ACC with Congestion assist: manual control!
This message appea rs if the veh icle rolls bac k
when starting on a slight incl ine , even thoug h the
sys tems are ac tive . P ress the b rake pedal to pre ­
ve nt the vehicle from rolling o r sta rting to move.
106
ilJ ACC with Congestion a ssist: currently un­
available. Downhill assist activated
Y ou canno t activ ate the sys te m when hill hold as­
s ist is active.
tei ACC with Congestion assist: manual control!
This message appears if the driver does not take
over steering after multiple driver i ntervention
r equests and the system sw itches
o ff . The veh icle
brakes un til it is sta tionary .
tei Congestion assist: unava ilable . See owner's
manual
The system can no longer ensu re that the vehicle
will stay in t he lane and switches
off. Have your
vehicle checked by an authorized Audi dealer o r
aut horize d Aud i Serv ice Facility if the ma lf u nc­
t ion is continuous .
II Congestion assist: Please take over steering!
This message app ears as soon as t he system
stops detect ing steering act iv ity when the system
li mits a re reached . Always keep your hands o n
t h e steer ing whee l so you can be ready to steer at
any t ime.
@ Conge stion assist: currently unavailable.
Please fasten seat belt
The system swi tches off when the drive r's safety
b elt is unfas tene d.
II ACC: efficiency as sist not available in thi s
country
The adaptation to speed lim its and rou tes ahead
i s not available in this co unt ry .
ii ACC: efficiency assist currently unavailable .
See owner's manual
The adaptation to speed lim its and routes ahead
switches off at speed limits under 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The message can also appear if the adaptation to speed limits and routes ahead has a temporary
failure. Have your vehicle checked by an a uthor­
i zed Audi dealer or author ized Audi Se rvice Facili­
ty if the malfunction is cont inuous.
Distance warning: malfunction! Please contact
Service
...