2017 AUDI A6 light

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' th ese com ponents by braking carefu lly. Ap­
plying the brakes carefully several times
dries the brakes and removes ice bui ld-up.
- The effic iency of the brakes can also be im­
paired by driving for long stretches on roads
covered w ith salt without using the brakes.
You can remove salt deposits from the brake rotors and pads by ca ref ull y applyi ng
the brakes severa l t imes.
- If the front spo iler is damaged or you install
another spoiler, ma ke sure the front w heel
bra kes are vent ilated p roperly. O therwise,
t h e brake syste m could ove rheat, wh ic h re­
duces the ir effec tiveness.
- Failure of a bra ke circuit impai rs b raking
performan ce, which incre ases bra king dis­
tance . Avoid driving the vehicle and have it
towed it to the nearest authorized A udi
dealer or author ized Audi Service Facility .
- If the brake booste r is not working, you wi ll
have to press m uch ha rder on the bra ke
peda l to compensate for the lac k of the
booster.
(D Note
- Never let the brakes "rub" by pressing the
p edal light ly when bra king is not actually
necessa ry. This causes the brakes to over­
heat and increases bra king d istance and
causes wear.
- Befo re driving downh ill a long distance on a
steep h ill, decrease your speed and select a
l ower gear. This makes use of the engine
braking effect and relieves the brakes. If
you need to b rake additionally, brake in in­
te rvals and not cont inuous ly .
(0 Tips
- If the brake booster is not working, you
must p ress the brake pedal with much mor e
fo rc e th an norma l.
-If you re trofit your vehicle wi th a front spoil­
er, whee l covers o r similar items, ma ke sure
t h at t he ai r flow to the front whee ls is not
i nte rru pted. Ot he rw ise the brake sys tem
c a n become too hot.
Intellig ent Technology
Electromechanical
steering, dynamic
steering
The ele ctromechanical s teering supports the
driver's steering movements.
P ower s teer ing adapts electroni cally based on
the ve hicle spee d.
Indicator lights and messages
• Do not dr iv e vehicle: steering defective
If this indicator light turns on and stays on and
t hi s message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location as soon as pos­
s ible. Do
not cont inue driving. See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Fac ility for
ass istance.
,~n Stee ring: System fault You can continue
driving
If the indicator light turns on and the message
appea rs, the steering whee l may be more diffi ­
cul t to move o r more sensitive than us ual. The
steering wheel may also be at an ang le when
driv ing straight.
Drive slowly to an a uth orized Audi dea ler or a u­
t h orized Audi Service Facility to have the mal­
f unct ion corrected.
,Ion Dynamic steering: Initiali zing
If the indicator light is blinking and this message
appea rs, dynam ic steering* is be ing ini tialized.
T he s teer ing whee l will be easy to move a fter
sta rt ing the engine. Re -ini tialization mig ht be
necessary if the steering w heel was moved hard
to the left and right while the ve hicle was not
moving. The d isp lay turns off if the init ialization
was s uccessful.
(D Tips
- If the . or
,Ion indicato r light only stays on
for a short time, you may continue driving.
- The dynamic steering stability systems
¢ page 120 are not ava ilable in the event of
a system mal function.
IJJ,
123

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' The energy management system Is made up of
battery diagno sis , idling current management ,
and dynamic energy management.
Battery diagnosis
The batte ry diagnosis determines the vehicle bat ­
tery charge level. The sensors detect the battery,
the battery current, and the battery temperature.
The current charge leve l and the performance of
the vehicle battery are determined based on this.
Idling current management
The idl ing current management decreases the
energy used whi le pa rked . With the engine
switched off, it manages the energy distribution
to the different electrical components . Data from
the battery diagnosis is taken into account for
this.
Depending on the vehicle battery charge level,
e lectrical equipment is switched off one item af­
ter the other to prevent the vehicle battery from
draining and to maintain the starting ability.
Dynamic energy management
While driving, dynamic energy management dis ­
tributes the appropriate amount of energy to the
e lectrical equipment. It controls the battery
charge level so that the amount of energy is not
greater than the amount being generated in or­
der to mainta in an optimal veh icle battery charge
level.
(D Tips
- Energy management cannot overcome the
laws of physics . Note that the charge level
and length of the vehicle battery life are
limited.
- When the start ing ability is endangered, the
(•) indicator light turns on
~ page 14.
What you should know
Maintaining the starting ability is the highest
priority.
A lot of stress is placed on the vehicle battery
when dr iving short distances, during c ity dr iving,
and at cold times of the year . A lot of energy is
Intelligent Technology
u sed but little is generated. It is also critical
when the engine is not running but electrical
equipment is switched on. In this case, energy is
used but none is generated.
In situations like this, energy management wi ll
active ly regulate the distribution of energy .
Long periods without use
If you do not drive your vehicle for severa l days or
weeks, electrical equ ipment is gradually scaled
back or switched off. This reduces energy use and
ensures the vehicle will be able to start after long
periods of time . Some convenience functions,
s u ch as interior lighting or power seat ad just­
ment, may not be ava ilable under certain circum­
stances. These conven ience functions will be
available again once you switch the ignition on
and start the engine.
With the engine switched off
The vehicle battery will dra in if you use Infotain ­
ment functions such as listening to the radio
whi le the engine is switched off .
T he vehicle's ability to start may be impaired by
the energy use, a message will appear in the In­
fotainment system display.
The message indicates that the system wi ll
switch off automatically soon. If you would like
to continue using the functions, you must start
the engine.
With the engine running
Although e lectr ica l ene rgy is generated while
driving , the vehicle battery can drain. This can
happen if litt le energy is generated but much is
used, and the charge level of the vehicle battery
is not optimal.
To restore the balance of energy, components
that require large amounts of energy are tempo­ rarily scaled back or sw itched off. Heat ing sys­
tems in particular requ ire a great deal of energy.
If you notice, for example, that the seat heating*
or rear window defogger is not work ing, then it
has been tempora rily reduced or sw itched off.
Th ese systems are available again as soon as the
energy supply has been restored. .,.
125

Intelligent Technology
I n addition, you may notice that the idle speed
has slightly increased . That is norma l and no
cause for conce rn. By increasing the idling speed,
the additional req uired energy will be generated
and the vehicle battery will be charged.
Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
E v ent Dat a Reco rd er
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re­
corder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa­
tions, such as an a irbag deployment or h itting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
i n g how a veh icle's sys tems performed . The EDR
is designed to record data re lated to veh icle dy­
namics and s afety systems for a sho rt pe riod of
t ime, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in th is
vehicle is designed to record s uch data as :
- How various systems in you r vehicle were oper­
at ing ;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts we re buck led/fastened ;
- How far ( if at all) the drive r was depressing t he
acce le ra to r and/o r brake peda l; and,
- How fast the veh icle was trave ling .
These data can help prov ide a better understand­
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in­
juries occur . NOTE : EDR data are recorded by your
veh icle only if a non-trivial crash situat ion occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under norma l
d riving conditions and no pe rsonal data (e .g.,
name, gende r, age , and crash location) are re­
corded . Howeve r, other pa rties , such as law en­
forcement, cou ld combine the EDR data w ith the
type of personally identifying data routine ly ac­
qu ired dur ing a crash invest igat ion.
To read data recorded by an EDR, specia l equip ­
ment is required, and access to the veh icle or the
EDR is needed. In addit ion to the vehicle manu ­
facturer, other parties, suc h as law enforcement,
that have the specia l equipment, can read the in-
126
format ion if they have a ccess to the vehicle or the
EDR .
Some sta te la ws rest ric t the retrieval or down­
l oad ing of data s tored by E D Rs ins talled in a veh i­
cle for the exp ress p urpose of retrieving data af ­
ter an accident or crash event without the own­ er 's consent.
Audi will not access the E DR and/or simi la r data
or give it to others -
- unless the ve hicle owne r (o r lessee if the vehi ­
cle has been le ased) ag rees; o r
- upon the offic ial request by the police; or
- upon the order of a court of law or a govern- ment agency; or
- for the defense of a lawsuit through the jud icia l
discovery process .
- Aud i may also use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
prov ide the data to a th ird party for research
purposes w itho ut identify ing the specific vehi­
cle or info rmation about the ident ity of its own­
er or lessee and only afte r the reco rded vehicle
data has been accessed .
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equ ipped w ith a number of
electronic cont rol modules for va rious vehicle
systems, such as engine management, em iss ion
con tro l, airbags, and safety be lts.
These elect ronic contro l modules record data
duri ng norma l vehicle operation t hat may be
needed by tra ined techn ic ians for d iagnost ic and
r epa ir purposes. The recording cap ab ili ty o f these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is record ­
ed). Only a sma ll amount of data is actually re­
corded over a very limited period of time, or stor­
ed when a system fault is detected by a contro l
module . Some of the data stored may relate to
vehicle speed, d irection, or braking, as well as re ­
straint system use and performance in the eve nt
of a crash . Stored data can also on ly be read and
downloaded w it h specia l equipment t hat is di­
r ectly connec ted to the vehicle.

Driving sa fe ty
Driving safety
Basics
Safe driving habits
Please remember -safety first!
This chapter contains important information,
tips, instruct ions and warn ings 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
be lts, a irbags, child restra ints as well as child
safety. Your safety is for us
priority number 1 . Al­
ways observe the i nfo rmation and wa rn ings in
this section - for your own safety as well as that
of your passengers.
The information i n this section applies to all
model versions of yo ur vehicle . Some of the fea­
tures descr ibed in t his sections may be s tanda rd
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 th is
Manual.
It is in your interest and in the in­
te rest of your passengers.
- Always keep the comp lete Owner's Litera­
ture in your A udi when you lend or sell your
vehicle so that this important information
will always be available to the d river and
passenge rs.
- Always keep the Owner 's literature handy so
that you can find it easily if you have ques­
t ions.
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 occident si t­
uations.
Your safety and the safety of your passenge rs
should not be left to chance. Advan ces i n tech­
nology have made a var iety of features avai lab le
to help reduce t he risk of injury in an accident .
128
The following is a list of just a few of the sa fety
features in your Audi :
- sophis tica ted safety be lts fo r dr ive r and all pas-
senge r seat ing pos itions,
- safety belt p retensioners,
- safety belt force lim ite rs fo r th e front seats,
- safety belt he ight adjustment systems for the
front seats,
- front airbags,
- knee airbags for the front seats*
- side airbags in the front seats and outer rear
seats*,
- side curtain airbags with ejection mitigation
features,
- special LATCH anchorages for child restraints,
- head rest raints fo r ea ch seating position,
- adj ustab le steering col umn.
These ind iv idual safety features, can work to ­
ge ther as a system to help protect you and your
passengers in a wide range of acc idents. These
features canno t wo rk as a sys tem if they are not
alw ays cor rec tly adj usted and cor rect ly used.
Safety is everybody' s re sponsibility!
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 alway s:
.. Make sure that a ll 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 outs ide .
.. Sec ure all luggage and othe r items carefully
~page 57, ~page 56 .
.. Ma ke sure that noth ing ca n interfere wi th the
peda ls .
.. Adjust front seat, head restraint and mirrors
correctly for yo ur height .
.. Instruct passengers to adjust the head re­
straints according to their he ight.

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <.,;) 'SI"
.. Make sure to use the right chi ld restraint cor­
rectly to protect children
~ page 171 , Child
safety .
.. Sit properly in your seat and make sure that
your passengers do the same¢
page SO, Seats
and storage .
.. Fasten your safety belt and wear it properly . Al­
so instruct your passengers to fasten their safe­
ty be lts properly ¢
page 139 .
What impairs driving safety?
Safe driving is directly related to the condition of
the vehicle, the driver as well as the driver's abili­
ty to concentrate on the road without being dis­
tracted.
The driver is responsible for the safety of the ve­
h icle and all of its occupants. If you r ability to
d rive is impaired, safety risks for eve rybody in the
veh icle increase and you also become a hazard to
everyone else on the road ¢A -Therefore :
.. Do not let you rself be dist racted by passengers
or by us ing a cellular te lephone .
.. NEVER dr ive when your dr iv ing ability is im ­
paired (by medications, alcohol, drugs, etc.).
.. Observe all traff ic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense.
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather cond itions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two ho urs at a stretch .
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
s ur e o r when you are st ressed.
_& WARNING
Impaired dr iv ing safe ty inc reases the risk of
ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
.
Dr iving safety
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving .
F ig. 140 Correct seat ing pos it io n
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the dr iver 's seat to the fo llowing
pos ition:
.. Adjust the driver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keep ing your knee(s) slightly bent¢&. -
.,. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contac t wi th it when you dr ive .
.. Adj ust the steer ing wheel so that there is a d is­
tance of at least 10 inches (25 cm) between the steering whee l and your breast bone¢
fig. 140.
If not poss ible, see your author ized A udi deal­
ership about adapt ive equipment.
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at your face .
.,. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent.
.. For adjustab le head rest raints: Adjust the head
rest raint so the upper edge is as even as possi­
b le with the top of your head. If that is not pos ­
sible, t ry to adjust the head restraint so that it
is as close to this posit ion as possible. Move the
head restraint so that it is as close to the back
of t he head as possible.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
Qpage 142. ..,.
129

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
Applies to: ve hicles with Audi pre sense
Pre sense can initiate steps to protect vehicle oc­
cupants in certain dangerous situations. The
functions described are available depending on
veh icle equ ipment:
P re sen se basi c*
T he 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 tensioners. If a collision
does not occur, the safety belts loosen slightly
and are ready to trigger again .
- Closing the w indows and the sunroof* (for ex­
ample, when over- or understeer ing) : the win­
dows and the sunroof* close until there is only
a small gap open .
The function of the pre sense basic is act ivated at
a speed of 20 mph (30 km/h) or higher .
Drive se lect: the deployment time is adapted in
D yna mic mode .
Pre sense f ront (v e hi cles with adaptiv e cruis e
contr ol*)
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 93
- Tensioning of the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*
Pre s ense rear (vehicles with side assi st* )
Pre sense rear contains the functions of pre sense
bas ic. In addit ion, the l ikel ihood of a rear-end
coll is ion from the vehicle behind is a lso ca lculat­
ed, w ithin the limits of the system. If the risk of a
collision is detected, the following functions can
trigger:
Audi pr e sense
- Tensioning of the safety belts
- Closing the windows and the sunroof*
Pr e sense p lus*
Pre sense plus contains the functions of pre
sense front and pre sense rear .
Error message
Aud i pre sense : Un ava ilable
Preventative passenger protection is not availa­
ble. Drive to your authorized Audi dealer or au­
thorized Audi Service Facility immediat ely to have
the malfunction corrected.
A WARNING
=
Pre sense cannot overcome natural phys ica l
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 tak ing
r isks. This could inc rease your risk of a colli­
sion.
- The system can dep loy incorrectly .
- Please note that the sensors do not always
detect a ll objects . T hi s increases the r isk of
a co llision.
- Pre sense does not react to people or ani­
mals or objects that are cross ing the vehi­
cle's path o r are diffic ult to detect
.:>page 88.
- Reflective objects such as guard ra ils or the
entrance to a tunnel, heavy rain and ice can
affect the funct ion of the rada r senso rs and
the system's ability to de tect a co llision risk.
(D Note
The sensors can be d isplaced by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
u nderbody. Pre sense can be impaired by this .
Have an authorized Audi dealer or authorized
Audi Service Facility check their function .
(D Tips
-Certa in p re sense front funct ions sw itch off
when sport mode is switched off or when driving in reverse. ..,.
137

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l ' Safety belts
General information
Always wear safety belts!
Wearing safety belts correctly saves lives!
This chapter explains why safety belts are neces­
sary, how they work and how to adjust and wear
them correctly.
~ Read all the information that follows and heed
all of the instructions and WARNINGS.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Safety belts are the single most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, always correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving.
- Pregnant women, injured, o r physically im­
paired persons must also use safety belts.
Like all vehicle occupants, they are more
likely to be seriously injured if they do not
wear safety belts. The best way to protect a
fetus is to protect the mother -throughout
the entire pregnancy.
Number of seats
Your Audi has a total of five seating positions:
two in the front and three in the rear. Each seat­ ing position has a safety belt.
A WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death.
- Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
It is espe­
cially dangerous to place a safety belt over a
child sitting on your lap.
- Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are safety belts available.
Safety belts
-Be sure everyone riding in the vehicle is
properly restrained with a separate safety
belt or child restraint.
~ Safety belt warning light
Your vehicle has a warning system for the driver
and front seat passenger (on USA models only)
to remind you about the importance of buckling­
up .
Fig. 142 Safety belt warn ing light in the instrument clus ­
te r -enlarged
Before driving off, always:
.. Fasten your safety belt and make sure you are
wearing it properly.
.,, N
"' 0 ..:, ., m
~ Make sure that your passengers also buckle up
and properly wear their safety belts .
~ Protect children w ith a ch ild restraint system
appropr iate for the size and age .
The warning light . in the instrument cluster
lights up when the ignit ion is on as a reminder to
fasten the safety belts. In addition, you wil l hear
a warning tone for a certain period of time.
Fasten your safety belt and make sure that your
passengers also properly put on their safety
belts.
A WARNING
-
- Safety belts are the sing le most effective
means available to reduce the risk of serious
injury and death in automobile accidents.
For your protection and that of your passen­
gers, a lways correctly wear safety belts
when the vehicle is moving .
- Failure to pay attention to the warning light
that come on, could lead to personal injury.
139

co
co
.... N
" N .... 0 0 <..:l 'SI'
Automatic safety belt r etractors
Every safety be lt is equ ipped wi th an automatic
be lt retractor on the shoulder belt. Th is feature
l ocks the belt when the belt is p ulled out fast,
during hard braking and in an accident. The belt may also lock when you drive up or down a steep
h ill or through a sharp curve. During normal driv­
ing the belt lets you move freely .
Safety be lt pret en sioner s
The safety belts are equipped with a belt preten­
sioner that helps to tighten the safety belt and
remove slack when the pretensioner is activated
c:;, page 145. The function of the pretensioner is
monitored by a warning light
c:;, page 17.
Con vertible loc king retractor
Every safety belt exc ept the one on the driver
seat is equipped with a convertible locking retrac­
tor that
mu st be used when the safety belt is
used to attach a child seat. Be sure to read the
important information about this featu re
c;, page 182.
A WARNING
Improperly posit ioned safety be lts ca n cause
ser ious injury in an accide nt
c:;, page 143,
Safe ty belt position .
-Safety belts offer optimum protection only
when the seatback is upr ight and belts are
prope rly pos itioned on the bo dy.
- Always ma ke sure tha t the rear sea t bac k­
rest to wh ic h t he cente r rea r safety be lt* is
a ttached is secure ly latched whenever the
rear center safety belt is being used. If the
backrest is not securely latched, the passen­
ger will move forward with the backrest dur­
ing sudden braking, in a sudden maneuver
and especially in a cras h.
- Never attach the safety belt to the buckle
for another seat. Attaching the belt to the
wrong buckle w ill red uce safety belt effec­
t iveness and can cause serious personal in­
jury.
- A passenger who is not p roperly restrained
can be seriously in ju red by the safety be lt it­
self when it moves from the stronger par ts
Safet y bel ts
of the body into critical areas like the abdo­
men .
- Always lock the convertible locking retractor
when yo u are securing a child seat in the ve­
hicle
c;,page 184.
(I} Tips
For information on safety belt pretensioners,
refer to
c:;, page 145 .
Safety belt position
Correct belt position is the key to getting ma xi­
mum protection from safety belts.
Fig . 14 9 Safety belt pos it io n
Use the height adjustme nt to change the posit ion
of the shoulder belt of the front safety belts .
A WARNING ~
Imp roperly positioned safety belts can ca use
se rio us pe rsonal injury in an a cciden t.
- The s hou lde r belt should lie as close to the
center of the collar bone as possib le and
should fi t well on the body . Ho ld the bel t
above the latch tongue and pull it evenly
across the chest so tha t it sits as low as pos ­
sible on the pe lvis and there is no pressure
on the abdomen. The belt should a lways fit
snug ly
c:;, fig. 149. Pu ll on the belt to tighten
if necessary.
- A loose-fitting safety belt can cause serious
inju ries by shifting its position on your body
from the strong bones to more vulnerable, soft tissue and cause serious i nju ry .
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS and
other important informat io n
c:;, page 141 .
143