2018 AUDI A4 warning lights

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Trailer towing Driving with a trailer
General information
Your Audi was designed primarily for passenger
transportation .
If you plan to tow a trailer, please remember that
the additional load will affect durability, econo­ my and performance.
Trailer towing not only places more stress on the
vehicle, it also calls for more concentration from
the driver.
For this reason, always follow the operating and
driving instructions provided and use common
sense.
Technical requirements
Trailer hitch
Use a weight-carrying hitch conforming to the
gross trailer weight. The hitch must be suitable
for your vehicle and trailer and must be mounted
securely on the vehicle's chassis at a technically
sound
location . Use only a trailer hitch with a re­
movable ball mount . Always check with the trail­
er hitch manufacturer to make sure that you are
using the correct hitch.
Do not use a bumper hitch.
The hitch must be installed in such a way that it
does not interfere with the impact -absorbing
bumper system. No modifications should be
made to the vehicle exhaust and brake systems .
From time to time, check that all hitch mounting
bo lts remain securely fastened.
When you are not towing a trailer,
remove the
tra iler hitch ball mount . This prevents the hitch
from causing damage shou ld your vehicle be
struck from beh ind ¢
,&. .
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
check to be sure that it conforms to all regula­
tions .
Trailer towing
The trailer hydraulic brake system must not be
directly connected to the vehicle's hydraulic
brake
system ¢.&. .
Safety chains
Always use safety chains between your vehicle
and the trailer.
Trailer lights
T ra iler lights must meet all regulations . Be sure
to check w ith your author ized Audi dealer for cor­
rect wiring, switches and relays.
Mirrors
If you are unable to see the traffic behind you us­
ing the regular outside mirrors, then you
must in­
stall extended mirrors. It is important that you
always have clear vision to the rear.
,8. WARNING
After removing the traile r hitch, do not store
it in your vehicle. In case of sudden braking,
the hitch could fly forward and injure you or
your passengers.
Operating instructions
Maximum trailer weight
A trailer for your vehicle is limited to a typical
class 1 or class 2 trailer.
Trailer load distribution
Be sure the load in the trailer is held securely in
place to prevent it from shifting forward, back­
ward or sideways.
Never allow a passenger to ride in a trailer ¢.&.
in Driver messages on page 100 .
Engine cooling system
Towing a trailer makes the engine work harder. It
is important that the cooling system's perform ­
ance is up to the additional load. Make sure that
the cooling system has enough fluid.
Tire pressure
When towing a trailer, inflate the tires of your
vehicle to the tire pressure listed under "Full
load" on the label ¢ page 344. Inflate trailer
99

Trailer towing
tires to tra iler and tire manufacturers ' specifica­
tions.
Lights
The headlig ht settings should be chec ked with
the t railer at tached before d riving off. Check to
make su re both vehicle and trailer lights are
wo rking properly.
Safety chains
Be sure t railer safety chains are properly connect­
ed from the trai le r to the h itch on the veh icle.
L eave enough sla ck in the c ha ins to permi t turn­
ing corners . When you install safety chains, ma ke
sure they wi ll not drag on the road when yo u are
driv ing .
The cha ins shou ld cross u nder the trailer tongue
to prevent it from dropp ing in case of separation
from the h itch .
Driver messages
Driving with a trailer requires extra caution.
Weight d istribution
Towing a loaded trailer w ith an empty car resu lts
in a hig hly unstable dist ribution of weight . If this
cannot be avo ided, drive at very low speeds on ly
to avoid the risk of losing s teering con trol.
A "balanced " rig is eas ier to operate and control.
This means that the tow vehicle should be loaded
to the extent possible and permissible , while
keep ing the tra ile r as lig ht as possib le under t he
circumstances . Whenever possible, t ransfer
some cargo to the l uggage compartment of the
tow vehicle whi le observ ing tongue load req uire­
ments and ve hicle loading conside rat ions.
Speed
The h igher the speed, the more d ifficult i t be­
comes for the drive r to contro l the rig. Do not
d rive at the maximum permissible speed. Reduce
your speed even more if load, weath er or w ind
conditions are unfavorable
-part icularly when
going downhill.
100
Reduce vehicle speed immediately if the trailer
shows the slightest sign of swaying.
Do not try
to stop the swa ying by a ccelerating.
Observe speed limits. In some a reas, speeds fo r
vehicles towing tra ilers are lower than for regular
vehicles .
Always apply bra kes early. Whe n driving down­
hill, shift in to a lower gea r to use the eng ine
b raking effect to slow the vehicle . Use of the
bra kes alone can cause them to overheat and fai l.
Coolant temperature
The coo lant tempe rat ure gauge 9 page 11 must
be obse rved caref ully. The coolant temperature
can increase i f you drive o n long inclines in a low
gear at high engine speeds . Reduce your speed
immediately if the LEDs in th e top part of the dis­
play turn on.
For more info rmation abou t indicator lig hts, re­
fer
to . ~page 30 .
A WARNING
Anyone not prope rly restrained in a moving
vehicle is at a much greater risk in an acci­
dent. Never let anyone ride in your car who is
not properly wear ing the restraints provided
by Aud i.
Trailer towing
information
' Important to know
-
Your vehicle handles differently when towing a
trailer because of the addit ional weight and dif­
ferent weight distribution . Safety, performance
and economy will greatly depend on how ca refu l­
l y you load your tra ile r and ope rate yo ur rig.
Before you actually tow your trailer, pract ice
turning, stopping and backing up in an area away
from traffic . Keep pract icing u ntil you have be­
come complete ly familiar w ith the way yo ur vehi­
cl e- tra ile r combination behaves and respo nds.

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In d ic at or ligh ts and messages in the instr ument
cluster display inform you about the current sit ­
uation and setting.
A n ad dit iona l in di ca tor appears in the head -up
d isp lay*.
Switching adaptive cruise control on
" Pull the lever toward you in to posi tion @
¢fig. 111.
Storing the speed and activating regulation
" To store the cu rrent speed , press the ISET ! but­
ton
¢ fig . 111 . The stored speed is shown in the
speedomete r in the LED
line @ and appears
br iefly i n the status
line @¢fig . 112 .
"Applies to: vehicles with automat ic transmis­
s ion: To acti va te the cont ro l when st ation ary,
also press the bra ke peda l.
Switching adaptive cruise control off
" Push the lever away from you in to posi tion @
u nti l it clicks into place. The message ACC:
off
appears.
@ Indicator lights
fll-Adaptive cru ise con trol is switched on . No
ve hicles are detected ahead. The stored speed is
m ain tained .
•-A vehicle d rivi ng a head was detected. The
adapt ive cr uise control system regulates the
speed and distance to the veh icle dr iv ing ahea d
a n d accelerates/brakes automatically .
• - Automatic transmission: adaptive cruise
control must be sw itched on . A veh icle was de­
tec ted ahead . Yo ur vehicle is s tat io nary and w ill
n ot sta rt driving au tomatically .
tii-Automatic transmission : adaptive cruise
control must be sw itched on . No vehicles were
detected ahead . Your veh icle is stationary a nd
w ill no t start dr iv ing automa tica lly .
• -The automatic braking is not enough to
maintain a sufficient distance to a veh icle dr iv ing
ahead . You must
in tervene ¢ page 114, Driver
intervention request .
Assistance systems
© Instrument cluster display
If the Driver assistance di spl ay is not shown in
t h e instr ument cluster d isp lay, you can open it
u sing the m ultif unct ion steering whee l buttons
¢ page 13.
Ba sed on the gr aphic dis pla y, you can dete rmine
i f th e sys tem is maintain ing a d istance to the ve ­
hicle d riving ahead a nd what t hat distance is .
No vehicle -no vehicle was detec ted dr iv ing
ahe ad.
Silver vehicle -a vehicle was detected driving
ahea d.
Red veh icle -request for drive r interve ntion
¢ page 114.
The five distance bars on the gauge © represent
t h e set distance (refer
to ¢ page 113 for infor­
mation o n how to change the d ista nce). If you
fall be low the selected d ista nce, the distance
bars become red from the bo ttom upwa rd.
.&, WARNING
Applies to: vehicles w ith automatic transm is­
sion: If you pre ss t he
I SET ! butt on whe n driv­
i ng at speeds below 20 mp h (30 km /h) , the
ve hicle accelerates au toma tic ally up to 20
mph ( 30 km/h), which is the m inimum speed
that can be set.
@ Tips
- If you swit ch the ig nitio n or the ad ap tive
c ruise cont rol sys tem o ff, the set s peed is
erased fo r safety reasons .
- The e lec troni c sta biliz ation control ( ESC)
and the an ti- slip -regul ation (AS R) are auto ­
matically switc hed on when t he adaptive
cruise cont rol is switched on.
111

Predictive control
(efficiency assist)
Description
A pp lies to: ve hicles with Audi adaptive cruise co ntro l an d pr e·
di ctive efficiency assist
Fig. 118 Instrument cluster: pred ictive control
General information
The predictive control 1l uses the map informa­
tion from the navigation system in order to react
proact ively when driv ing. Information from the
camera-based traffic sign recognition* is also ap­ plied to recognize traffic signs
<:!)page 104.
When coming up to areas with speed limits or
changes in the course of the road (such as curves,
intersections or traffic circles), the system brakes
automatically and then accelerates back up to
the set speed .
When adaptive cruise control is switched off, the
system only provides notifications without con­
trolled
interventions ¢ page 107.
The driver can override the predictive control at
any time by pressing the accelerator or brake
pedal. If the system changes the vehicle speed to
adapt to speed limits, you can change the speed
using the
lever ¢ page 112, fig. 113 .
Always switch off the predictive control in
the following situations:
- When increased attention is needed from the
driver .
- In poor weather conditions such as snow or
heavy rain.
0 -When driving on roads in poor condition . al ~ N
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~ ll This is not ava ila ble in some co untrie s. al
Assistance systems
Indicator in the instrument cluster display
When switching on the adaptive cruise contro l
for the first time, the message
ACC: 11D + B ac­
tive
in the instrument cluster indicates the avail·
ability of the predictive control.
T he symbol appears when the system
is regulating the speed to match a speed limit . If
this is the case, the system is reg ulating a speed
of 50 mph (80 km/h). The speed is then taken
over by the adaptive cruise control. The speed in
the speedometer LED ring adjusts to the speed to
be maintained
¢ page 110, fig . 112. The ..
¢ fig . 118 symbo l appears when there is an adap ­
tation to the route ahead .
If you are in the Driver assistance display in the
instrument cluster, then the following symbols
will indicate which occurrence the system is cur­
rently responding to:
Symbol Meaning
MPH USA
models:
Speed limit
km/h
Canada models:
speed limiter
Ir
Curve
_l!L
1i1
Intersection
~ ): Traffic c ircle
A WARNING
- Read the warnings on ¢.&. in General infor­
mation on page 109
and on¢ .&. in Descrip­
tion on page 104 .
- Pay attention to traffic and the area around
your veh icle when predictive control is
switched on. The driver is always responsi­
ble for assessing the traffic situation.
- There is an increase in the risk of an acci­
dent, because the system does not consider
"right of way" rules and also does not re-
spond
to traffic lights. ._.
115

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In a speed range under 40 mph (65 km/h), traffic
jam assist can help to keep the vehicle within a lane calculated by the system. W ith in the lim its
of the system, the system controls the steering
automatically when adapt ive cruise control is
switched on . Since traffic jam assist is only an as­
sist system, the driver must always keep his or
her hands on the steer ing whee l and be ready to
steer. The d rive r ca n override the control at any
time by actively steering.
The system is designed for driv ing on express­
ways and highways.
Switching traffic jam ass ist on and off
... Press the button to switch the system on and
off<=> fig. 119.
... To turn the system off completely, select in the
Infotainment system:
I MENU ! button> Vehicle
> left contro l button > Driver a ssistance > Traf­
fic jam a ssist .
If traff ic jam assist was deactivated through the
Infotainment system, you can cont inue operating
the act ive lane assist using
the<=> fig. 119 button
<=> page 126. The traffic jam ass ist functions are
no longer available.
Requirements for using traffic jam assist:
-Traffic jam assist must be switched on in the
Infota inment system .
-Adaptive cruise control must be switched on
and act ive
c;, page 110 .
Always switch off traffic jam assist in the
following situations:
-When increased attention is needed from the
driver .
-In poor weather conditions such as snow or
heavy rain .
-When driving on roads in poor condition .
-In construction zones.
-In city driving .
Traffic jam assist availability:
When you are in the Driver assistance view in the
in str ument cluster disp lay, the indicator light
turns
on ¥ and the message Traffic jam assist
available
appears if a traffic jam situation was
detected. You can open the
Driver assistance dis -
Assistance systems
play using the mu ltifunction steering wheel but­
tons
c;, page 13 . To activate traffic jam assist, you
must press the
<=> fig. 119 button and switch on
the adaptive cruise control
c;, page 110.
Indicator lights
Ill and II-traff ic jam assist is switched on.
Vehicles driving ahead were detected. Your vehi ­
cle adapts whi le driving
c;, fig. 120.
•-Traffic jam ass ist switches off if the driver
does not take over steer ing after multiple driver
intervention requests . The system brakes the ve ­
hicle until it is stationary.
A WARNING
-A lways keep your hands on the steering wheel
so you can be ready to steer at any t ime . The
driver is always responsible for staying in a lane and for assessing traffic s ituations . Read
and follow the warnings
on<=>.& in General
information on page
109 . Never use traffic
jam ass ist in the following situations or you
will increase the risk of an accid ent.
-Driving offroad or on unpaved roads. Traffic
jam assist is only designed for use on paved
roads.
-I n city driv ing o r in construction zones.
-On curv ing stretches of road.
-In narrow lanes.
- In unclear traffic situat ions such as at inter-
sections or toll stat ions.
@ Tips
You are not necessarily guided to the center
of your lane.
117

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prevent collisions -the re is still a risk of ac­
c idents!
- Press the accelerator pedal ca refully when
accelerating on smooth, slippery surfaces
such as ice and snow. The dr ive wheels can
spin even when these control systems are
installed and th is can affect driving stability
and increase the r isk of a coll is ion.
Switching on/off
Intellig ent Technology
{!) Tips
- The ABS and ASR only funct ion correct ly
when all four wheels have a sim ilar wear
condition. Different tire sizes can lead to a
reduction in engine power.
- You may hear noises when the systems de­
scribed are working.
£SC turns on automatically when you start the engine.
Fig. 1 55 Cente r co nso le w it h b utton~ °"
The following sit uat ions are exceptions where it
may be useful to switch on sport mode (sedan) or
offroad mode (allroad) to allow the whee ls to
spin :
- Rocking the vehicle to free it when it is stuck
- Dr iving in deep snow or on loose ground
- Dr iving with snow chains
- App lies to: allroad: Driv ing on ro ugh te rra in
when much of the car's weig ht i s l ifte d off the
wheels ( axle articul at ion)
The ESC is designed to fu nction in levels. Depe nd­
i ng o n the level that is selected , the s tabilization
f u nction o f the ESC is limited or switched off. The
amo unt of stabilization control will d iffer de ­
pending on t he leve l. -
App lies to: allroad: Driv ing down hill while brak­
ing on loose grou nd
Fo r yo ur safety, switch the spo rt mode/offroad
mode off in advance.
ESC levels
Applies to: sedan
Sport mode on ESC/ASR off Sport mode off or
ESC /ASRon
Behavior
The ESC and ASR stab ili za- The stabilization f unct io n is The f ull stabiliza tion f un c-
t ion f un ct ions are lim ited not avai
lab le
¢ &. . ES C and
tion of the ESC and ASR is
¢ &. . ASR are swi tched off . avai
lab le aga in.
Op eration Press the !.r, O FFI button P ress and hold the j.r, O FFI Press the j.r, O FFI button
briefly . button longer than 3 sec- aga in .
o nds.
Ind icato r II turns on. fl and jf'll•)~~ turn on. II turns off or II and
lights lf'll•U~ turn off.
Me ssages Stabilization contro
l (ESC ):
Stabilization control (ESC ): Stabilization control
s port . Warning! Restricted off. Warning! Restricted (ESC
): on
stability stability
147

Intelligent Technology
& WARNING
- Only apply the brakes for the purpose of
cleaning the brake system whe n road and
t raffic conditions perm it . You must not en­
dange r othe r road users . This increases the
risk of an accide nt.
- Never let the vehicle roll while the e ng ine is
stopped because this increases the risk of a n
a cci den t.
([) Note
- Neve r let the brakes " rub" by pressing the
pedal lightly when braki ng is not actually
necessa ry . T his ca uses the bra kes to over­
h ea t an d inc reases br akin g d istance an d
c a uses wear .
- B efo re driv ing downhill a long distance on a
steep hi ll, decre ase your spee d an d se lec t a
l ower gear . This makes use of t he engine
b raking effe ct and re lieves the brakes . If
you nee d to b rake additionally, b rake in in­
tervals and not continuously .
(D Tips
- If the brake booste r is no t working, yo u
must press the brake pedal with much more
fo rce than normal.
- If you retrofit you r vehicle with a front spoil­
er, whee l covers o r similar items, ma ke sure
that the a ir flow to the front whee ls is not
i nte rr u pted. Othe rw ise the brake system
ca n become too hot.
Electromechanical
steering, Dynamic
steering
T h e electromechanical st eering supports the
driver's steering movements.
Power steering adapts electronically based on
the vehicle speed.
Indicator lights and messages
• St ee ring : malfunction! Plea se stop vehicle
150
If this indicato r light turns on and stays on and
this message appears, the power steering may
have failed.
Stop t he vehi cle in a sa fe location as soon as pos­
s ible . Do
not contin ue driving . See an authorized
Audi dealer or authorized A udi Service Facility for
ass istance .
'I- ij Steering: malfun ction! You may continue
driving
I f the indicato r light turns on and the message
a ppears, the steeri ng wheel may be more d iffi­
cu lt to move o r more sensitive than usu al. The
stee ring wheel may also be at a n ang le when
driving straight.
D rive slowly to an auth o rized Audi dea ler or au ­
thorized Aud i Serv ice Facili ty to have t he mal ­
f unct io n corre cted .
t$Jj Dynamic steering: correcting steering wheel
position
If the indicator light turns on and this message
appears , the dynamic steering * is re in it ia liz ing .
The s teer ing whee l will be easy to move afte r
st ar ting t he engine . Reinitializa tio n might be
ne cessary if the stee ring w heel was moved while
t h e engine was switched off. The disp lay t urns
off if the initialization was successfu l.
(D Tips
- If the . or krfl i ndi cato r ligh t only s tays on
f or a sho rt time, you may cont inue driving .
- Th e dynamic stee ring s tabili ty sys tem s
¢ page 14 6 are not av ailabl e in the event of
a system malfunction .
- For add ition al informa tion o n dynamic
s teering, see
¢ page 133.
ALL-wheel drive (quattro)
App lies to: vehicles wi th all wheel drive
General information
In all whee l dr ive, the dr iv ing power is dis trib ut-
ed between all fo ur whee ls when needed. This
happens automatically depending on your driving
behavior as we ll as the c urrent road conditions.
.,_

Voice recognition system
Voice recognition system Operating
Applies to: vehicles with vo ice recognition system
You con operate many Infotainment functions
conveniently by speaking.
Req uirements: the ignition and the MM I must be
sw itched
on~ page 155 , there must not be any
phone call in progress and the parking system
m ust not be active .
.. Switching on: press the~ button @
¢
page 15, fig. 11 or ¢ page 16, fig . 13 briefly
on the multifunction steering wheel and say
the des ired command after the
Beep .
.. Switching off : press and hold the~ button.
Or: press the l2l button.
.,. Pause : say the command Pause . To resume,
press
the~ button .
.,. Correcting : say the command Correction . Or :
simp ly say a new comma nd during an an­
no uncement ¢
page 248.
Input assistance
The system gu ides you throug h the input with
visual and audio feedbac k.
- Visual input as sistance : after switching on
vo ice recognit ion, a display with a selection of
poss ible commands appears . This command
display can be sw itched on o r off. Se lect:
IMENU I button> Set tings > left co ntrol button
> MMI setting s> Speech di alog system .
- Audio input a ssistanc e:
to have the poss ible
commands read, turn t he voice recogn ition sys­
tem on and say
Help.
For the system to understand you:
Speak clearly and dist inctly at a normal volume .
Speak louder when d riving faster .
Emphasize the words in the commands even ly
and do not leave long pauses .
Close the doors, the windows and the sunroof* to reduce background noise . Make sure that passen­
gers are not speaking when you are giving a voice
command .
168
Do not direct the air vents toward the hands -free
microp hone, which is on the roof headliner near
the front interior lights .
Only use the system from the dr iver's seat be­
ca use the hands -free microphone is directed to ­
ward that seat .
Additional settings
See¢ page 248, Speech dialog system .
.8, WARNING
-Dire ct yo ur full attention to dr iv ing . As the
driver, you have complete responsibility fo r
safety in traffic. Only use the functions in
such a way that yo u always maintain com­
plete contro l over your vehicle in a ll traffic
situations .
- Do not use the voice recognition system in
emergencies beca use your voice may change
in stressful s ituations. It may take longer to
dia l the number or the system may not be
ab le to dial it at all. Dial the emergency
number manually.
(D Tips
- The d ialog pauses when there is an incom­
ing phone call and will continue if you ig­
nore the call. The dia log ends if you answer
the ca ll.
- You can select an item in the list us ing ei­
ther the vo ice recognit ion system or the
cont rol knob.
Command overview
information
Applies to: vehicles with voice recognition system
The following overv iews des cribe the commands
that can be used to operate the MMI using the
voice recognition system.
Alte rnative commands are separated using a"/ ",
for example say:
Telephone / (or) Navigation /
(or) Radio.
Sequences of commands used to perform an a c­
tion are identified w ith a
"> ", fo r example say:
Enter addre ss> (t hen) Enter country /state . ..,.