2018 AUDI A4 steering

Intelligent Technology
Intelligent Technology
Electronic stabilization
control (ESC)
Description
Elect ronic stabilization control (ESC) supports
driver safety.
It red uces the risk of slipping and
improves driving stability. ESC detects crit ica l sit­
uations such as when the vehicle is oversteering
and understeering or the wheels are spinning.
The vehicle is stabilized by applying the brakes or reducing eng ine torq ue. When the ESC engages,
the hJ ind icator light blinks in the instrument
cluste r.
The fo llow ing systems are integrated in the ESC:
Ant i-loc k bra king system (ABS)
ABS prevents the whee ls from locking when brak­
ing. The vehicle can sti ll be steered even during
hard brak ing. Apply steady pressure to the brake
pedal. Do not pump the pedal. A puls ing in the
brake pedal indicates that the system is acting to
stabilize the vehicle .
Brake assist system
The brake assist system can decrease brak ing dis­
tance . It increases braking power when the driver
presses the brake pedal quick ly in emergency sit­
uations . You must press and hold the b rake pedal
until the dangerous situat io n is over . In veh icles
with adapt ive cr uise control*, the bra ke assist
sys tem is more sensitive if the d ista nce detec ted
t o the vehicle dr iv ing ahead is too small.
Anti -Slip Regulation (ASR )
ASR reduces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin sp inning a nd adapts the force to the road
conditions . This makes it easie r to start, acceler­
a te and dr ive up h ills.
Electron ic differenti al lock (EDL )
The EDL applies the brakes to a wheel that starts
spinning and transfers the drive power to the
other driving wheel or wheels ( if the veh icle is
eq uipped w ith all whee l dr ive*) . T his function is
not available at higher speeds.
146 In extreme cases,
ED L automat ically switches off
to keep the brake on the braked wheel from over­ heating. The veh icle is still working correct ly. ED L
will switch on again automatically when condi­
tions have returned to normal.
Steering r ecommendat ion
The ESC he lps to stabilize the vehicle by changing
the steering torque.
In veh icles with dynamic s teer ing*, ESC a lso
helps to stab ilize the steering in cr it ica l situa ­
tions.
Selective wheel torque control
Se lective whee l torque cont rol is used when d riv­
i ng on curves. The front whee l on the inside of
t h e curve or both whee ls on the i nside of the
curve are braked se lectively as needed. This al­
l ows more precise driving in curves.
Automatic post -collision b raking system
The "automat ic post-collis io n braking system"
can help to reduce the risk of sliding and of addi­
tiona l collisions after an acc ident. If the a irbag
contro l modu le detects a collision, the ve hicle is
braked by the ESC.
The veh icle does not bra ke automatically if:
-the dr iver presses the accelerator pedal, or
-the ESC, the brake system or the veh icle electri-
cal system are not functioning.
&_ WARNING
-The ESC and its integrated systems cannot overcome the lim its imposed by natura l
phys ica l laws. This is espec ially important
on sl ippery or wet roads. If the systems be­
gin acting to stabilize your vehicle, you
should immediately alter your speed to match the road and traffic conditions. Do
not let the increased safety provided tempt
you into taking risks. This could increase
your r isk of a coll is ion.
-Please note the r isk of a coll is ion increases
when dr iv ing fast, especially through curves
and on slippery or wet roads, and when dr iv­
ing too close to objects ahead . The ESC and
its integrated systems cannot always

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.
.,_

Multi Media Interface
Traffic safety information
Audi recommends performing certain Infotain­
ment system functions, such as entering a desti­
nation, only when the vehicle is stationary . Al ­
ways be prepared to stop operating the Infotain­
ment system in the interest of your safety and
the safety of other road users.
A WARNING
Only use the Infotainment system when traf­
fic conditions permit and always in a way that
allows you to maintain complete control over
your vehicle.
@ Tips
Certain functions are not available while driv­
ing .
Introduction
The Multi Media Interface, or MMI for short,
combin es various systems for communication,
navigation* and entertainment in your Audi. You
can operate the MMI using the MMI control pan­
el, the multifunction steering wheel or the voice
recognition system*.
Applies to: vehicles with automatic transmiss ion:
Fig. 157 MMI contro l panel· integrated shortc ut keys
Multi Media Interface
Applies to: ve hicles w ith manua l transmission:
Fig . 158 MMI cont rol p anel
-separa te shortcut keys o n
t he ce nte r conso le
MM I control panel overview
(D Control knob , if needed with joy-
stick funct ion* . .. .. .... .. .... . 157 ,160
@ MMI touch control pad* ....... .
@
@
®
Left control button ........... .
Right control button .......... .
Buttons for opening menus
directly .. ... .. .. ............ .
® IMENUI button . .. .. .... ...... .
0
®
I BA CKI button
Shortcut keys
@ Tips
The shortcut keys @~ fig. 158 for the MMI
control panel (manual transmission) are on
the center console .
MMI On/Off knob with
joystick function
Operating
Fig. 159 MMI On/O ff knob with jo ystick f unction
158
157
1 5 7
15 7
157
157
162
155

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 . ..,.

Voice recognition system
The parking aid as well as the Audi voice recogni­
tion system must not b e active.
A cell phone must be connected to the MMI with
the
Handsfree profile ~ page 175.
The cell phone being connected must have voice
control that can be controlled externally.
~ Switching on: press and hold the l2.;J button on
the multifunction steering wheel* and say the
desired command after the external speech di­
alog begins.
~ Continuing/resuming the dialog: the system
remains ready to use for a short time after end­
ing the dialog. You can start a new external dia­
log during this time. Press the
!'1•1 button if
needed, and say a new command.
Or: select
and confirm
Resume on the MMI control panel.
~ Switching off: press and hold the l2.;J button .
Or: select and confirm Cancel on the MMI con ­
trol panel.
(D Tips
- There are no voice guidance* prompts when
a dialog is active .
-This function depends on the cell phone
used . You can obtain more information
from your cell phone service provider or
from your cell phone user guide .
-AUDI AG simply provides access to control
your cell phone with voice operation and does not take any responsibility for the con­
tents and commands within the external
voice control.
174

.,. Observe all traffic laws, rules of the road and
speed limits and plain common sense .
.. ALWAYS adjust your speed to road, traffic and
weather conditions.
.. Take frequent breaks on long trips. Do not drive
for more than two hours at a stretch.
.. Do NOT drive when you are tired, under pres­
sure or when you are st ressed.
& WARNING
Impai red dr iv ing safe ty inc reases the risk of
ser ious personal inju ry and death whenever a
vehicle is being used.
Correct passenger
seating positions
Proper seating position for the driver
The proper driver seating position is important
for safe, relaxed driving.
F ig . 2 24 Correct seating posit ion
F or your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the driver's seat to the following position:
.. Adjust the dr iver's seat so that you can easily
push the pedals all the way to the floor while
keeping your knee(s) slight ly
bent ¢&_ .
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position so that your back comes in
full contact w ith it when you drive .
.,. Adjust the steering wheel so that there is a dis­
tance of at least 10 in ches (25 cm) between the
steering wheel and you r breast
bone ¢ fig. 224.
If not possib le, see your aut horized Aud i dea le r
about adaptive eq uipment .
Driving safety
.. Adjust the steering wheel so that the steering
wheel and airbag cover points at your chest and
not at yo ur face .
.. Grasp the top of the steering wheel with your
elbow(s) slightly bent .
.,. Applies to: adjustable head restraints: Adjust
the head restraint so the upper edge is as even as poss ible with the top of your head. If that is
not possib le, try to adjust the head rest raint so
t ha t it is as close to this pos ition as poss ible .
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correctly
¢page 266.
.. Always keep both feet in the footwell so that
you are in contro l of the veh icle at a ll times.
F or detailed information on how to adj ust the
drive r's seat, see
¢page 65 .
A WARNING
-
Drivers who are unbelted, out of position or
too close to the airbag can be seriously in­
jured by an airbag as it unfolds. To help re­ d uce the risk of serious personal injury:
- Always ad just the driver's seat and the
steer ing whee l so that there are at least
10 inc hes (25 cm) between you r breastbone
and the steering wheel.
- Always ad just the driver's seat and the
steer ing wheel so that there are at least
4 inches (10 cm) between the knees a nd the
lowe r part of the instrument panel.
- Always hold the steering w heel on the out­
s ide of the steering wheel r im with yo ur
hands at the 9 o 'clock and 3 o'clo ck posi ­
tions to help reduce the risk of personal in­
jury if the driver's airbag inflates.
- Never hold the stee ring wheel at the
12 o' clock position o r wi th yo ur hands at
other positions i nside the steer ing whee l
rim or on the steering wheel hub. Holding
the steering wheel the wrong way can cause
serio us injuries to the hands, arms and head
if the dr iver's airbag dep loys.
- Pointing the steering wheel toward your
face decreases the ability of the supplemen­
tal driver's airbag to protect you in a coll i·
.,
sion. ..,
255

Safety belts
Why use safety belts?
Frontal collisions and the law of physics
Frontal crashes create very strong forces for peo­
ple riding in vehicles .
Fig. 228 Unbelted occupants in a veh icle headi ng fo r a wall
Fig. 229 T he vehicle c rashes into the wall
The physical principles are simple. Both the vehi­
cle and the passengers possess energy which var­ ies w ith vehicle speed and body weight . Engi­
neers call this energy "k inetic energy."
The higher the speed of the vehicle and the
greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy
that has to be "absorbed" in the crash.
Vehicle speed is the most significant factor .
If
the speed doubles from 15 to 30 mph (25 to 50
km/h), the energy increases 4 times!
Because the passengers of this vehicle are not us­
ing safety
belts ~ fig. 228, they will keep moving
at the same speed the vehicle was moving just
before the crash, unti l something stops them -
here, the
wall ~ fig. 229.
The same principles apply to people sitting in a
vehicle that is involved in a frontal collision . Even
at c ity speeds of 20 to 30 mph (30 to 50 km/h),
the forces acting on the body can reach one ton
264 (2,000 lbs.
or 1,000 kg) or more . At greater
speeds, these forces are even higher.
People who do not use safety belts are also not
attached to their vehicle. In a frontal collision
they will also keep moving forward at the speed
their vehicle was travelling just before the crash.
Of course, the laws of physics don't just apply to
frontal collisions, they determine what happens in all kinds of accidents and collisions .
What happens to occupants not wearing
safety belts?
In crashes unbelted occupants cannot stop
themselves from flying forward and being in­
jured or killed . Always wear your safety belts!
Fig. 230 A drive r not wea ring a safety belt is vio len tly
t hrow n fo rward
Fig. 231 A rear passe nge r not wear ing a sa fety belt will f ly
forward an d str ike the driver
Unbelted occupants are not able to res ist the tre­
mendous forces of impact by holding tight or
bracing themselves. Without the benefit of safe­
ty restraint systems, the unrestra ined occupant
will slam violently into the steering wheel, in­
strument panel, windshield, or whatever e lse is
in the
way ~ fig. 230. T his impact with the vehi ­
cle interior has all the energy they had just be-
fore the crash.
liJJ,-

a co .... N ,....
N .... 0 0
3 co
Airbag system
Important information
Importance of wearing safety belts and
sitting properly
Airbags are only supplemental restraints. For
airbags to do their job, occupants must always
properly wear their safety belts and be in a prop­ er seating position.
For your safety and the safety of your passen­
gers, before driving off, always :
.,. Adjust the driver's seat and steering wheel
properly
9 page 255,
.,. Adjust the front passenger's seat properly
¢page 256,
.,. Wear safety belts properly¢ page 265,
.,. Always properly use the proper child restraint
to protect children ¢
page 295.
In a collision, airbags must inflate within the
blink of an eye and with considerable force. The
supplemental airbags can cause injuries if the
driver or the front seat passenger is not seated
properly. Therefore in order to help the airbag to
do its job, it is important, both as a driver and as
a passenger to sit properly at all times.
By keeping room between your body and the
steering wheel and the front of the passenger
compartment, the airbag can inflate fully and
completely and provide supplemental protection in certain frontal
collisions ¢ page 255, Correct
passenger seating positions .
For details on the
operation of the seat adjustment controls
¢page 65.
It's especially important that children are proper­
ly restrained
¢page 295.
There is a lot that the driver and the passengers
can and must do to help the individual safety fea­
tures installed in your Audi work together as a
system.
Proper seating position is important so that the
front airbag on the driver side can do its job. If
you have a physical impairment or condition that prevents you from sitting properly on the driver
seat with the safety belt properly fastened and
Airbag system
reaching the pedals, or if you have concerns with
regard to the function or operation of the Ad­
vanced Airbag System, please contact your au­
thori zed Audi dealer or qualified workshop, or
call Audi Customer Relations at 1-800-822-2834
for possible modifications to your vehicle.
When the airbag system deploys, a gas generator
will fill the airbags, break open the padded cov­ ers, and inflate between the steering wheel and
the driver and between the instrument panel and
the front passenger. The airbags will deflate im­
mediately after deployment so that the front oc­
cupants can see through the windshield again
without interruption.
All of this takes place in the blink of an eye, so
fast that many people don't even realize that the airbags have deployed. The airbags also inflate
with a great deal of force and nothing should be
in their way when they deploy. Front airbags in
combination with properly worn safety belts slow
down and limit the occupant's forward move­
ment . Together they help to prevent the driver
and front seat passenger from hitting parts of
the inside of the vehicle while reducing the forces
acting on the occupant during the crash . In this
way they help to reduce the risk of injury to the
head and upper body in the crash. Airbags do not
protect the arms or the lower parts of the body.
Both front airbags will not inflate in all frontal
collisions . The triggering of the airbag system de­
pends on the vehicle deceleration rate caused by
the collision and registered by the electronic con­
trol unit . If this rate is below the reference value
programmed into the control unit, the airbags
will not be triggered, even though the car may be badly damaged as a result of the collision. Vehi­
cle damage, repair costs or even the lack of vehi­
cle damage is not necessarily an indication of
whether an airbag should inflate or not.
Since the circumstances will vary considerably between one collision and another, it is not possi­
ble to define a range of vehicle speeds that will
cover every possible kind and angle of impact
that will always trigger the airbags . Important
factors include, for example, the nature (hard or
soft) of the object which the car hits, the angle of
impact, vehicle speed , etc. The front airbags will
II>
271