2018 AUDI A4 instrument panel

Cockpit overv iew
Head-up display
Applies to: vehicles with head-up display
Fig. 21 Instrument panel: knob for the head-up display
The head-up display projects certa in warnings or
selected information from the ass ist systems* or
nav igation* on the w indshield. The d isplay ap­
pears within the drive r's fie ld of vision .
Switching on /off
• To switch the head-up display on or off, press
the
knob~ ~ fig. 21.
Adjust ing th e height
The height of the display can be adjusted to the
individual driver.
• Make sure you are seated correctly
qpage255.
• Turn the knob~ to adjust the display .
Setting s in th e Infotainm ent sy ste m
• Se lect in the Infotainment system: I MENU I but­
ton
> Vehi cle > left contro l button > Dri ver as­
s ist ance
> H ea d-up di spl ay .
D is play content
In the Infotainment system, you can specify
which information should be displayed: For ex­
ample, this can include navigation information*,
adaptive cruise control* or camera-based traffic
sign recognition *.
The display of certa in information and some of
the red indicator lights cannot be hidden in the
Infotainment system.
Brightness
You can adjust the display brightness in the Info­
tainment system. The d isplay brightness decreas -
24
es automatically as the amount of light decreas ­
es . The background brightness is adjusted with
the instrument
illumination ~ page 58.
Picture rotation
You can rotate the picture in the Infotainment
system clockwise or counter clockwise.
(D Note
To p revent sc ratches on the glass covering the
head-up display, do no t place any objec ts in
the pro jection opening .
@ Tips
-Sunglasses with po larization filte rs and un­
favorable light ing cond itions can have a
negative effect on the disp lay .
- An optimum disp lay depends on the seat
posit ion and the height ad justment of the
head -up disp lay.
- A spec ial windshie ld is needed for the head ­
up display funct ion .
- For information on clean ing,
see~ table In­
terior cleaning on page 356.
On-Board Diagnostic
System (OBD)
Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)
The ma lf u nction indicator lamp (MIL) ¢;# in the
i nstrumen t cluster is part of the On-Board Diag­
nostic System (OBD II).
The indicator light turns on when the ignition is
switched on and turns off once the engine is
star ted and is r unning in idle at a stable speed.
This indicates that the MI L is fu nctioning correct­
l y .
If th e light do es n ot turn off aft er start ing the
e ngin e
or turns on while driving, this may indi­
cate there is a malfunction in the engine .
If the
i ndicator turns on, the cata lytic converter may be
damaged.
Drive
with reduc ed eng in e perf orman ce (avoid
high speeds for extended periods of time and/o r
IJJ,-

Lights and Vision
Lights and Vision
Exterior lighting
Switching the lights on and off
--- --------...... ~
I
Fig. 48 Instrument panel: light sw itch w ith buttons
Light switch ·ti :
Turn the light switch to the corresponding posi­
tion when the ignition is switched on.
;oo: and the
selected pos ition turn on (except pos ition 0).
0 -The daytime r unning lights a utomat ica lly turn
on . In veh icles for certain markets, you can
switch the automatic daytime runn ing lights on
and off in the Infotai nment* system.
AUTO -T he head lights automatically adapt to the
surrounding brightness.
:oo: -Parking lights
io -Low beam headlights
Buttons
When you turn the light sw itch to the AUTO or
low beam headlight position
io, you can activate
the following functions:
jo -All weather lights. The headlights automati­
cally adjust so that there will be less glare, for
examp le when th e road surface is wet.
0$ -Rear fog lights
Automatic headlight range control system
Your veh icle is equipped wi th a n automatic head­
light r ange control system th at red uces glare fo r
oncoming tra ffic if the vehicle load changes. The
headlight range ad justs automatica lly.
54
Audi adaptive light
App lies to: vehicles wi th adaptive light
Adap tive ligh t provides be tter visibility when it i s
dark by adapting the ligh ts to the road conditions
based on speed, such as on expressways, r ura l
roads, at intersections, and in curves. The adap ­
tive light only functions when the light switch is
i n the AUTO position.
A WARNING
-Automatic headlig hts* are on ly intended to
assist the driver. They do not relieve the
driver of responsib il ity to check the head­
lights and to t urn them on manua lly ba sed
on t he curre nt ligh t and v is ibility conditions.
F or examp le, fog cannot be detec ted by the
light sensors. So always switch on the low
beams under these weather condit ions and
when dr iv ing in the dark
fD .
- The rear fog lights shou ld only be turned on
in accordance w ith traffic regulations, to
prevent glare for traffic behind your vehicle.
- Always observe legal regulat ions when us­
ing the lighting systems desc ribe d.
{l) Tips
- Th e light sensor for the a utomat ic he ad ­
lights * is in the rearview mir ror mount. Do
not p lace any stickers in this area on the
w indshield.
- A warning tone will sound if yo u ope n the
door when the exte rior lights a re switched
on.
- On ly the front headlights turn on when t he
daytime running lights are switched on* . In
vehicles in certain markets, t he tail lights
w ill also t urn on.
- In cool or damp weather, the inside of the
head lights, t urn signa ls and ta il lig hts can
fog over due to the temperature difference between the inside and outside. They w ill
clear shortly afte r switching them on. This
does not affect the service life of t he light­
mg.

.,. 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

Driving safety
-Always sit in an upright position and never
lean against or place any part of your body
too close to the area where the airbags are located .
- Before driving, always adjust the front seats
and head restraints properly and make sure
that all passengers are properly restrained .
- Never adjust the seats while the vehicle is
moving . Your seat may move unexpectedly
and you could lose control of the vehicle.
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the risk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety belt and improper seating position .
- Children must always ride in child safety
seats
c::> page 295 . Special precautions ap­
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c::> page 2 71 .
Proper seating position for the f ront
passenger
The proper front passenger seating position is
important for safe, relaxed driving.
For your own safety and to reduce the risk of in­
jury in the event of an accident, we recommend
that you adjust the seat for the front passenger
to the following position:
.. Adjust the angle of the seatback so that it is in
an upright position and your back comes in full
contact with it whenever the vehicle is moving.
.. Applies to: adjustable head restraints: Adjust
the head restraint so the upper edge is as even
a s possible with the top of your head . If that is
not possible, try to adjust the head restraint so
that it is as close to this position as possible
c::> page 66 .
.. Keep both feet flat on the floor in front of the
front passenger seat.
.. Fasten and wear safety belts correct­
ly <=:> page 266.
For detailed information on how to adjust the
front passenger's seat, see
c::> page 65.
256
A WARNING , _
Front seat passengers who are unbelted, out
of position or too close to the airbag can be
seriously injured or killed by the airbag as it
unfolds. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Passengers must always sit in an upright po­
sition and never lean aga inst or place any
part of their body too close to the area
where the airbags are located.
- Passengers who are unbelted, out of posi­
tion or too close to the airbag can be seri­
ously injured by an airbag as it unfolds with
great force in the blink of an eye.
- Always make sure that there are at least
10 inches (25 cm) between the front pas­
senger's breastbone and the instrument
panel.
- Always make sure that there are at least 4 inches (10 cm) between the front passen­
ger's knees and the lower part of the instru­
ment panel.
- Each passenger must always sit on a seat of
their own and properly fasten and wear the
safety belt belonging to that seat.
- Before driving, always adjust the front pas­
senger seat and head restraint properly.
- Always keep your feet on the floor in front
of the seat. Never rest them on the seat, in­
strument panel, out of the window, etc . The
airbag system and safety belt will not be
able to protect you properly and can even in ­
crease the risk of injury in a crash .
- Never drive with the backrest reclined or
tilted far back! The farther the backrests are
tilted back, the greater the r isk of injury due
to incorrect positioning of the safety be lt
and improper seat ing position.
- Ch ildren must always ride in child safety
seats
c::> page 295. Special precautions ap­
ply when installing a child safety seat on the
front passenger seat
c::> page 2 71.

Driving sa fe ty
-Never attempt to adjust head restraint
wh ile driving. If you have dr iven
off and
must adjust the driver headrest for any rea­
son, first stop the vehicle safely before at­
tempting to adjust the head restra int.
- Children must always be properly restrained
in a child restraint that is appropriate for
their age and size
¢ page 295.
Examples of improper seating positions
The occupant restraint system can only reduce
the risk of injury if vehicle occupants are properly
seated .
Improper seating positions can cause serious in­
jury or deat h. Safety belts can only work when
they are properly positioned on the body . Im­
proper seating positions reduce the effect iveness
of safety belts and w ill even increase the r isk of
i njur y and dea th by moving the safety be lt to crit­
ical areas of the body. Impro per sea ting posit ions
a lso increase the risk of ser ious injury and dea th
when an airbag deploys and strikes an occupant
who is not in the proper seat ing position. A driver
is responsib le for the safety of all vehicle occu­
pants and especially for children. Therefore :
~ Never allow anyone to assume an incorrect
seat ing pos ition when the vehicle is being used
c> .&, .
The fo llowing bulletins list only some sample po ­
sitions that will increase the risk of serio us inj ury
and death. Our hope is that these examp les will
make you more aware of seating posit ions that
are dangerous.
The ref ore, when ever th e vehicle i s moving:
- never stand up in the ve hicle
- never s tand on the seats
- never knee l on the seats
- never r ide with the seatback reclined
- never lie down on t he seats
- never lean up against the instrument pane l
- never sit on the edge of the seat
- never sit s ideways
- never le an out the w indow
- never put yo ur feet out the window
258
- never put your feet on the instrument panel
- neve r rest your feet on the seat c ushion or back
o f the seat
- neve r ride in the footwell
- neve r ride in the ca rgo area
A WARNING
I mp roper seating positions inc re ase the risk
of ser iou s personal inju ry and de ath whenever
a veh icle is being used.
- Always make sure that all veh icle occupants
s tay in a proper sea ting posit ion and are
pro perly restrained whenever the vehicle is
be ing used .
Driver's and front
passenger's footwell
Important safety instructions
A WARNING
A lways make sure that the knee airbag can in­
flate w ithout interference. Objects between
yourself and the airbag can inc rease the risk
of injury in an accident by interfering with the
way the ai rbag dep loys o r by being pushed in­
to you as the airbag dep loys.
- No persons (ch ild ren) or animals should ride
in the footwell in front of the passenger
seat . If the airbag deploys, this can res ult in
serio us or fat al injuries.
- No objects of any kind should be carried i n
the footwell area in front of the dr iver's or
passenger's seat. Bu lky objects (shopping
bags, for examp le) can hamper or prevent
proper dep loyment of the airbag . Sma ll ob­
jects can be thrown thro ugh the vehicle if
the airbag deploys and injure you or your passengers.

Driving sa fe ty
Loose items in the luggage compartment can
shift s udden ly, changing vehicle handling charac­
ter istics. Loose items can also increase the risk of
serious personal in jury in a sudden vehicle
ma­
neuver or in a coll is ion.
.,. Distribute the load evenly in the luggage com­
partment .
.,. Always place and properly secure heavy items in
the luggage compartment as low and as far for­
ward as possible
c> fig . 226 .
.,. Secure luggage us ing the tie-downs provided
¢ page 73 .
.,. Make su re that the rea r seatbac k is securely
latched in place.
A WARNING
Improperly stored luggage or othe r items can
fly through the vehicle causing serious per­
sonal injury in the event of hard braking or an
accident. To help reduce the risk of serious
personal injury:
- Always put objects, for example, luggage or
other heavy items in the luggage compart­
ment.
- Always sec ure objects in the luggage com­
partment using the tie-down eyelets and
s u itable straps.
A WARNING
Heavy loads will influence the way your vehi­
cle handles. To he lp reduce the r isk of a loss
of contro l leading to serious pe rsonal i njury:
- Always keep in mind when transporting heavy objects, that a change i n the center of
grav ity can also cause changes in vehicle
hand ling:
- Always distr ibute the load as even ly as
possible.
- Place heavy objects as far forward in the
luggage compartment as poss ible.
- Never exceed the Gross Axle Weight Rating
o r the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating specified
on the safety compliance sticker on the driv­
er's side B-pillar respective ly on the front
end of the driver's door. Exceeding permissi­
ble weight standards can cause the veh icle
to slide and handle differently .
260
-Please observe info rmation on safe driving
¢page 254.
A WARNING
To he lp prevent po isonous exhaust gas from
being drawn into the vehicle, always keep the
rear lid closed while driving.
- Never transport objects larger than those
fitting completely into the luggage area be­
cause the rear lid cannot be fully closed.
- If you absolutely must dr ive with the rear lid
open, observe the following notes to reduce
the risk of poisoning :
- C lose all windows,
- Close the s unroof*,
- Open all a ir outlets in the instrument pan-
el,
- Switc h off the air reci rculat ion,
- Set the fresh air fan to the highest speed.
A WARNING
-
Always make sure that the doo rs, all win­
dows, the sunroof * an d the rear lid are se­
curely closed and locked to red uce the risk of
i n jury when the veh icle is not being used.
- After closing the rear lid, always make sure
that it is properly closed and locked.
- Never leave your ve hicle unattended espe­
cially with the rear lid left open. A child
co uld crawl into the vehicle th rough the lug­
g age com partment an d close the rea r lid
be­
coming tr apped and unab le to ge t out . Be­
ing trapped in a vehicle can lead to ser ious
pe rsonal i nju ry.
- Never let c hild ren p lay in or around the vehi­
cle.
- Never let passengers ride in the luggage
compa rtment. Vehicle occupants mus t
al­
ways be p roperly restrained in one of the ve ­
hicle's seat ing pos itions.
(D Tips
- Air circul ation helps to reduce w indow fog­
ging . Stale ai r escapes to the o uts ide
t h roug h vents in the trim panel. Be sure to
keep these slots free and open.

Safety belts
_& WARNING
Not wearing safety belts or wearing them im­
properly increases the risk of serious personal
injury and death . Safety belts can work only
when used correctly.
-Always fasten your safety belts correctly be­ fore driving off and make sure all passen­
gers are correctly restrained.
-For maximum protection, safety belts must
always be positioned properly on the body.
-Never strap more than one person, includ­
ing small children, into any belt.
-Never place a safety belt over a child sitting
on your lap.
- Always keep feet in the footwell in front of
the seat while the vehicle is being driven.
-Never let any person ride with their feet on
the instrument panel or sticking out the
window or on the seat.
-Never remove a safety belt while the vehicle
is moving . Doing so will increase your risk of
being injured or killed .
- Never wear belts twisted.
-Never wear belts over rigid or breakable ob-
jects in or on your clothing, such as eye
glasses, pens, keys, etc., as these may cause
injury.
-Never allow safety belts to become dam­
aged by being caught in door or seat hard­
ware .
-Do not wear the shoulder part of the belt
under your arm or otherwise out of position.
-Several layers of heavy clothing may inter­
fere with correct positioning of belts and re­ duce the overall effectiveness of the system.
-Always keep belt buckles free of anything
that may prevent the buckle from latching
securely .
-Never use comfort clips or devices that cre­
ate slack in the shoulder belt. However, spe­
cial clips may be required for the proper use
of some child restraint systems.
-Torn or frayed safety belts can tear, and
damaged belt hardware can break in an acci­
dent . Inspect belts regularly.
If webbing,
bindings, buckles, or retractors are dam-
266
aged, have belts replaced by an authorized
Audi dealer or qualified workshop.
-Safety belts that have been worn and loaded
in an accident must be replaced with the
correct replacement safety belt by an au­
thorized Audi dealer. Replacement may be
necessary
even if damage cannot be clearly
seen . Anchorages that were loaded must al­
so be inspected.
-Never remove, modify , disassemble, or try
to repair the safety belts yourself .
-Always keep the belts clean. Dirty belts may not work properly and can impair the func­
tion of the inertia reel¢
table Interior
cleaning on page 356.
Safety belts
Fastening safety belts
Safety first -everybody buckle up!
Fig. 233 Belt buckle and tongue on the driver's seat
To provide maximum protection, safety belts
must always be positioned correctly on the wear­
er's body .
.. Adjust the front seat and head restraint proper­
ly¢
page 65, Front seats.
.. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench
is in an upright position and securely latched in
place before using the belt
q ,&. .
.. Pull the safety belt evenly across the chest and
pelvis ¢
fig. 233, ¢ _&. .
.. Insert the tongue into the correct buckle of
your seat until you hear it latch securely.
.. Pull on the belt to make sure that it is securely
latched in the buckle .
.,,_

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