AUDI A7 2016 Owners Manual

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-Always mak e sure the forward-facing seat
has been designed and certified by its man­
ufacturer for use on a front seat with a
passenger front and side airbag .
- Never pu t the forward-facing child restraint
up, aga inst or very near the ins trument pan­
el.
- Always move the passenger seat into its
rearmost position in the seat's fore and aft
adjustment range, as far away from the air­
bag as possib le befo re installing the for­
wa rd-fac ing child restra int. The backres t
must be ad justed to an up right posit io n.
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and s tays on all the t ime
whe never the ignition is switched on.
_& WARNING
Rearw ard-fac ing ch ild restra ints:
- A ch ild in a rearwa rd-facing child safety seat
installed on the fron t passenger seat will be
seriously injured and can be k ille d if the
front airbag inflates - even with an Ad ­
vanced Airbag System .
- The inflati ng a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infant carrier with great fo rce and
will smash the ch ild safety seat and chi ld
against the backrest, center armrest, door
o r roof.
- Always be especially caref ul if you must in­
stall a rearward facing ch ild safety seat on
the front passenger seat in exceptional cir­
cumstances .
- Make sure that the
PASSENGER AIR BAG
OFF
light comes on and stays on all the t ime
whenever the ignition is switched on .
- If the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does
not come on and stay on, immed iately in­
stall the rear-fac ing c hild safety seat in a
rear seating position and have the airbag
system inspected by your Au di deale r.
Child sa fety
Act ivating the convertible locking retractor
Use the convertible locking retractor to secure a
child restraint .
Always heed the ch ild safety seat manufac ture r's
ins truc tions when ins talling a child res train t in
your vehicle . T o activate the convertible locking
re tractor:
.. Place the child restraint on a sea t, preferably on
the rear sea t.
.. Slowly p ull the belt
all the way out .
.. Route it a round or through the child rest ra int
be lt pat h
~ .& .
.. Push the c hild safety sea t down with you r full
we igh t to ge t the sa fe ty belt re ally t igh t.
.. Insert the belt tongue into the buc kle for tha t
seating posit ion .
.. Guide the saf ety belt back into the retractor un ­
til the belt lies flat and sn ug on the ch ild safety
seat .
.. You should hear a "clicking" noise as the belt
w inds bac k into the ine rtia reel. Test the con­
vert ible locking retracto r by pu lli ng on the belt .
Yo u shou ld no lo nger be able to pull the belt
ou t of the re tr actor. The conve rtible locking re­
t racto r is now ac tiva ted .
.. Ma ke s ure that the red release button is fac ing
away from the child rest raint so that it can be
unbuckled quickly .
.. Pull on the belt to make sure the safety be lt is
properly tight and fastened so t hat the se at
cannot move forward or sideways more than
one inch (2 .5 cm) .
_& WARNING
Using the wrong child re straint o r an i mprop­
e rly insta lled child rest raint can cau se serious
p erson al injury or deat h in a cra sh .
- Always ma ke sure that the safe ty belt re­
tr act o r i s lo cked when in sta lling a child safe­
ty seat . An unloc ked sa fety belt retrac tor
cannot hold the child safety seat in place
du ring normal d riving or in a c rash.
- Always buckle the child sa fe ty seat firmly in
p lace even if a ch ild is not sitting in it. A
loose child safety seat can fly aro und durin g
a sudden stop or in a c rash. ..,.
179

Child safety
-Always make sure the seat backrest to which
the child restraint is installed is in an up­
right position and securely latched into
place and cannot fold forward. Otherwise,
the seatback with the child safety seat at­
tached to it could fly forward in the event of
an accident or other emergency situation.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used¢
page 167 . Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat¢
page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
Deactivating the convertible locking
retractor
The convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints will be deactivated automatically when
the belt is wound all the way back into the re­
tractor .
~ Press the red button on the safety belt buckle.
Th@ belt tongue will pop out of the buckle.
~ Guide the safety belt all the way back into its
stowed position .
Always let the safety belt retract completely into its stowed position . The safety belt can now be
used as an ordinary safety belt without the con­
vertible locking retractor for child restraints.
If the convertible locking retractor should be ac­
tivated inadvertently, the safety belt must be un­
fastened and guided completely back into its
stowed position to deactivate this feature .
If the
convertible locking retractor is not deactivated,
the safety belt will gradually become tighter and
uncomfortable to wear.
_& WARNING
Improperly installed child safety seats in­
crease the risk of serious personal injury and
death in a collision.
-
- Never unfasten the safety belt to deactivate
the convertible locking retractor for child re­
straints while the vehicle is moving. You
180
would not be restrained and could be seri­ ously injured in an accident.
- Always read and heed all WARNINGS when­
ever using a child restrained in a vehicle is
being used
¢page 167. Special precautions
apply when installing a child safety seat on
the front passenger seat
c> page 144, Child
restraints on the front seat -some impor­
tant things to know.
LATCH system (Lower
anchorages and tethers
for children)
' Child Restraint System anchors and how
are they related to child safety
To provide a simpler and more practicable way to
attach the chi ld restraint on the vehicle seat, Fed­
eral regulations require special lower anchorages
in vehicles and devices on new child restraints to
attach to the vehicle anchorages.
The combination of the tether anchorages and
the lower anchorages is now generally called the
LATCH system for " Lower Anchorages and
Tethers for Children ."
Forward-facing child restraints manufactured af­
ter September 1, 1999, are required by U.S. fed­
eral regulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements . These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new child seats .
Installing a child restraint that requires a top
tether without one can seriously impair the per­
formance of the child restra int and its ability to
protect the child in a collision . Installing a child
restraint that requires a top tether without the
top tether may be a violation of state law.
Child restraint manufacturers offer LATCH lower
anchorages on their child seats with hook-on or push-on connectors attached to adjustable
straps.
In addition to the LATCH lower anchorages, these
child restraint systems usually require the use of
tether straps to help keep the child restraint
firmly in pla ce. .,.

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,&_ WARNING
Improper insta llation of chi ld restraints will
increase the risk of injury and death in a crash.
- Always follow the instructions prov ided by
the manufacturer of the child restraint you intend to install in your vehicle.
- Never install a child restraint witho ut a
properly attached top tether strap if the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions requ ire the top tether strap to be used .
- Improper use of child restraint LATCH lower
anchorage points can lead to injury in a colli­
sion. The LATCH lower anchorage po ints are
designed to withstand only those loads im­
posed by correctly fitted ch ild restraints .
- Never mount two child restraint systems on
one LATCH lower anchorage point .
- Never secure or attach any luggage or other
item to the LATCH lower anchorages.
(D Tips
- In Canada, the terms "top tether" with
"lower universa l anchorages" (or "lower uni­
versal anchorage bars") are used to describe
the system.
- In other countries, the term "ISO FIX" is
used to describe the lower anchorages.
Location
F ig . 17 2 Sche matic overvi ew : LA TCH an ch o rag e point lo ca­
tions
The illustration shows the seating locations in
your ve hicle which are eq uipped w ith the lower
anchorages system.
Chil d sa fe ty
Description
T he lower anchorage positions are marked for
quick locating .
Fig. 173 Low er an cho rag es, co ver s marke d
Fig . 1 74 Re ar s eats: lowe r an cho rag e bra cket lo ca tion s
Lower anch orages
The circular markings on the rear sea t help you to
identify th e location of lower anchorages for the
two outboard seating posit ions ¢
fig. 173. The
LATCH low er universal anchorage attachm ent
points are between the rear seatback and re ar
seat cush ion .
Remov e the covers ¢
fig. 173 to access the lower
anchorage attachment points .
T he lower a nch o rage attachmen t po ints are visi ­
ble
¢ fig . 174.
Lower anchorages secure the child restraint in
the seat without using the vehicle's safety belts .
Anchorages provide a secure and easy -to-use at­
tachment and minim ize the poss ibility of improp ­
er child restraint installation.
All child rest raints manufactured after Septem ­
ber 1, 2002, must have lower anchorage at ta ch-
ments for the
LATCH system. .,.
181

Child safet y
Please remembe r that the lower anchorage
points are on ly intended for installation and at­
tachment of child restra ints specifica lly certified
for use w ith
LATCH lower anchorages . Child re­
straints that are not equ ipped w ith the lower an­
chorage attachme nts can still be installed in
comp liance with the child restraint manufactur­
er 's instructions on using vehicle safety belts .
A WARNING
Improper use of LATCH lower anchorages can
cause serious personal injury in an accident.
- Always ca refully follow the ch ild restraints
man ufa ctu rer's instructions for proper in­
sta llation of the child rest raint and proper
use of the lower anchorages or safety belts
in your vehicle .
- Never sec ure o r attach any l uggage or other
items to the
LATCH lower anchorages .
- Always read and heed the impor tant i nfor­
mation about child res traints in this chap ter
and WARNINGS
<=> page 167, Child safety .
Installing a child restraint with LATCH
lower anchorages
Whenever you install a child restraint always fol­
low the child restraint manufacturer 's instruc­
tions.
F ig . 175 Lowe r an ch orages: proper mount ing
Mounting
.,. Make sure the seatback of the rear seat bench is
i n the upright pos ition and securely latched in
place .
.. Attach both hook-on connectors with the spring
catch release on the child sa fety seat onto the
182
LA TC H lower anchorage so that the connectors
lock into p lace
<=> fig. 175 .
.. Pull on the connector attachments to make
sure they are properly attached to the LATCH lower anchorage .
.. Pull straps tight follow ing the child restraint
manufactu re r's instruct ions .
Releasing
.. Loosen the tension on the straps following the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
.. Depress the spring catches to release the an­
chorage hooks from the lower anchorages .
Remember: Use tether straps to help keep the
ch ild restra int firmly in place.
A WARNING
-
Improper use of the LATCH system can in­
crease the risk of serious pe rsonal injury and
death in an accident .
- These ancho rs were developed only for child
safety seats using the "LATCH" system .
- Never attach other ch ild safety seats, belts
or other objects to these anchors .
- Always make sure that you hear a click when
latching the seat in place. If you do not hear
a cl ick the seat is not secure and could fly
forward and hit the inter ior of the vehicle,
or be ejec ted from the vehicle.
A WARNING
Imp roper ins tallat ion of child restra ints w ill
inc rease the r is k of i njury in an a ccident.
- Always follow the chi ld restraint system
manufact urer's inst ruct ions for p rope r in­
s tallat ion o f the child restraint system and
prope r use of te ther st raps as we ll as the
lower anchorages or safety be lts in your ve ­
hicle.
- Always read and heed the important infor­
mation and WARNINGS abo ut child safety
and the installation of chi ld restra int sys­
tems
r::> page 167, Child safety.

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Tether anchors and tether straps
Fig. 176 Tether ancho rs: attach ment hook locatio ns be·
h ind t he rear sea tbacks
The tethe r anchors for the two/three* rear seat­
ing positions are located on the backside of the
rear seatbacks
~ fig. 176 . Vehicles with two rear
seating positions are equipped with two tether
anchors.
A tether is a straight or V-shaped strap that at­
taches the top part of a ch ild restraint to special
anchorage points in the vehicle.
The purpose of the te ther is to reduce the for ­
ward movement of the child restraint in a c rash,
in order to help reduce the risk of head injury that
could be caused by striking the vehicle interior.
F orward facing child restrain ts manufact ured af ­
ter Sep tember 1, 1999, are required by U.S . fed­
eral reg ulations to comply with new child head
movement performance requirements. These
new performance requirements make a tether
necessary on most new chi ld safety seat s.
A WARNING
Improper installation of chi ld restraints will
increase the risk of i njury and death in a crash .
- Always follow the instructions prov ided by
the manufacturer of the child restra int you
intend to install i n your Aud i.
- Improper use of ch ild restra int anchors (in­
cluding tether anchors) can lead to injury in
a collision . The anchors are des igned to
withstand only those loa ds i mposed by cor­
rect ly fit ted child restra ints .
- N ever mount two chi ld restraint systems on
one LATC H lower anchor point .
.
Child sa fe ty
- Never attach two child restraint systems to
one tether strap or tether anchorage.
- Never attach a tether strap to a tie-down
hook in the luggage compartment.
- Never use child restraint tether anchorages
to secure safety belts or other k inds of occ u­
pant restraints.
- Never secure or attac h any luggage or other
items to the LATCH lower anchorages or to
the tether anchors.
- If you must insta ll a rearwa rd facing child
safety seat on the front passenger seat be­
cause of except ional circumstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-facing child safety seat in a rear
seating position and have the airbag system
inspected by your Audi dealer.
Installing the upper tether strap on the
anchorage
Fig . 1 77 Tet her st ra p: prop er rou ting a nd m ou nting
Installing the tether st rap
... Release o r deploy the tet her st rap on the ch ild
restraint ac cording to the chi ld restraint manu­
facturer's instructions.
... Guide the upper te ther strap
under the rear
head restraint ~
fig. 177 (raise the head re­
straint if necessary).
... Attach the tether strap anchorage hook into the
tether anchorage.
... Pull on the tether strap hook so that the spring
catch of the hook engages .
.,. Tighten the tether strap firmly follow ing the
child restraint manufacturer's instructions.
ll>
183

Child safety
Releasing the teth er str ap
.,. Loosen the tension following the c hild restra int
manufacturer's instructions.
.,. Depress the spring catch on the hook and re­
lease it from the anchorage.
(D Note
I f you leave the child restraint with the tether
strap firmly insta lled for severa l days, this
co uld leave a mark on the upho lstery on the
seat cush ion and backrest in the area where
the tet he r strap was installed. The upholstery
would also be permanently stretched around the tethe r stra p. This a pplies espec ially to
l e ather seats.
Using tether straps on rearward-facing
child restraints
Cur rently, few rear-facing child rest raint systems
come with a tethe r. P lease read and h eed the
child restra int system manufactu rer's instruc­
tions carefully to determ ine how to properly in­
stall the tether.
A WARNING
A c hild in a rearward-facing child safety seat
installed on the front passenger seat will be
ser iously injured and can be killed if the front
air bag infl ates -even w ith an Advance d Ai rb ag
System.
- T he inflati ng a irbag w ill hit the child safety
seat or infa nt c arrie r with gre at force and
will smash t he chi ld safety seat and ch ild
against the bac krest, center armrest, or
doo r.
- If you mus t insta ll a rearward facing chi ld
safety seat on the fro nt passenger seat be­
ca use of exceptional ci rc u mstances and the
PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF light does not
come on and stay on, immediately install
the rear-fac ing c hild safety seat in a rear
seat ing pos ition and have the airbag system
inspec ted by your A udi dealer .
184
Additional information
· Sources of information about child
restraints and their use
There are a number o f sources of additiona l infor ­
mation about child restraint se lection, insta lla­
tion and use :
N HT SA advises t hat the bes t chi ld safety seat is
the one tha t fits yo ur child and fits in yo ur vehi ­
cle, and that you will use correctly and co nsis ­
tent ly.
Try before yo u buy!
U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Admin ist ra­
t ion
Tel.: 1 -888-3 27-4 236 (TIY: 1-8 00-42 4-9153)
www. n htsa .gov
National SAFE KIDS Campaign
Tel.: (202) 662-0600
www.safe kids.o rg
Safety BeltSaf e U.S.A
Tel.: (800) 7 45-SAFE (English)
T el.: (800) 747-SANO (Spanish)
www. ca rseat.org
T ransport Canada Information Centre
Tel.: 1-800-333-0371 o r call 1-613-998-86 16 if
yo u are in the Ottawa a rea
http://www .t c.gc. ca/e ng/ roadsafety/menu .htm
Audi Customer Relations
Tel.: (800) 822-2834

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Audi pre sense Preventative passenger
protection
App lies to veh icles: with Audi p re se nse
Pre sense can initiate steps to protect veh icle oc­
cupa nts in certain dangerous situations. The
functions descr ibed a re ava ilable depending on
ve hicle equ ipme nt:
Pre sense ba sic*
The fo llow ing funct ions can be triggered in cer­
tain driving situations:
- Tensioning of the safety be lts (for example,
during heavy b raking) : The front safety belts
have revers ib le be lt pretensioners. If a collision
does not occur, the safety belts loosen sli ght ly
and are ready to trigger aga in.
- Clos ing the windows and the sunroof* (for ex­
amp le, when over- or understeering): The door
windows and the sunroof* are closed almost
completely until o nly a sma ll gap is open .
Audi pre sense basic functions can be triggered at
speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h).
Drive se lect: The deployment time is adapted in
Dynamic mode .
Pre sense front (vehicles with adaptive cruise
control* }
Pre sense front contains the functions of pre
sense basic . In add ition, the likelihood of a rear­
end collis ion 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:
- Brak ing guard
¢ page 91
-Tensioning of the safety be lts
- Closing the w indows and the sun roof*
Pre sense rear (v ehicles with side assist* }
Pre sense rea r contains the funct ions of pre sense
bas ic. I n addit io n, the li kelihood of a rea r-end
coll is ion from the veh icle behi nd is also calc ulat­
ed, w it hi n the lim its of the system. If the risk of a
collision is de tected, the following functions can
trigger :
Audi pre sense
-Tens ion ing of the sa fe ty belts
- Clos ing the windows an d the s unroo f*
Pre sense plus*
P re sense p lus conta ins the functions of pre
sense front and p re se nse rea r.
Error mes sage
Aud i pre sense: Unavailable
Preventative passenge r protection is not availa ­
ble. Drive to yo ur autho rized Audi deale r immedi­
ately to have the ma lfunction corrected.
A WARNING
-
Pre sense cannot overcome natural physical
l aws. It is a system designed to assist and it
ca nnot prevent a collision. Do not let the in­
creased safety prov ided temp t you into taking
risks . This could incr eas e yo ur risk of a co lli­
s ion.
- The system can deploy incorrectly .
- Please note that t he sensors do not always
detect a ll objects . This inc reases the r isk of a
coll is io n.
- Pre sense does not react to people or a ni­
mals or objec ts that are crossi ng the vehi­
cle 's path o r are difficult to det ect
¢ page 85.
-Reflec tive ob jects s uch as guard rai ls o r the
entrance to a tunne l, heavy rai n and ice can
a ffec t the fu nction of the rada r senso rs and
t he system's ability to de te ct a co llision risk.
(D Note
The sensors can be d isplaced by impacts or
d amage to the bumper, w heel housing a nd
u nder body. Pre se nse can be impa ired by th is .
H ave an a utho riz e d Aud i de aler o r au th orized
A udi Service Facility check the ir func tion .
(D Tips
-Certa in p re sense fro nt functions swi tch off
w he n sp o rt mode is sw itche d off or w hen
dr iving in reverse .
- T he p re sense fun ctions m ay not be av aila ­
b le i f th ere is a m alfu nction in t he ES C sys­
tem or t he a irbag con tro l mod ule.
185

Audi pre sense
-The pre sense front/plus f unctions are not
ava ila ble if there is a malfunction in the
adaptive c ruise control * system
~ page 92.
- The pre sense rear/pl us functions are not
ava ila ble if there is a malfunction in the side
ass ist * system
e> page 92.
186

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Intelligent Technology Notice about data
recorded by the Event
Data Recorder and
vehicle control modules
Event Data Recorder
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 hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand­
ing how a vehicle's systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle dy­
namics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
- How various systems in your vehicle were oper­
ating;
- Whether or not the driver and passenger safety
belts were buckled/fastened;
- How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the
accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
- How fast the vehicle was traveling.
These data can he lp provide a better understand­
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and in­
juries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by your
vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs;
no data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e .g.,
name, gender, age, and crash location) are re­
corded. However, other parties, such as law en­
forcement, could combine the EDR data with the
type of personally identifying data routinely ac­
quired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip­
ment is requ ired, and access to the vehicle or the
E DR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu­
facturer, other parties, such as law enforcement,
that have the special equipment , can read the in­
formation if they have access to the vehicle or the
EDR.
Some state laws restrict the retr ieval or down­
l oading of data stored by EDRs installed in a vehi­
cle for the express purpose of retrieving data af-
Intelligent Technology
ter an accident or crash event without the own­
er's consent.
A udi will not access the EDR and/or similar data
o r give it to others -
- unless the vehicle owner (or lessee if the vehi­
cle has been leased) agrees; or
- upon the official 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 judicial
discovery process .
- Audi may also use the data for research about
veh icle operation and safety performance or
provide the data to a third party for research
purposes without identifying the specific vehi­
cle or information about the ident ity of its own­
er or lessee and only after the recorded vehicle
data has been accessed.
Vehicle control modules
Your vehicle is also equipped with a number of
electron ic control modules for various vehicle
systems, such as eng ine management, emission
control, airbags, and safety belts.
These electronic control modules record data during norma l vehicle operation that may be
needed by trained technicians for diagnostic and
repair purposes. The recording capabil ity of these
modules is lim ited to data (no sound is reco rded).
Only a small amount of data is actua lly recorded
over a very limited period of time, or stored when
a system fau lt is detected by a contro l module.
Some of the data stored may relate to vehicle
speed, direction, or braking, as well as restraint
system use and performance in the event of a
crash . Stored data can also only be read and
downloaded w ith specia l equipment that is di­
rectly connected to the vehicle.
(D Tips
Your vehicle may be equipped with Audi con­
nect. Your use of certain Audi connect fea­
tures requires wireless services that are pro­
v id ed by a third party wire less telecommuni­
cations provider . For detai ls regard ing how in­
formation obtained through Audi connect is
collected, processed, transmitted, used, and ..,.
187

Intelligent Technology
shared, p le a se see yo ur contract with the
wireless telecomm unications provider and the
"About Aud i connect" tab in your vehicle's
MMI:
! MENUI button> Audi connect > About
Audi connect .
Electronic Stabilization
Control (ESC)
Description
ESC helps to improve road holding and vehicle
dynamics to help reduce the probability of sk id­
d ing and loss of veh icle control.
It works only
when the engine is runn ing. ESC detects certa in
d ifficult d riving situations, including when the ve­
h icle is beginn ing to sp in (yaw) o ut of control and
he lps you to ge t the veh icle back u nder cont ro l b y
selec tively braking the whee ls, and/or reduc ing
engine power and providing steering assistance
to help hold the vehicle on the driver's i ntended
course. The indicator light
DJ in the instrument
cluster blinks when ESC is taking action to help
you control t he veh icle.
ESC has lim itations. It is important to remember
that ESC cannot overcome the laws of physics. It
will not a lways be ab le to he lp out under all con­
d itions you may come up against. For example,
ESC may not always be able to help you master
situations where there is a sudden change in the
coefficient of friction of the road surface. Whe n
there is a section of d ry road tha t is s udden ly cov ­
ere d wi th wa ter, s lush or snow, ESC ca nnot per­
form the same way it wou ld on the d ry s urface . If
the vehicle hydroplanes ( rides on a cushion of wa ­
ter instead of t he road surface), ESC wi ll not be
ab le to he lp you steer the veh icle because contact
with the pavement has been i nterrupted and the
ve hicle cannot be b raked or steered. Dur ing fast
cor ne ring, particula rly o n w inding roads, ESC
cannot a lways deal as eff ect ively wi th d iff icu lt
d riving situat ions than at lowe r speeds.
Always ad just your speed and dr iv ing style to
road, traffic and weather conditions. ESC ca nnot
over ride the vehicle's physical limi ts, increase t he
ava ilab le tract io n, or keep a vehi cle on t he road if
roa d de pa rture is a res ult o f driver in att enti on.
I nstead, ESC improves the poss ibility of keeping
188
the veh icle unde r control and on the road dur ing
extreme maneuve rs by using the dr iver's stee ring
i nputs to help keep the vehicle going in the in ­
tended direction. If yo u are traveling at a speed
that causes you to run off the road before ESC
can p rov ide any assistance, you may not experi­
ence the benefits of ESC.
ESC is switc hed on all the time. In certain s itua­
tions when you need less tracti on, you can switch
off ASR by press ing the button
[ru c:> page 189,
fig . 178. Be sure to sw itch ASR on aga in when
you no longer need l ess traction.
The following systems are integrated in the ESC:
Anti -lock braking system (ABS )
ABS prevents the whee ls from locki ng when brak ­
i ng . T he veh icle can st ill be stee red even during
hard braking. App ly 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
stab ilize the veh icle.
Brake assist sy stem
The bra ke ass ist system can decrease braking dis­
tance. It increases bra king power when the driver
presses the brake peda l quickly in emergency sit­
uat ions. You must press and hold the b rake peda l
u nt il the dange rous situat io n is over . In vehicles
with adaptive cruise co ntro l*, the brake ass ist
system is more sensitive if t he d ista nce detected
to t he veh icle a head is too sma ll.
Anti-slip regulation (ASR)
ASR red uces eng ine power when the drive wheels
begin spin ning and adapts the force to the road
cond it ions . Th is makes it eas ier to sta rt, acce ler­
ate a nd dr ive up incl ines.
Electronic differential lock (EDL)
EDL applies t he brakes to a whee l that starts
sp inning a nd tra nsfe rs the d rive power to the
othe r drivi ng whee ls. This function is not ava ila­
ble at hig he r speeds.
In extreme cases, EDL automatically sw itches off
to keep the brake o n the braked whee l from over­
hea ting. The vehicle is st ill work ing cor rect ly. EDL ..,.