AUDI A8 2015 Owners Manual
Page 191 of 312
and  proper  use  of the  lower  anchorages 
or safety  belts in your  vehicle. 
- Never  secure  or attach  any  l uggage  or 
other  items  to  the 
LATCH lower  ancho 
rages . 
- Always  read  and  heed  the  important  in
formation  about  child  restra ints  in this 
chapter  and  WARNINGS 
c;,page  174, 
Child Safety. 
Guidance  fixtures  for  lower  anchorages 
Special  guidance  fixtures  increase  the  conven 
ience of  the  lower  anchorages  and  are  availa
ble  from  your  au thori zed Audi  dealer . 
Fig. 183 Outer rear  seat s: in stallin g  th e  guid ance fix
tu res 
F ig . 184 Clo se -up : fittin g the  guidance  fixt ur e ov er th e 
l ower  a nch o rage  b rack et 
The  lower  anchorage  attachment  points  are 
located  on  the  rear  seats  between  the  seat
back  and  the  seat  cushion . Specia l guidance 
fix tures  increase  the  convenience  of the  lower 
ancho rages  and  help  protect  the  seat  mater ial 
from  possib le  damage  when  installing  child 
restraints. 
Install ing  th e guidance  fixtures 
.,. Push  down  on  the  seat  cush ion  so that  the 
lower  anchorages  are  visib le. 
Child  S afety  189 
.,. Ho ld the  guidance  fixture  with  the  part 
number  facing  downward  and  push  it  in the 
direction  of the  arrow  onto  the  anchorage 
¢ fig.  184. 
.,. Make sure  that  each  of  the  two  guidance  fix
tures  per  seat  snaps  into  place . 
Removing  th e guid ance  fixtures 
.,.  Remove  the  chi ld  restraint  according  the 
child  restraint  manufactu rer's  instructions  . 
.,.  Pu sh  down  on  the  seat  cushion  so  that  the 
lower  anchorages  are  v isible . 
.,.  Pull off  the  gu idance  fixtures  from  the  lower 
anchorages. 
.,.  Always remove  the  guidance  fixtures  and 
keep  them  in a  safe  p lace  when  not  in use. 
You may  find  it  easier  to  install  ch ild  re
stra ints  equipped  with  hooks  attached  to 
straps  without  the  guidance  fixtu res  in place . 
If this is the  case,  remove  the  guidance  fix
tures  by pulling  them  off  the  anchorages.  However,  the  guidance  fixtures  can  help  you 
to  locate  the 
LATCH anchorages. 
A WARNING 
Improper  use  of tether  anchorages  or  low
er  anchorages  can  cause  serious  personal  injury  in a  crash . 
- A lways  carefully  follow  the  child  re
straint  manufacturer's  instructions  for  proper  insta llation  and  use  of  child  re
straint  systems . 
- Never  use  the 
LATCH or tether  anchorag
es  to  attach  safety  belts  or  other  k inds  of 
occ upant  restra ints . 
- Ch ild  restraint  tether  attachments  and 
lower  attachments  are  only  designed  to 
secure  a  ch ild  restraint  that  has  been 
equ ipped  to  use  these  a nc ho rages. 
- Tethe r anchorages  and  lower  anchorages 
are  designed  to  withstand  only  those  loads  imposed  by correc tly fitted  child 
restraints.  Under  no  cir cumstance s can 
they  be  used  safely  for  adult  or  child 
safety  belts  or  harnesses .  
Page 192 of 312
190  Child  Safe ty 
- Never  mount  more  than  one  chi ld  re
straint  to  a  single  tether  or to  a  lower  an
chorage  point.  Attaching  two  child  re
straints  to  a  single  anchorage  point  can  cause  the  anchorage  to  fail  and  cause  se
rious  personal  inju ry in a crash. 
(D Note 
- Remove  the  guidance  fixtures  before 
fold ing  the  rear  seatback  to  prevent 
damaging  the  seat  cushion. 
- To attach  the  child  restraint  secure ly, the 
seat  must  be  moved  to  the  farthest  rear  pos ition,  the  seat  height  set  to  the  low
est  posit ion  and  the  head  restra int  must 
be  adjusted  to  the  verti cal  position 
¢page  61. 
-If you  leave  the  guidance  fixtures  instal
l ed  for  several  days,  they  could  leave  a 
mark  on  the  upho lstery  o n the  sea t cush 
i on  and  backrest  in the  a rea  that  the 
guidance  fixtures  were  insta lled . The  up
ho lstery  would  also  be  permanently 
stretched  around  the  guidance  fixtures. 
This applies  especially  to  leather  seats. 
Installing  a child  restraint  with  LATCH 
lower  anchorages 
Whenever you  install  a child restraint  always 
follow  the  child restraint  manufacturer's  in
structions. 
F ig.  1 85 Lower  a nchorages:  proper mounting 
Mounting 
"" Make su re  the  sea tback  of the  rear  sea t 
bench  is in the  upright  position  and  sec urely 
l atched  in place.  ""
Attach  both  hook -on  connectors  with  the 
spring  catch  release  on  the child  safety  seat 
onto  the  LATCH lower  anchorage  so  that  the 
connectors  lock  into  place¢ 
fig.  185. 
""Pull  on  the  connector  attachments  to  make 
sure  they  are proper ly attached  to  the  LATCH 
lower  anchorage . 
""  Pull straps  tight  fo llow ing  the  child  restraint 
manufac turer's  inst ruct ions . 
Releasing 
"" Loosen  the  tension  on the  straps  following 
the  child  restra int  manufacturer's  instruc 
tions . 
""  Dep ress  the  spring  catches  to  release  the 
anchorage  hooks  from  the  lowe r anchorag
es. 
Remember:  Use tether  straps  to  help  keep  the 
ch ild  restra int  fi rm ly in place. 
.&_ WARNING 
I mp roper  use  of  the  LATCH system  c an in
crease  the  risk of  serious  pe rsonal  injury 
and  death  in a n accident. 
- These  anchors  were  deve loped  on ly  for 
child  safety  seats  using  the  "LATCH"  sys
tem . 
- Never at tach  other  ch ild safety  sea ts, 
be lts  or  other  objects  to  these  anchors. 
- Always make  sure  that  you  hear  a  click 
when  latch ing  the  seat  in  place . If you  do 
not  hear  a  click the  seat  is not  sec ure  and 
could  fly forward  and  hit  the  interior  of 
the  vehicle,  or  be  ejected  from  the  vehi
cle  . 
.&_ WARNING 
-
Improper  installat ion  of  child  restra ints 
will  increase  the  r isk  of  injury  i n an  acci
dent. 
- Always follow  the  child  restraint  system 
manufacturer's  instruct ions  for  proper 
i n stallation  of the  ch ild  restra int  system 
and  p roper  use  of  teth er straps  as  well  as 
the  lower  anchorages  or  safety  bel ts in 
-
your  veh icle. Ii- 
Page 193 of 312
-Always  read  and  heed  the  important  in
formation  and  WARNINGS about  child 
safety  and  the  installation  of  child  re
straint  systems 
c:> page  174,  Child Safe
ty. 
(D Note 
On vehicles  with  power  adjustable  rear 
seats*  some  criteria  must  be  observed 
when  attaching  the  child  restraint  using  the 
LATCH system: 
- To attach  the  child  restraint  securely,  the 
seat  must  be  moved  to  the  farthest  rear 
position,  the  seat  height  set  to  the  low
est  position  and  the  head  restraint  must  be  adjusted  to  the  vertical  position 
¢ page 61. 
-If a child  safety  seat  is attached  to  one  of 
the  rear  seats,  this  seat  must  not  be  ad
justed  using  the  power  controls  under 
any  circumstances.  The 
Entry assistance 
for  this  seat  must  also  be  deactivated  in 
the  MMI  ¢ 
page 64. The  child  safety  seat 
as  well  as  the  rear  seat  can  be  damaged  by the  adjustment  process. 
Tether  anchors  and  tether  straps 
Fig.  186 Tether  an cho rs:  reces s fl ap s b ehin d  th e  re ar 
seatbacks 
The tether  anchors  for  the  two* /three  rear 
seating  positions  are  located  in recesses  in the 
rear  window  shelf ¢ 
fig. 186. Vehicles  with 
two  rear  seating  positions*  are  equipped  with  two  tether  anchors . 
A tether  is a  straight  orV-shaped  strap  that 
attaches  the  top  part  of  a  child  restraint  to 
special  anchorage  points  in the  vehicle. 
Child  Safety  191 
The  purpose  of the  tether  is to  reduce  the  for
ward  movement  of the  child  restraint  in a 
crash,  in order  to  help  reduce the  risk of  head 
injury  that  could  be  caused  by striking  the  ve
hicle  interior . 
Forward  facing  child  restra ints  manufactured 
after  September  1,  1999,  are  required  by U.S. 
federal  regulations  to  comply  with  new  child 
head  movement  performance  requirements. 
These  new  performance  requirements  make  a 
tether  necessary  on  most  new child  safety 
seats . 
.&_ WARNING 
Improper  installation  of  child restraints 
will  increase  the  risk of  injury and  death  in 
a  crash. 
- Always follow  the  instructions  provided 
by  the  manufacturer  of the  child  re
straint  you  intend  to  install  in your  Audi. 
- Improper  use  of child restraint  anchors 
(including  tether  anchors)  can  lead to in
jury  in a  collision . The  anchors  are  de
signed  to  withstand  only those  loads im
posed  by correctly  fitted  child  restraints . 
- Never  mount  two  child  restraint systems 
on  one  LATCH lower  anchor  point. 
- 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  ancho
rages  to  secure  safety  belts  or  other 
kinds  of occupant  restraints. 
- Never  secure  or  attach  any  luggage  or 
other  items  to  the  LATCH lower  ancho rages  or to  the  tether  anchors . 
- If  a tether  or  other  strap  is used  to  at
tach  a  child  restraint  to  the  front  passen ger  seat,  make  sure  that  it  is not  so 
tight,  that  it  causes  the  weight -sensing 
mat  to  measure  more  weight  than  is  ac
tually  on  the  seat . 
- The  heavier  weight  registered  can  make 
the  Advanced  Airbag  System  work  as 
though  an  adult  were  on  the  seat  and  de -
ploy the  Advanced  Airbag  when  it  must  ..,  
Page 194 of 312
192  Child  Safe ty 
be  suppressed  causing  ser ious  or even 
fatal  injury to  the  child . 
- If you  must  install  a  rearward  facing 
child  safety  seat  on  the  front  passenger 
seat  because  of exceptional  circumstan
ces  and  the 
P ASS ENGER  AIR BA G OFF 
light  does  not  come  on  and  stay  on,  im
med iately  install  the  rear-facing  child 
safety  seat  in a  rear  seating  position  and 
have  the  a irbag  system  inspected  by your 
Audi dealer. 
Installing  the  upper  tether  strap  on  the 
anchorage 
Fig. 187  Tet her  st rap : proper  ro uting  a nd mountin g 
Inst all ing  th e teth er  strap 
..  Release  or  deploy  the  tether  strap  on  the 
child  restra int  according  to  the  child  re
stra int  manufac turer's  instructions . 
..  Gu ide  the  upper  tether  strap 
un de r the  rea r 
head  restraint ~ 
fig. 187 (raise  the head  re
straint  if necessary). 
..  Center  s eating  posi tion* : Guid e the  upper 
tether  strap  over  the  rear  head  restraint. 
..  Tilt  the  recess  flap  up  to expo se the  anchor 
br acke t. 
..  Attach  the  tether  strap  anchorage  hook  into 
the  opening  of the  tether  anchorage . 
..  Pull  on  the  tether  strap  hook  so  that  the 
spring  catch  of  the  hoo k engages. 
..  Tighten  the  tether  strap  firmly  fo llowi ng  the 
child  restra int  manufacturer's  instructions. 
Re leasing  the  tethe r strap 
..  Loosen  the  tension  following  the  child  re
stra int  manufacturer 's  instructions. 
..  Depress  the  spring  catc h on  the  hook  and  re
lease  it  from  the  anchorage. 
(D Note 
If you  leave  the  child  restraint  with  the 
tether  strap  firm ly installed  for  several 
days,  this  could  leave  a  mark  on  the  up 
holstery  on  the  seat  cushion  and  backrest 
in the  area  where  the  tether  strap  was  in 
stalled . The  upholstery  would  also  be  per
manently  stretched  around  the  tether 
strap . This applies  espec ia lly to  leather 
seats. 
Using  tether  straps  on  rearward-facing 
child  restraints 
Cur rently,  few  rear-facing  chi ld  restraint  sy s
tems  come  with  a tether . Plea se  read  and 
heed  the  ch ild  restraint  sys tem  m anuf act ur
er's  instructions  carefully  to  determine  how to 
properly  install  the  tether. 
.&_ WARNING 
= -
A child  in a  rearward-fac ing  ch ild  safety 
seat  installed  on  the  front  passenger  sea t 
will be  serio usly injured  and  ca n be  killed  if 
the  front  airbag  in flates  -even  with  an  Ad
vanced  Airbag  System. 
- The  inflating  airbag  will  hit  the  c hild 
safety  seat  or  infant  carrie r with  great 
force  and  will smash  the  child  safety  seat 
and  child  aga inst  the  backrest,  center 
armrest,  or  door. 
- A tight  tether  or  other  strap  on  a  rear
ward-facing  child  restraint  attached  to 
the  front  passenger  seat  can  put  too 
much  pressure  on  the  weight-mat  in the 
seat  and  register  a  heavier  weight  in the 
Advanced  Airbag  System . The  heavier 
weight  registered  can  make  the  system 
work  as  tho ugh  an  adult  we re on  the  seat 
and  deploy  the  Advanced  Airbag  when  it 
m ust  be  suppressed  causing  ser ious  or 
even  fata l injury to  the  chi ld . 
- If you  must  insta ll a  rearward  facing 
child  safety  seat  on  the  front  passenger 
seat  because  of  exceptiona l circumstan
ces  and  the 
PA SSENGER AIR  BAG OF F  
Page 195 of 312
,...., 
N ,...., 
N 
0 J: 
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,., 
,...., ..,., ,...., 
light does not  come  on and stay  on , im
med iately  install  the  rear-facing  child 
safety  seat  in  a rear seating  position  and  have the  a irbag  system  inspected  by your 
Audi  dealer . 
Additional  Information 
Sources of  information  about  child 
restraints  and  their  use 
There are a number  of  sour ces of  additional 
information  abou t ch ild  restraint  select ion,  in
stallat ion  and use: 
NH TSA advises that  the  best  child  safety  seat 
is the  one that  fits  your  child  and fits  in your 
ve hicle,  and that  you will  use correctly  and 
consistently. 
T ry  before you  buy! 
U.S National  Highwa y Traffic  Safety  Admin
i s trat ion 
Te l.: 1-888-327 -4236  ( TTY : 1-800-424-9 153) 
www.nhtsa .gov 
Nati onal SAFE KIDS Campaign 
Te l.: (202)  662 -0600 
www.safekids.org 
Safety  Bel tSafe  U .S .A 
Te l.: (800)  745-SA FE (E nglish) 
Te l.: (800)  747 -SAN O (Spanish) 
www.carseat .org 
Transp ort  Canad a Inf orm ation  Centre 
Te l.: 1-800-333-03 71 or  call 
1-613 -998-8616  if you  are in the  Ottawa  area 
http ://www .tc .gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/ 
menu .htm 
Audi Cu stomer  Rel ations 
Te l.: (800)  822 -2834 
Child  Sa fet y  193 
• 
•  
Page 196 of 312
194  Audi pre  sense 
Audi  pre  sense 
Preventative  passenger 
protection 
A pp lies  to  veh icles: with  Audi  pre se nse 
Audi  pre sense can initiate  steps  to  help  pro
tect  vehicle  occupants  in certain  situations. 
The  functions  described  depend  on  equ ipment 
installed  in your  vehicle: 
Audi  pre  sense basic 
The following  functions  can be triggered in 
certain  driving  situations: 
- Tightening  of  the  safety  belts (for  example, 
during  heavy braking) : the  front  safety  belts 
have  reversible  belt  pretensioners.  If  a colli
sion  does  not  occur, the  safety  belts  loosen 
slightly  and are ready to  be tightened  again. 
- Closing the  windows  and the  sunroof*:  the 
windows  and the  sunroof*  close  leaving a 
small  open  gap. 
Audi  pre sense basic  functions can be trig
gered at speeds above 20 mph (30 km/h). The 
deployment  time  is adapted  in the  drive  select 
mode  dynamic. 
Audi  pre  sense  front (vehicles with 
adaptive  cruise control*) 
Audi  pre sense front  includes  the  functions  in 
Audi  pre sense basic. In  addition,  within  the 
limits  of  the  system,  the  likelihood of  a colli
sion with  the vehicle  immediately  ahead is al
so  calculated . 
If the system  senses an immi
nent  collis io n the  following  functions  can be 
triggered: 
- Braking  guard 
~page 98 
-Tightening  the  safety  belts 
- Closing the  windows  and the  sunroof*  (leav-
ing  a small  open  gap) 
Audi  pre  sense rear  (vehicles with  Audi 
side assist*) 
Audi  pre sense rear  includes the  functions  in 
Audi  pre sense basic. In  addition,  the  likeli
hood  of  a rear-end  coll ision with  the  veh icle 
coming  from  behind  is also calculated.  If the  risk 
of  a co llision  is  detected,  the  following 
functions  can be triggered: 
- Tig htening  the  safety  belts 
- Closing the  windows  and the  sunroof*  (leav-
ing  a  small  open  gap) 
- Adjusting  the seats:  the settings  for  the 
power  head restrains,  the  upper  sections  of 
the  backrests  and the  pneumatic side bol
sters*  are  optimized  for  the  front  seats and 
the  outboa rd  rear  seats*.  If  a collision  does 
not  occur, the  previous  seat  settings  are re
stored. 
Audi  pre  sense plus 
Audi  pre sense  plus includes  the funct ions in 
Audi  pre sense  front  and Audi pre  sense rea r. 
Error  message 
Audi  pre sense:  not available 
Preventative  passenger  protection  is  not avail
able.  See your  authorized  Audi  dealer  immedi
ately  to  have the  malfunction  corrected . 
A WARNING 
-Audi pre sense cannot  overcome  the  laws 
of  physics. 
It cannot  prevent  a collision.  Do 
not  let  the  increased safety  provided 
tempt  you to  take  risks. This will increase 
the  risk  of a collision  and serious  personal 
injuries. 
- The  sensors cannot  always detect all ob
jects . This  increases the  risk of  a colli
sion. 
- Audi  pre sense does not  detect people  or 
animals  or  objects  that  are  crossing the 
vehicle's  path~ 
page 92. 
-The radar  sensor's vision  can be reduced 
by heavy rain,  ice, snow,  heavy  road spray 
and  reflections  from  guard  rails,  tunnel 
entrances,  etc. These and  similar  condi
tions  can prevent  vehicles  from  being  ac
curately  detected  and  in some  cases they 
may  not  be detected  at  all. 
Ill>  
Page 197 of 312
,...., 
N ,...., 
N 
0 J: 
'SI: ,...., \!) ..,., 
,...., ..,., ,...., 
(D Note 
The sensors can be displaced  by impacts  or damage to  the  bumper , whee l housing  and 
underbody.  This can affect  the  function  of 
the  Audi  pre sense system.  Have your  au
thor ized Audi  dealer  check to  make sure 
that  the  system  is working  properly . 
(D Tips 
-Certain Audi  pre sense functions  are not 
available  when  ASR  is sw itched  off  (sport 
mode)  or when  driving  in  reverse . 
- The Audi  pre sense functions  may not  be 
ava ilable  if  there  is a malfunction  in the 
ESC system  or  the  airbag  control  mod
u le. 
- The Audi  pre sense front/plus  functions 
are not  available  if  there  is a ma lfunction 
i n the  adapt ive cru ise control*  system 
¢ page 99. 
- The Audi  pre sense rear/plus  functions 
are not  available  if  there  is a ma lfunction 
i n the  Audi  side assist*  system 
¢ page 99 . 
Audi  pr e  sense 195 
• 
•  
Page 198 of 312
196  Intelligent technology 
Intelligent  technology 
Notice  about  data 
recorded  by  the  Event 
Data  Recorder  and 
vehicle  control  modules 
E ve nt  Data  Recorder 
This vehicle  is equipped  with  an  Event  Data 
Recorder (EDR) . The main  purpose  of  an EDR 
is to  record,  in certain  crash or  near crash-like 
situations,  such as an airbag  deployment  or  hitting  a road obstacle,  data  that  will  assist  in 
understand ing  how  a veh icle's systems  per
formed.  The  EDR is designed  to  record data 
re lated  to vehicle  dynamics  and safety  sys
tems  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 you r vehicle  were 
operating; 
- Whether  or  not  the  d river  and  passenger 
safety  belts  were  buckled/fastened; 
- How  far  (if at  all)  the driver was dep ress ing 
the  accelerator  and/or  brake pedal;  and, 
- How  fast  the  vehicle was traveling. 
These data  can help  provide  a better  under
stand ing of  the cir cumstances  in which  crash
es and injuries  occur . NOTE : EDR  data  are re
corded  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  recorded. However, 
other  parties,  such as  law enforcement,  cou ld 
comb ine the  EDR data  with  the  type  of  per
sonally  identifying  data  routinely  acquired 
during  a crash  investigation. 
To read data  recorded  by an EDR, special 
equipment  is  required, and access to  the  vehi
cle or  the  EDR is needed.  In  addition  to  the  ve hicle  manufacturer,  other  parties,  such as  law 
enforcement,  that  have the  special equip
ment,  can read the  information  if  they  have 
access to  the  vehicle  or  the  EDR.  Some state 
laws restrict  the  retrieval or  down
loading  of data  stored  by ED Rs installed  in a 
vehicle  for  the  express purpose  of  retrieving 
data  after  an accident  or  crash event  without 
the  owner's  consent . 
Audi  will  not  access the  EDR and/or  simi lar 
data  or  g ive it  to  others  -
- un less the  vehicle  owner  (or  lessee  if the  ve 
hicle  has  been leased) agrees;  or 
- upon  the  official  request  by the  police;  or 
- upon  the ord er of  a court  of  law or  a govern-
ment  agency; or 
- for  the  defense  of  a lawsuit  through the ju
dicia l discovery  p rocess. 
- Aud i may also  use  the data  for  research 
about  vehicle  operat ion  and safety  perform
ance or  provide  the  data to  a third  party  for 
research  purposes  without  identifying  the 
specif ic vehicle  or  information  about  the 
identity  of  its owner  or  lessee and only  after 
the  recorded  vehicle  data  has been ac
cessed. 
Vehicle control modules 
You r vehicle  is also equ ipped with  a number  of 
electron ic control  modules  for various  vehicle 
systems,  such as engine  management,  emis
sion control,  airbags,  and  safety  belts. 
T hese electronic  control  mod ules record data 
during  norma l vehicle  operation  that  may be 
needed  by trained  technicians  for  diagnostic 
and repair  purposes. The recording  capability 
of  these  modu les is  limited  to  data  (no sound 
is recorded).  Only a small  amount  of  data  is 
actually  recorded  over a very  lim ited  period  of 
t ime, or  stored  when  a system  fault  is detect
ed by a contro l modu le. Some of  the  data 
stored  may relate  to vehicle  speed, direction, 
o r  braking,  as well as restraint  system  use and 
performance  in the  event  of  a crash.  Stored 
data  can also only  be read and downloaded 
with  special equipment  that  is directly  con-
nected  to  the  vehicle.  .,..  
Page 199 of 312
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@ Tips 
Your vehicle  may be equipped  with  Audi 
connect.  Your use of  certain  Aud i connect 
features  req uires wireless  serv ices that  are 
provided  by a third  party  wireless  telecom
municat ions provider.  For details  regard
ing  how  information  obtained  through 
Aud i connect  is collected,  processed, 
transmitted,  used, and  shared,  please see 
your  contra ct  w ith  the  wire less telecom 
municat ions provider  and the  "About  A udi 
connect"  tab  in your  vehicle's  MMI: 
!MENU ! 
button > Audi connect > About Audi con· 
nect . 
Electronic  Stabilization 
Control  (ESC) 
Description 
ESC helps  to  improve  road  holding  and vehicle 
dynamics  to  help  reduce the  probability  of 
skidd ing and  loss of  veh icle control.  It  works 
only  when  the  eng ine  is running.  ESC detects 
certain  difficult  driv ing s ituations,  including 
when  the  vehicle  is beginning  to  spin  (yaw) 
out  of  cont ro l and helps  you to  get  the  vehicle 
back under  control  by select ively  brak ing the 
wheels,  and/or  red ucing engine  powe r and 
p roviding  steering  assistance to  help  hold  the 
ve hicle on the  driver's  intended  course . The in
dicator  light 
m in the  instrument  cluster 
blinks  when  ESC is taking  action  to  help you 
control  the  vehicle. 
ESC has limitations. 
It is important  to  remem
ber that  ESC cannot  overcome the  laws of 
phys ics. It  will  not  a lways be able  to  help  out 
under  all  conditions  you may come  up  against. 
For example,  ESC may not  always be able  to 
h elp you  master  situat ions where  there  is a 
sudden  change  in the  coefficient  of  fr iction  of 
the  road  surface.  When  there  is a sect io n  of 
d ry road  that  is s udden ly cove red with  water, 
slush  o r snow,  ESC  canno t perform  the  same 
way it  would  on  the  dry su rface. 
If the  vehicle 
hydroplanes  (rides  on  a c ush ion of  wate r in
stead  of  the  road surface),  ESC wi ll not  be 
ab le to  he lp you steer  the  veh icle because con-
Int ellig ent  technolog y 197 
tact  with  the  pavement  has been interrupted 
and the  vehicle  cannot  be braked or  steered . 
D uring  fast  corner ing,  particular ly on wind ing 
roads,  ESC cannot  always deal  as effectively 
with  difficult  dr iv ing s ituations  than  at  lower 
speeds. When  towing  a trailer,  ESC is not  able 
to  help you  regain  control  as it  would  if you 
were  not  tow ing a trailer. 
Always adjust  your  speed and driving  style  to  road,  traffic  and weather  conditions . ESC can
not  override  the  vehicle's  physical  lim its,  in
crease the  availab le tract ion,  or  keep a veh icle 
o n  the  road  if  road departu re  is a result  of 
driver  ina ttent io n. Instead , ESC  imp roves  the 
poss ibility  of  keep ing t he vehicle  under  con
trol  and on the  road during  extreme  maneu
vers by  using the  driver's  steering  i nputs  to 
help  keep the  vehicle  go ing  in the  intended  di
rect ion.  If  you  are traveling  at  a speed that 
causes you to  run  off  the  road  before  ESC can 
provide  any assistance, you  may not  experi
ence the  benefits  of  ESC. 
ESC includes  and/or  works  together  with  the 
anti-lock  braking  system 
(ABS), brake assist 
system,  anti -slip  regulation  (ASR), electronic 
differential  lock  (EDL), dynam ic steer ing*  and 
selective  wheel  torque  contro l. ESC is switch
ed on  all  the  time.  In cer tain situations  when 
yo u need  less traction,  yo u can switch  off  ASR 
by press ing the  b utton  above ~ 
page 199, 
fig. 188 the  se lector  lever.  Be sure to  switch 
ASR on  again when  you  no  longer  need  less 
traction. 
Anti -lock  braking  system  (ABS ) 
ABS prevents  the whee ls from  loc king  up 
when  b rak ing.  The vehicle  can st ill be stee red 
even during  hard  braking . App ly steady  pres
su re to  the  brake peda l. Do not  pump  the  ped
al.  A pulsing  in the  brake  pedal  indicates  that 
the  system  is helping  you to  brake the  vehicle. 
Brake  assi st  sy stem 
T he brake  ass ist  system  can dec rease braking 
distance . It  increases braking  power  when  the 
driver  presses the  brake peda l quickly  in emer
gency s ituations.  You must  press and  hold  the 
brake  pedal  unti l the  situation  is over. In 
I), 
• 
•  
Page 200 of 312
198  Intelligent  technology 
vehicles with  adaptive  cruise  control*,  the brake assist  system  is more  sensitive  if  the 
d istance  detected  to  the  vehicle  ahead  is too 
smal l. 
Anti-slip  regulati on  (ASR ) 
ASR reduces engine  power  when  the  d rive 
wheels  begin  to  spin  and adapts  the  force  to 
the  road  conditions.  This makes it  easier  to 
start,  accelerate  and drive  up  hills. 
Electronic diffe rential  lock (EDL ) 
The EDL brakes wheels  that  are spinn ing and 
transfers  the  drive  power  to  the  other  d rive 
wheel  or  whee ls if  the  vehicle  is equipped  with 
all  whee l drive*.  This function  is available  up 
to  about  75  mph  (120  km/h). 
I n extreme  cases,  ED L automatica lly switches 
off  to  help  keep the  brake on  the  braked whee l 
from  overheating . EDL wi ll switch  on again  au
tomatically  when  conditions  have returned  to  normal. 
Dynamic  steer ing* 
On vehicles with  dynamic  steering,  ESC he lps 
stabilize  the  steering  in certain  situations . 
Selective wheel  torque control 
The se lective  wheel  torque  cont ro l operates 
when  dr iving  thro ugh cu rves.  The front  wheel 
on the  ins ide of  the  curve or  both  w heels on 
the  inside  of  the  curve  are braked  selective ly 
as needed.  This minimizes  sliding  in the  front 
wheels  and a llows for  more  precise driving 
through  curves. The applicab le system  may 
not  activate  when  driving  in wet  or  snowy con
d itions . 
Post- coll isio n br ake assis t 
"Post-collision  brake assist"  can assist  the 
driver  during  a collision  by reducing  the  dan
ger  of  slipp ing and further  collision  and  by au
tomatic  braking. 
"Post-collision  brake assist"  functions  d uring 
collisions  when  the  a irbag  contro l modu le de
tects  a trigger  level  and the  collision  takes  place at  a certa in driving  speed. The brak ing 
of  the  vehicle  happens  automatically  via  the  ESC as 
long  as the  ESC, the  brake  system,  and 
the  vehicle  electrical  system  are not  damaged 
from  the  collision. 
T he following  ac tivit ies override  the  au toma t
ic braking  during  a co llision: 
- I f  the  driver  p resses the  acce le rator  pedal. 
There  is  no automa tic  brak ing . 
- When  the  force  on the  press brake peda l is 
st ronger  tha n the  braking  force  initiated  by 
t he system.  The veh icle is manua lly braked. 
- When  the  ESC  is damaged,  the  "Post-colli
sion  brake assist"  is not  available. 
,&. WARNING 
- ESC, ABS, ASR, ED L, dynamic  steeri ng * 
and the  select ive wheel  torque  control 
cannot  overcome  the  laws of  physics . 
This  is especially  important  on s lippery 
or wet  roads. If  the  systems  beg in acting 
to  stabilize  your  veh icle, you should  im
mediately  change your  speed to  match 
the  road and traffic  conditions.  Do not  let  the  increased safety  provided  by 
these  systems  tempt  you to  take  r is ks. 
D oing  so will  increase the  risk  of  a loss of 
veh icle contro l, col lision  and ser ious per 
sonal  injuries. 
- Always ad apt  your  speed  to road,  traffi c 
and weather  conditions . The risk  of  los 
ing contro l of  the  vehicle  increases when 
driving  too  fast,  espec ially  through 
curves and on  slippery  or wet  roads,  and 
when  dr iv ing too  close to  vehicles  up 
ahead.  ESC, ABS, the  brake ass ist  sys
tem,  EDL, ASR, dynam ic steering*  and 
the  selective  wheel  torque  cont ro l can
not  prevent  collisions. 
- Always accelerate  with  special  care on 
even, smooth  s urfaces  such as those  that 
are wet  or  covered with  i ce and snow. 
The drive  wheels  can spin  even w ith 
these  assistance systems  tha t cannot  al
ways he lp to  red uce the  risk of  loss of  ve -
-
hicle  control. IJJ,,