AUDI A4 2013 Owners Manual
Manufacturer: AUDI, Model Year: 2013, Model line: A4, Model: AUDI A4 2013Pages: 302, PDF Size: 75.61 MB
Page 181 of 302

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 retractor. 
"  Press  the  red  button  on  the  safety  belt 
buckle.  The  belt  tongue will  pop  out  of  the 
buckle. 
"  Guide  the  safety  belt  all  the  way  back  into 
its  stowed  pos ition. 
Always let  the safety  belt  retract  completely 
into  its  stowed  pos ition.  The  safety  belt  can 
now  be  used  as  an  ordinary  safety  belt  with
out  the  convertible  locking  retractor for  child 
rest raints . 
If  the  convertible  locking retractor  should  be 
activated  inadvertently , the  safety  belt  must 
be  unfastened  and  guided  completely  back  in
to  its stowed  position  to  deactivate  this  fea
t ure.  If  the  conver tible  locking  retractor  is  not 
deactivated,  the  safety  belt  will gradually  be
come  tighter  and  uncomfortable  to  wear . 
A 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  deacti
vate  the convertible  locking  retractor for 
child  restraints  while  the  vehicle  is  mov
ing.  You would  not  be  restrained  and 
could  be  seriously  injured  in an  accident. 
- Always  read  and  heed  all WARNINGS 
whenever  using  a  child  restrained in ave
hicle  is being  used ¢ 
page  166. Special 
precautions  apply  when  installing  a  child 
safety  seat  on  the  front  passenger  seat 
¢ page  146,  Child restraints  on  the  front 
seat  -some  important  things  to know . 
Child  Safety  1 79 
• 
•  
Page 182 of 302

180  Child  Safet y 
LATCH  Lower 
anchorages  and  tether 
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  child  restraint  on  the  vehicle 
seat,  Federal  regulations  require  specia l lower 
anchorages  in veh icles  and  dev ices  on  new 
child  restraints  to  attach to  the  vehicle  ancho
rages. 
The  combination  of  the  tether  anchorages  and 
the  lower  anchorages  is now  generally  called 
the 
LA TC H system  for  "L ower  Anchorages  and 
Tethers  for  C hildren ." 
F orward-facing  child  restraints  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  seats. 
I nstalling  a  child  restraint  that  requires  a  top 
tether  without  one  can seriously  impair  the 
performance  of the  child  restraint  and  its  abi l
ity  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 . 
Ch ild  restra int  manufacturers  offer  LATCH 
lower  anchorages  on their  child  seats  with 
hook-on  or  push-on  connectors  attached to 
adj ustab le  straps. 
In  addition  to  the  LATCH lower anchorages, 
these  child  restraint systems  usually  require 
the  use  of tether  straps to help  keep  the child 
restra int  firmly  in  place. 
_&. WARNING 
Imprope r insta llation  of  chi ld  restraints 
w ill  increase  the  risk of  inju ry and  death  in 
a  crash. 
- Always fo llow  the  instructions  p rov ided 
by the  manufacturer  of  the  c hild  re- straint  yo
u intend  to  install  in your  vehi
cle. 
- Never  install  a  child  restraint without  a 
properly  attached  top  tether  strap  if the 
child  restraint  manufacturer's  instruc
tions  require  the  top  tether  strap  to  be 
used. 
- Improper  use  of  child  restraint  LATC H 
lower  anchorage  points  can  lead  to  injury 
in a  collision . T he  LATC H lower  anchorage 
points  are  designed  to  withstand  on ly 
those  loads  imposed  by correctly  fitted 
chi ld  res traints. 
- Never  mount  two  child  restra int  systems 
on  one  LATC H lower  anchorage  point. 
- Never  secure  or  attach  any  luggage  or 
other  item  to  the  LATCH lower  anchorag
es. 
(D Tips 
In  Canada,  the  terms  "top tether"  with 
"lower  universa l anchorages"  (or  "lower 
u niversa l anchorage  ba rs")  are  used  to  de
scribe  the  system. 
- In  other  countries,  the  term  " ISOFIX" is 
used  to  describe  the  lower  a ncho rages. 
Location 
Fi g. 166 Sc hem atic overview:  LA TCH ancho rage point 
l ocations 
T he  illust rat ion  shows  the  seat ing  loca tions  in 
you r vehicle  which  are  equipped with  the  low
er  anchorages  system.  
Page 183 of 302

Description 
The lower  anchorage  positions  are  marked 
for  quick  locating. 
Fig . 167  Lower  anchorages,  covers marked 
Fig . 168 Rear  seats:  lower  anchorage  b racket  locat ions 
Lowe r ancho rages 
The  lower  anchorage  attachment  points  a re 
located  on  the  rear  e nd  of the  rear  sea tback. 
Remove  the  covers 
c:;, fig . 167 to  access  the 
l ower  anchorage  attachment  po ints. 
The  lower  anchorage  attachment  points  are 
visible 
c:;, fig . 168 . 
Lower anchorages  secure  the  child  restraint  in 
the  seat  without  using  the  vehicle 's  safety 
belts.  Anchorages  prov ide  a  secure  and  easy
to-use  attachment  and  minimize  the  possibili
ty of  improper  child  restraint  installation . 
All ch ild  restra ints  manufactured  after  Sep
tember  1,  2002,  must  have  lower  anchorage 
attachments  for  the 
LATCH system . 
Remember  that the lower  anchorage  points 
are  only  intended  for  installation  and  attach ment  of  child  restraints  specifically  certified 
for  use  w ith 
LATCH lower  anchorages . Child 
restra ints  that  are  not  equipped  with  the  low 
e r anchorage  attachments  ca n still  be  instal-
Child  S afety  181 
led  in compliance  with  the  child  restraint 
manufacturer's  instructions on  using  vehicle 
safety  belts . 
_& WARNING 
Improper  use  of  LATCH lower  anchorages 
can  cause  serious  personal  injury  in an  ac
cident. 
- Always carefully  follow  the  child  re
straints  manufacturer's  instructions  for 
proper  installation  of the  child  restraint 
and  p roper  use  of  th e lower  anchorages 
or  safety  belts  in yo ur vehicle. 
- Never  secure  or  attach  any  luggage  or 
other  items  to  the 
LATCH lowe r ancho
rages. 
- Always  read  and  heed  the  importa nt  in
formation  about  child  r estraints  in this 
chapter  and  WARN INGS 
¢page  166, 
Child Safety. 
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.  169 Lowe r anc horages:  proper  mount ing 
Mounting 
.,.  Make  sure the  seatback  of  the  rear  seat 
bench  is  in  the upright  pos it ion  and  securely 
latched  in  place . 
...  Attach  both  hook-on  co nnectors  with  the 
spring  catch  rel ease  on  the  child  safety  seat 
onto  the  LATCH lower  anchorage  so  that  the 
connec to rs  lock  into  place 
c:;, fig.  169 .  ..,_  
Page 184 of 302

182  Child  Safet y 
• Pull  on  the  connector  attachments  to  make 
sure  they  are  properly  attached  to  the  LATCH 
lower  anchorage. 
•  Pull  straps  tight  following  the  child  re
straint  manufacturer's  instructions. 
Re leasin g 
• Loosen  the  tension  on  the  straps  following 
the  chi ld  restraint  manufacturer 's  instruc 
tions . 
•  Depress  the  spring  catche s to  release  the 
anchorage  hooks  from  the  lower  anchorag
es . 
Remember:  Use tether  straps  to  help  keep  the 
child  restrain t firmly  in place. 
A WARNING ,. 
Improper  use  of the  LATCH system  can  in
crease  the  risk of  ser ious  personal  injury 
and  death  in an  acc ident . 
- T hese  anchors  were  developed  only  for 
child  safety  seats  us ing  the  "LATCH" sys
tem . 
- Never  attach  other  child  safety  seats, 
belts  or  ot her  objects  to  these  anchors . 
-Always  make  sure  that  you  hear  a  click  when  latching  the  seat  in place . If you  do 
not  hear  a click the  seat  is not  secure  and 
cou ld fly  forward  and  h it  the  interior  of 
t he  vehicle,  or  be  ejected  from  the  vehi
cle . 
A WARNING 
Improper  insta llation  of  chi ld  restraints 
wi ll increase  the  risk of  injury  in an  acc i
dent. 
- Always follow  the  child  restraint  system  manufacturer's  instructions  for  proper 
installation  of the  child  restraint  system 
and  proper  use  of  tether  straps  as  we ll as 
the  lower  anchorages  or safety  belts  in 
your  vehicle . 
- Always  read  and  heed  the  important  in
format ion  and  WARNINGS about  child 
safety  and  the  installation  of  child  re
st raint  systems ¢ page  166,  Child Safe
ty. 
-
Tether anchors  and tether  straps 
Fig.  170 Se dan  Tet her an ch or s: r ecess  flaps  behind  th e 
rear  sea tback s 
Fig.  171 all road Tether  a nch o rs:  attachmen t hook  lo 
ca tions beh ind t he  rear  s eatb acks 
Sedan:  The tether  ancho rs for  the  rea r seat ing 
positions  are  located  in recesses  in the  rear 
windowshelf ¢fig.170. 
allroad:  The  tether  anchors  for  the  rear  seat
ing  pos it ions  are  located  on  the  backside  of 
the  rear  seatbacks 
¢ fig.  171 . 
A tether  is a  stra ight  or V-shaped  strap  that 
attaches  the  top  part  of  a child  restraint  to 
special  anchorage  points  in th e vehicle. 
T he  purpose  of the  tethe r 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  cou ld  be  caused  by striking  t he  ve
hicle  interior . 
Forward  facing  child  restraints  manufactured 
after  September  1, 1999,  are  requ ired  by U.S . 
federal  regu lations  to  comply  with  c hild  head 
movement  performance  requirements.  These 
new  perfo rmance  requirements  make  a  tether 
neces sary  on  mos t new  child  safety  sea ts. 
IIIJ.  
Page 185 of 302

_& 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 
be  suppressed  causing  serious 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 
PASSENGER AIR  BAG OFF 
light  does  not  come  on  and  stay  on,  im
mediately  install  the  rear-facing  child 
safety  seat  in a  rear seating  position  and 
have  the  airbag  system  inspected  by your 
Audi dealer. 
Child  Safety  183 
Installing  the  upper  tether  strap  on  the 
anchorage 
Fig . 172 Sedan  Tether  strap:  proper  routing  and 
mou nting 
Fig. 173 allroad  Tether  strap:  proper  routing and 
mo unting 
Installing  the  tether  strap 
.,. Release  or deploy  the  tether  strap  on  the 
child  restraint  according  to  the  child  re
straint  manufacturer's  instructions  . 
.,.  Guide  the  upper  tether  strap 
under the  rear 
head  restraint ~ 
fig. 172 or¢ fig. 173 (raise 
the  head  restraint  if necessary). 
.,.  Sedan:  Tilt the  recess flap  up  to  expose  the 
anchor  bracket. 
.,.  Sedan:  Attach  the  tether  strap  anchorage 
hook  into  th e  opening  of  the tether  anchor
age  . 
.,.  allroad:  Slide  the  tether  strap  hook  over the 
anchor  bracket. 
.,.  Pull  on  the  tether  strap hook so that  the 
spring  catch  of the  hook  engages . 
.,.  Tighten  the  tether  strap  firmly  following 
the  child  restraint  manufacturer's  instruc
t ions. 
Releasing  the  tether  strap 
.,. Loosen  the  tension  following  the child  re -
straint  manufacturer's  instructions. 
1J1- 
Page 186 of 302

184 Child Saf ety 
•  Depress  the  spring  catch  on  the  hook  and 
release  it from  the  anchorage . 
(D Note 
If you  leave  the  child  restraint  with  the 
tether  strap  firmly insta lled for  several 
days,  this  cou ld  leave  a  mark  on  the  up
holstery  on  the  seat  c ushion  and  backrest 
in the  area  where  the  tether  strap  was  in
stalled.  The  upholstery  would  a lso  be  per
manently  stretched  around  the  tether 
strap.  Th is  applies  especially  to  leather 
seats. 
Using  tether  straps  on  rea rward-facing 
child  restraints 
Currently,  few  rearward-facing  child  rest raint 
systems  come  with  a tether . P lease  read  and 
heed  the  child  restraint  system  manufactur
er's  instructions  carefully  to  determine  how  to  properly  instal l the  tether. 
A WARNING 
-
A child  in a  rea rward-facing  child  sa fety 
s e at  insta lled  on  the  front  passenger  seat 
w ill  be  seriously  injured  and  can  be  killed  if 
t he  fron t  air bag  infl ates  -even  wit h an Ad
vanced  Airbag  System. 
- T he  inflati ng a irbag  wi ll hit  the  child 
sa fety  sea t or  infan t  carrier  w it h  grea t 
f orce  and  w ill smash  the  c hild  safety  sea t 
and  child  against  the  backrest,  cente r 
armrest,  or  door. 
- A tight  tet her  or ot her  st rap  on  a  rear 
wa rd-facing  child  restra int  attached  to 
the  front  passenger  seat  can  put  too  much  pressure  on  the  weight-mat  i n the 
seat  and  register  a  heavier  weight  in the 
Advanced  Airbag  System.  The  heav ie r 
we ight  registe red  can  make  the  system 
wor k as  though  a n adu lt  were  on  the  seat 
and  dep loy the  A dvan ced  Airbag  when  i t 
mus t  be suppres sed  c ausing  seriou s or 
eve n fa tal  injury  to  the  child. 
- If you  mus t  install  a  rea rw ard  fa ci ng 
ch ild s afety  se at  on  the  front  passenge r 
sea t beca use  of  excep tional  circ ums tan - ces  and  t
he 
PASSENGER AIR  BAG OFF 
light  does  not  come  on  and  stay  on,  im
mediately  install  the  rearward-fac ing 
child  safety  seat  in a  rear  seating  posi· 
tion  and  have  t he  ai rbag  system  inspec t
e d  by your  authorized  A udi dealer . 
Additional  Information 
' 
Sources of  information  about  child 
restraints  and  their  use 
There  are  a  number  of sources  of  add itiona l 
information  about  child  restra int  selection,  in
sta llation  and  use: 
NHTSA advises  that  the  best  ch ild  safety  seat 
is the  one  that  fits  your  ch ild  and  fits  in your 
vehicle,  and  that  you  will use  correct ly and 
cons istently . 
Try before  yo u buy! 
U .S National  Highway Traffi c Safet y Admin
istration 
Tel.:  1 -888-327- 4236  (TIY:  1-800-424-9153) 
www.n htsa.gov 
National  SAFE KIDS Campaign 
Tel.:  (202)  662 -0600 
www.safek ids.org 
Safet y BeltSafe U.S.A 
Tel.:  (800)  7 45-SAFE (English) 
T el.:  (800)  7 47-SANO (Spanis h) 
www.carseat.org 
Transport Canada Information  Centre 
T el.:  1 -800 -33 3-0371  o r ca ll 
1-6 13-998-86 16  if yo u are  i n the  Ottawa  area 
http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/roadsafety/ 
menu. htm 
Audi Cu stomer  Relation s 
Tel.:  (800)  822 -2834  
Page 187 of 302

Intelligent  technology Notice  about  data 
recorded  by  vehicle 
control  modules 
Your vehicle  is not  equipped  with  an  Event Da
ta  Recorder  (EDR), installed  by some  manu
facturers  for the  express  purpose of  capturing 
data  for  retrieval  after  an accident  or  crash 
event.  EDR's are sometimes  called  "crash  re
corders". 
Some  state laws restrict  the  retr ieval or  down
loading  of  data  stored  by  EDR's that  were  in
stalled  in a vehicle  for  the  express purpose  of 
retrieving  data  after  an accident  or  crash 
event  without  the  owner's  consent. 
Although  your  vehicle  is not  equipped  with  an 
EDR,  it is equipped  with  a number  of  electron
ic  control  modules  for  various  vehicle  systems 
such as, for  examp le, engine  function,  emis
sion  control,  as well  as for  the  airbags  and 
safety  belts. 
These electronic  control  modules also record 
vehicle-related  data  during  norma l vehicle  op
eration  for  diagnostic  and repair  purposes. 
The  recording  capacity  of  the  electronic  con
trol  modules  is limited  to data  (no sound  is re
corded)  and only  a small  amount  of  data  is ac
tually  recorded  over a very limited  period  of 
time  and stored  when  a system  fault  or other 
condition  is sensed by  a control  unit. Some of 
the  data  then  stored  may relate  to vehicle 
speed,  direction,  braking  as we ll as  restraint 
system  use and performance  in the  event  of  a 
crash or  other  condition.  Stored  data  can only  be read and downloaded  with  special  equip
ment. 
Electronic  Stabilization 
Control  (ESC) 
Description 
ESC helps  to  improve road  holding  and vehicle 
dynamics  to  help  reduce the  probability  of 
skidding  and  loss of  veh icle control.  It  works 
only  when  the  engine  is running.  ESC detects 
Intelligent  technology  185 
certain  difficult  driving situations,  including 
when  the  vehicle  is beginning  to  spin  (yaw) 
out  of  control  and  helps you to  get  the  veh icle 
back under  control  by se lectively  braking  the 
wheels,  and/or  reducing engine  power  and 
providing  steering  ass istance to  help  hold  the 
vehicle  on  the driver's  intended  course.  The in
dicator  light 
JjJ 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 
physics. 
It will  not  always be able to  help  out 
under  all  conditions  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.  When  there  is a section  of  dry  road that  is suddenly  covered with  water, 
slush  or  snow,  ESC cannot  perform  the same 
way  it would  on the  dry  surface.  If  the  vehicle 
hydroplanes  (rides  on a cushion  of  water  in
stead  of  the  road surface),  ESC will  not  be 
able  to help  you  steer  the  vehicle because  con
tact  with  the  pavement  has been  interrupted 
and the  vehicle  cannot  be braked or  steered . 
During  fast  cornering,  particularly  on winding 
roads,  ESC cannot  always deal  as effectively 
with  difficult  driving  situations  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. 
A lways adjust  your  speed and driving  style  to 
road,  traffic  and weather  conditions.  ESC can
not  override  the  vehicle's  physical  limits,  in
crease the  available  traction,  or keep a vehicle 
on  the  road  if  road departure  is a  result  of 
driver  inattention.  Instead,  ESC improves  the 
poss ibility  of  keeping  the  vehicle  under  con
trol  and on  the road  dur ing extreme  maneu
vers by  using the driver's  steering  inputs  to 
help  keep  the  vehicle  going  in the  intended  di
rection.  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. 
• 
•  
Page 188 of 302

186  Intelligent  technology 
ESC includes  and/or  works  together  with  the 
anti-lock  brake  system  (ABS), brake assist  sys 
tem,  anti-slip  regulation  (ASR) , e lectronic  dif
ferential  lock (EDL), dynamic  steering"  and 
e lectronic  interaxle  differentia l lock* /selective 
wheel  torque  control* . ESC  is switched  on  all 
the  t ime.  I n certa in s ituations  whe n you  need 
l ess t raction,  you can switch 
off ASR by p ress
i ng the  bu tto n 
[ru ¢ page 188, fig. 176 or 
¢ page 188, fig. 177. Be sure  to sw itch  ASR 
on  aga in when  yo u no longer  need  less t rac
tion . 
Anti -lock braking  system  (ABS) 
ABS prevents  the  wheels  from  locking  up 
when  braki ng. The veh icle  can still  be steered 
even d uring  h ard br aking.  Apply  ste ady  p res 
sure  to the  brake  pedal.  Do no t  pump the ped
a l.  A pulsing  in the  brake peda l indicates  t hat 
the  system  is he lping  yo u to  b rake the  vehicle . 
Brake assist system 
The brake assis t system  can decrease b ra ki ng 
d ista nce. It  increases braking  power  w hen the 
d river  p resses the  brake  pedal  quic kly in  eme r
gency situations . You must  p ress and  hold  the 
brake peda l until  the  situation  is over. In 
vehicles  w ith  adapt ive cru ise contro l",  the 
brake assist  system  is more  sensit ive  if  the 
d ista nce detected  to  t he vehicle  a head  is too 
small. 
Anti-slip  regulation  (ASR) 
ASR reduces  engine power  when  the  drive 
wheels  begin  to  spin  and adapts  the  fo rce to 
the  road  condit ions. This  makes it  eas ier to 
start , accelerate  and drive  up  hills. 
Electronic differenti al lock  (EDL ) 
The ED L brakes wheels  that  are spinn ing and 
transfers  the  drive  power  to  the  other  drive 
wheel  or whee ls if  t he vehicle  is equipped  with 
all-w heel drive*.  This function  is available  up 
to  about  60  mph  (100  km/h). 
In  extreme  cases,  EDL automat ica lly switches 
off to  help  keep the  bra ke on  the  braked whee l 
from  overheating.  EDL wi ll switch  on again  au-tomat
ica lly when  conditions  have  ret urned to 
no rma l. 
Dynamic  steering* 
On vehicles  wi th dynam ic steering*,  ESC he lps 
st abi liz e the  steer ing  in cr itical  situ ations. 
Electronic  interaxle  differential  lock* / 
selective wheel  torque  control* 
T he elec troni c int eraxle  differentia l lock  (front 
whee l dr ive) o r th e se lec tive whee l torque 
control  (all-whee l dr ive) oper ates when  dr iv 
ing t hro ugh curves.  The front  wheel  on the  in 
side of  the  c urve or  both  whee ls on the  inside 
of  the  c urve are b raked se lectively  as needed. 
This m inimizes  sliding  in  the  front  wheels  and 
allows  for  more  precise driving  through 
curves . The  applicable  system  may  not  acti
vate  when  dr iving  in wet  o r snowy cond itions. 
A WARNING 
- ESC, ABS, ASR,  EDL  dynam ic steering* 
a nd  the  ele ct roni c interaxle  d ifferential 
lo ck* /se lective  whee l torque  con trol * 
cannot  ove rcome the  laws  of  physics . 
This  is especially  important  on sli ppery 
or wet  roads. 
If the  systems  beg in acting 
to  stabilize  your  veh icle, yo u should  im
mediately  change your  speed to  match 
the  road and traffic  conditions . Do not 
let  the  increased safety  prov ided  by 
these  systems  tempt  you to  take  r isks. 
Doing  so will  increase the  risk of  a loss of 
veh icle cont ro l, col lision  and  ser ious pe r
sonal  injur ies. 
- Always ada pt  your  speed  to road,  traffi c 
a nd  wea ther conditions.  The r isk of  los-
ing con trol  of  the  vehicle  i ncreases when 
d riving  too  fast,  es pec ia lly  through 
curves and o n slippe ry or wet  roads,  an d 
when  dr iv ing too  close to  vehicles  up 
ahead.  ESC, ABS, the  brake ass ist  sys
tem,  ASR, EDL dynam ic steer ing*  and the 
e lectronic  inte raxle  differentia l lock*/se
lec tive whee l to rque control*  cannot  p re-
-
vent  co llisi ons. ~  
Page 189 of 302

-Always  acce lerate  with  specia l care on 
even, smooth  surfaces  s uch as those  that 
are wet  or covered with  ice and snow. 
The drive  wheels  can spin  even with 
these  assistance systems  that  cannot  al
ways help  to  reduce the  risk of  loss of  ve hicle  control. 
(0 Tips 
- ABS and ASR on ly work  correctly  when 
all  four  wheels  are equ ipped w ith  ident i
ca l tires. Different  tire  s izes can lead to  a 
reduct ion  i n eng ine power. 
- You may hear  noises when  the  systems 
described  are wo rking . 
- If the indicator  light D] or m!S (USA 
models) ;tiJ (Canada models)  appears, 
the re may be a malfunct ion 
c:> page  19, 
~ page  19. 
Sedan : Switching  on/off 
ESC turns  on automatically  when you  start 
the  engine . 
Fig . 174 Vers io n  A: low er c en te r co nsol e, 1', O FF bu t
to n 
Fig. 175 Ve rsio n B: upper  ce nte r console,~  OFF bu t
to n 
Intelligen t technolog y 187 
Turning  off  ASR 
In  some sit uatio ns, it  may be useful  to  switch 
ASR 
off to  a llow  the  wheels  to  spin . For exam
ple: 
- Rocking the  vehicle  to  free  it  when  i t  is st uck 
- Dr iving  in deep  snow  or on  loose ground 
- Dr iving  with  snow  chains 
Qu ick ly press the 
I~ O FF I button c:> fig. 174 or 
c:> 
fig . 175. The fil indica tor  light  turn s on and 
t he me ssage 
T rac tion  control  (A SR ):  Off. 
War ning!  R estrict ed stability 
appears  in the 
display . 
It  i s only  possible  to  turn 
off the  ASR up to 
30  mph  (SO km/h)  for vehicles wi th front 
wheel  drive . At  about  45  mph  (70  km/h)  it  au 
tomat ically turns  on  again . 
It is possible  to 
turn 
off the  ASR at  any speed fo r vehicles  with 
all  wheel  drive . 
Turning off  ESC 
Press and hold  the I;; OFFI button  for  three 
seconds . The 
fl ESC indicator  light  turns  on 
and the  message 
Stabil ization  cont rol  (ESC ): 
o ff . Warni ng ! Re str icted  stab ilit y 
appea rs  in 
the  d isplay. ASR  is also sw itched 
off when  ESC 
i s sw itched  off. 
Switching  on 
Press the j ;; O FFI button  again . The fi indica
tor  light  t urns on and the  message 
St abi liz a
t ion  control  (ESC ): On 
appears  in the  disp lay. 
_&. WARNING 
- Drive whee ls can sp in  and you  can lose 
contro l of  the  vehicle  more  eas ily when 
ASR and  ESC are switched  off,  especia lly 
when  the  road is s lippery . 
- Switch  ASR/ESC 
off only  when  yo ur driv 
ing skills,  traffic  and weather  conditions 
permit. 
@ Tips 
You cannot  sw itch  ASR and  ESC off when 
adaptive  cruise  control*  is working . 
- 
Page 190 of 302

188  Intelligent  technology 
allroad: Switching  on /off 
ESC turns  on automatically  when you  start 
the  engine . 
Fig. 176 Version A: lower ce nter  console,~  OFF  but
to n 
......  [  I I n-I _,,. .,., -------' -"~ __.., 
Fig. 177 Versio n B: upper  ce nter  conso le,~ OFF but
to n 
ESC Offroad  mode 
In order  to  maintain  maximum  traction  and 
optima l brak ing when  driving offroad , the 
conditions  for the  ESC to  work are  reduced  to 
such  a degree,  tha t the  vehicle whee ls co uld 
start  to  spin . The stabilizing  effects  start  to 
work  later  wh ich results  in limited  vehicle sta
b ili ty. 
The  ESC Offroad mode  should  on ly be  used  in 
the  following  situations: 
- Rocking the  vehicle to free  it when  it is stuck 
- Driving in deep  snow or on loose  ground 
- Driving on rough  terra in when  much  of the 
car's weight  is lifted  off the  wheels  (axle ar
t icu lation) 
- Driving with  snow cha ins 
- Driving downhill while braking  on loose 
ground 
F or your safety,  switch  off the  ESC Offroad 
mode  in advance. 
Switching  on th e ES C Offroad  mode 
Press the In OF FI button ¢ fig.  176 or 
¢ fig.  177 . The I indicator  light  turns  on and 
the  message 
St abilization  cont ro l ( ES C): Off
ro ad. Wa rning! Rest ricted stability 
appears 
in the  disp lay. 
Swit ching  off  th e ESC Offroad  mode 
Press the !.$ O FF I button  again  to  sw itch  the 
ESC back on . The 
IJ indicator  light turns  off 
and  the  message 
Stabil ization contro l (ESC ): 
On 
appears  in the  display. 
_& WARNING 
- You shou ld only turn  on the  ESC Offroad 
mode when  driving offroad  or with  snow 
chains. 
- Drive whee ls can sp in and you can lose 
control  of the  vehicle more  easi ly when 
ASR and  ESC are  in Offroad mode,  espe 
cially whe n the  road  is slippery. 
- Switch to  Offroad mode  only whe n your 
driving skills, traff ic and weather  condi
tions  permit . 
(D Tips 
You cannot  sw itch  Offroad mode  on when 
adaptive  cruise  control*  is working. 
Braking 
What  affects  braking  efficiency? 
New  brake  pad s 
During the  first  250  mi les  (400  km), new 
brake  pads  do not  possess  the ir full brak ing 
effect,  they  have to  be "broken  in"  first¢ .&,. 
You can compensate  for this  slightly  reduced 
braking  power by p ushing  harde r on the  brake 
pedal.  Avoid heavy brak ing  loads  dur ing the 
break-in pe riod. 
Oper ating  cond ition s and  driving  habit s 
The brakes  on today's automobiles  are  still 
subject  to wear,  depending  largely on operat 
ing co nd it ions  and  driving hab its 
¢ .&, . On 
vehicles that  are  either  driven most ly in stop-
and-go  city traff ic or are  dr iven hard,  the 
lilJ,,