What does a car inside a dashed circle on the Audi dashboard mean?
3 Answers
A car inside a dashed circle on the Audi dashboard indicates a sensor malfunction. It is recommended to turn off the engine for 3 minutes and then restart it. If the car icon on the dashboard disappears, you can drive normally. If it does not disappear, the owner should take the vehicle to an authorized 4S dealership for inspection and repair. Taking the 2021 Audi A6L 45TFSI quattro Premium Elegance model as an example, this is a 4-door, 5-seater sedan with dimensions of 5038mm in length, 1886mm in width, and 1475mm in height. The vehicle is equipped with a 2.0T inline 4-cylinder turbocharged engine and a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, delivering a maximum power of 165kW and a maximum torque of 350Nm. It has a fuel tank capacity of 73 liters and a trunk capacity of 430 liters. The drivetrain is front-engine, four-wheel drive, and both front and rear suspensions use a five-link independent suspension system.
I've been driving an Audi for several years, and that dotted circle with a small car icon on the dashboard is definitely not a malfunction—it means the lane-keeping assist system is active. When you drift over the lane markings on the highway, it vibrates the steering wheel to alert you. If the system doesn’t detect clear lane markings, like on rainy days or in urban areas with faint road lines, this little icon lights up. I find this feature particularly thoughtful, especially during long drives when it’s easy to lose focus. The vibration snaps me right back to attention. You can adjust the sensitivity in the settings menu, and I’d recommend not turning it off completely—it really boosts safety.
A friend asked me why the Audi dashboard displays an icon of a car inside a dotted frame. It actually means the electronic assistance system is on standby. When the ACC adaptive cruise control is activated, the icon stays lit, indicating the vehicle is ready to take over lane control at any time. It's especially important to note that when driving above 80 km/h in rainy conditions, if the icon flashes, it means the camera is having difficulty recognizing the lane. In such cases, it's best to take control of the steering wheel yourself. I've noticed many people habitually turn off this feature, but simply lowering the sensitivity is enough—the lane departure prevention on highways is genuinely useful.