Waggin

It seems to have a brake symbol on it.. I searched through the owner's manual and found this gem on page 96:

"Parking lock emergency release.
The parking lock must be released with the emergency release when driving through mountains / maneuvering."

Uh, what? I have to plug this lever into the bottom of the cupholder and turn it whenever I drive in mountains? This makes absolutely no sense at all..

So, after some research, I think the lever is used to force the transmission out of park (Audi calls this a Parking Lock) if it's stuck.
If a car is put in park on a slope, and allowed to roll back or forward against the lock, it can take more force than normal to release it. When this happens in a car with a mechanical park linkage, you can just force it out of park by moving the lever, and you're usually rewarded with a big clunk and a lurch as the tension is released.

In this car, with electronic park actuation, there's a solenoid or motor that engages/releases the parking lock, but if the lock is under too much tension due to the slope loading, the solenoid may not have the strength to release it.
So, you have to resort to mechanical means by using the lever to release it.

I suppose the manual could say something like "If the vehicle gets stuck in park after parking on a slope, use this procedure to release it."

N8!

which body style do you have?

emacS5

He's kind of pear-shaped.

lol j/k

garlicdoc

nice... ba dum bum

farmerjones

I don't think you really are understanding the concept as intended..... It's designed to allow the shifter to be take out of park when the battery has died since there is the electrical foot brake/shift lock override interaction. Every modern car has some sort of "shift lock override" to allow the car to be pushed or towed in an emergency if the batter goes dead (or the parking brake/shifter interlock has some sort of malfunction). Example might be after an accident when the car looses power and needs pushed out of the way, or when the battery goes dead in your garage parked against the wall where another car can't be used to jump start it unless the car was rolled out of the garage into your drive. It's just a way to make sure the car can be put into Neutral at any time, despite electrical problems or no power at all.

Waggin

Sportback (the car

Waggin

I agree, I can see it for any failure to electrically disengage park.. I came to my conclusion trying to explain Audi's reference to mountains in the manual..

farmerjones

Someone at Audi was drinking a little to much that day....what the heck do mountains have to do with this!?!? I can see why you were confused!

lowjdml

"Mountains" is probably a poor translation for "slope"

whynotme

Where in the trunk is this red tool supposed to be? I bought this car used and I must not have one.

Edit, I didn't realize this wasn't the A6 forum. Sorry.