This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
-Car shut down (engine off, battery still functioning) while driving. Car went into neutral. -Lost power steering and other functions after about 20 seconds of the engine shutting down. -Immediate life-threatening danger while driving to us and surrounding drivers and pedestrians -no inspection or police report yet. -the car has not been driven since the incident and so the problem has not been reproduced yet. Upon inspection of the trunk area (2018 Audi Q5), we found about 4 inches of water. This has been attributed to clogged sunroof drains causing water to flow into the trunk and short out electrical components.
This was unintentional acceleration case: When I got into the parking space, the car was almost stopped and I was about to press the park button (gear) and the car suddenly accelerated and in a fraction of a second, climbed the curb, crashed into the fence, broke the fence and crushed on a tree. I was still applying brake to stop it and I could not do anything else. The following facts show that the acceleration was totally out of my control. 1.vehicle climbed the curb 2. and climbed the dirt part, shrubs 3. to hit the fence and broke it; It looked like something mall functioned. As a matter of fact, no safety feature worked and no sound signals went on ! Even vehicle's collision system did not kick in when car was climbing over the curb. Fortunately, I could get out of that car and my body was aching due to the seat belt and airbag explosion. (Driver side bag exploded for sure. I do not remember if the other side bag exploded.)
For months the car has smelled musty. Last week the electrical lights went on and warnings to not drive the car. Water was discovered in the wheel wells and the computer system appears to have been damaged by a leaky sunroof. On the car fax report it was noted that at 14, 608 miles the vehicle had it's sunroof "replaced/ repaired" with a seal removed and repaired according to an invoice record furnished to us by the dealer. The vehicle ran out of it's warranty in July of this year. We've heard that others have been having a similar, if not the same issue and the dealership has quoted up to $20K to repair. Clearly there has been a defect from day one at 14,000 miles. The car is never parked under trees.
The car was sitting in the driveway in the rain. I went out to get something out of it and the car was dead, but the back wiper was going, the rear lights were on and the driver side windows went down. I had it towed to the dealer and they told me water had gotten into the area in the back left wheel well where the comfort module is located. The dealer tried to say there was something wrong with the rear hatch but there isn-??t. I-??ve read account after account online of this exact issue happening to other owners and it caused by a defective sunroof drain. It drains right into the rear hatch with the module. They quoted $9000 for the repairs.
Rear Sunroof drain leak into major electronic components. 2018 Q5 with 61k miles after heavy rain started receiving all kind all errors including lights and ignition. Upon inspection Audi service has stated that HVAC control module has shorten (the area with the module in the left rear portion of the trunk filled with water), quoting repair of the module and insisting to replace sunroof drain hoses for total of $5k. Insurance has agreed to cover module replacement due to the flood of approx. $2,5k, however drain hoses and deducible with another $2,5k would not be covered and is on me. Mechanic in the Audi service several times noted that that this is common issue with Q5 and Q7s., I am so frustrated and do not understand how come the Audi car the owner shall be responsible for any cost of such if it is unclear: 1. How and why the water gets there through the closed sunroof in such amount to flood electrical equipment. Are all Audi sunroof seals so bad that they fail in 6 years? 2. I had serviced the car in the Audi for up to 60k, and no one ever cleaned the drains there or advised me of such (all is needed a small note for me)" Why did I pay extra to service car in the official dealerships" 3. How Audi could sell a vehicle with such design flaw, placing weak drainage hose through the electrical equipment compartment, considering they just had a class action lawsuit over sunroof leaking but on different models and model years.
- Staten Island, NY, USA
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My vehicle's drive side (front) door has an ongoing malfunction of the handle. The protective covering continues to fall off and I am concerned that it will fly off and injure someone. I've taken the vehicle to a certified Audi dealer (Ciocca Audi, State College, PA) on at least three occasions and they are unable to fix this problem. In fact, they state that it's a "known circumstance" with all Audi Q5s and perhaps other models and forwarded videos to me documenting the same issue on 2023/2024 models. They are unwilling to find a solution; thus I continue to drive an unsafe car. I am requesting an investigation and a safe solution.
Sunroof drain canals had a defect that caused water to leak in the back of the vehicle (from the C Pillars) and caused water to accumulate in the trunk - about 2 inches. Water damaged several electronic components, modules, and the battery causing the car to send multiple alerts to stop driving immediately. This seems to be a common issue but there are no official recalls or extended warranty from Audi.
As I was driving on the freeway on my way home from work, my car just started giving off warning signals That my brake lights were no longer working and my tail lights were no longer working. Which almost caused a serious accident Due to the car behind me not being able to tell that I was coming to a stop. When I got home I did a little research to see if I can see what the problem was and I come across multiple complaints online about a faulty hatch switch. I took my car into the dealer the next morning for service and the service provider told me that they will have to check my car and more than likely it is the hatch switch and they are aware of it. But Audi doesn't have a recall for something so deadly. faulty hatch switch That controls your brake lights and taillights It's a serious safety concern And should be addressed immediately, people can lose their lives all because of a faulty switch that audi is aware
My 2018 Q5 has experienced water intrusion due to the defective design of the sunroof/drainage system, causing water to leak into the trunk and rear left cavity where the ECM and battery are located. After several hours of rain, approx. 2 inches was collected in the location of the battery and was extremely dangerous.
On 8/8/2023 my vehicle was outside in the driveway of our home in Truro, MA. A large storm moved through the area with torrential rain and lightning. Once the rain let up I looked out the window to find all 4 windows down 4-6 inches, the rear hatch was opened with the rear wiper and high middle brake light on. When I ran outside to close the windows etc. I could not start the car the MMI did not come on and I could only get 3 of the windows up. I had to manually close the rear hatch. I put a tarp over the drivers side window that wouldn't close and had AAA come out. They assessed that it was not a battery issue bit an electrical module issue. I filed a claim with my Insurance and after waiting for the adjuster to look at the car I had AAA tow it to an Audi Dealership. They ran a diagnostic test on it and found water had caused the Comfort Module and associated wiring to fail. The estimate to fix the issues was is nearly $12,000. Because of the cost my insurance company is sending another adjuster out to inspect the issues at the dealership. There were no prior issues or symptoms before this issue took place.
In early July, 2023 various warning and fault lights began to show on the dashboard: engine start system, brake lights, start/stop system, and others - indicating malfunctions with systems important to safety. Also, the car alarm system sounded without cause and key pods would not lock/unlock the doors electronically. These warning lights proliferated over several days. We took our car into our local Audi dealership. They diagnosed the problem as follows: "Performed GFF and found code for 3393 comfort system control module replacement. Control module faulty due to control unit being submerged in water and fried the control unit. Water leak due to rear drains clogged causing the water to overflow. Performed/fixed the water leak, cleaned out the pools of water that have accumulated, replaced the control unit 3393 comfort system control module, performed control unit replacement test plan and program keys." The Audi Q5 is well known to have design/parts problems in the sunroof drainage system. As has occurred in thousands of other Q5s, those issues caused the rear cargo area to flood, frying an important electronic component and activating warning/fault lights for a range of other systems. Malfunctions in several of those systems could have caused critical safety issues. We are fortunate because we decided to take our Audi directly to the dealership service center. Repairs cost several thousand dollars.
My 2018 AUDI Q5 had the 5-year/50,000 mile factory recommended service in August 2022, the vehicle only hadwith 42,000 Miles and everything was perfect as it was the last year of the five year service extended contract. In July 2023 I was told the engine mounts needed to be replaced. Both mounts and vehicle has 53,000 miles. Basically mounts cannot the engine and transmission in place.This recommendation was done as part of the 60,000 mile recommended factory service based on my Google research. Many Audis have disorder failure which is which can be catastrophic because there are no warning lights for the engine mount failure when the car auto stops and starts it shakes. This has hung always been a standard, but annoying feature of the car, which cannot be turned off for emission purposes. Clearly the engine mounts cannot handle the auto start/stop of the vehicle. That-??s why it-??s failing for so many vehicles. It is frustrating given that the car is a $54,000 car and at 53,000 miles I run the risk of the engine falling on the ground, this information is widely available on the Internet easily accessible on Google. I ask that you please look into it. thank you for your time always. What is bizarre is that now when I accelerate hard, I can feel a little vibration of the engine before I didn-??t but that-??s something I cannot explain at the moment. The dealer that sold me the car brand new is the only dealership that has ever touched my car, and my car was always serviced as recommended once a year
Jan. 2023 my coolant pump had blockage which caused the coolant hose to break and discharge coolant all over my engine and overheat. I have the repair receipt from Audi Dealer and requested a copy of the inspection report from them. Pictures also attached. I also have my car at the Audi dealer as we speak due to a week later the car would not accelerate properly with a Drive System Malfunction error light, which is now the Turbo Charger needing replacement. Towed to Audi Dealer on 2.7.2023 and waiting for Turbo Charger delivery, currently on back-order. These are not normal wear and tear items on a vehicle with 53,000 miles.
Hello, My Q5 top view(360) camera. The MMI wont be able to save my settings - when it is changed from Graphic to Camera. It always goes back to default as Graphic. I need to adjust almost every time when I park the car. It is distracting and safety conerning. This issue came with the car since it was bulit. And this is the common issue across the MY18 for Audi products. Audi dealer needs to charge me to fix the issue, due to the car is out of warrenty. But this is not caused by wear and tear. Thanks,
Our 2018 Audi SOS signaling device was built on 3G. Audi now tells us it is no longer available and will not fix the problem. For the record 3G was introduced in 2001 and 4G in 2009. Why did Audi use 3G in my 2018 model? Was it was some executive who made the choice because I can-??t fathom an engineer choosing 4G over 3G. This is the message we are receiving from Audi USA. https://www.audiusa.com/us/web/en/inside-audi/innovation/audi-connect/layer/legal/3g-downturn-faq.html...The following Audi connect services will no longer be available following AT&T-??s 3G turndown: Audi connect CARE-??s SOS and emergency call feature, online roadside assistance, Audi Service Request, and Audi incident assistance, remote lock and unlock, vehicle status report, and stolen vehicle locator...
As I was driving down the freeway, I heard a loud boom/explosion sound. I was instantly covered in glass, as my sunroof had exploded. I was not driving under an overpass, and there was no truck throwing rocks around me. Upon inspection, the remaining glass around the hole in the sunroof was pointed upward, showing that the glass exploded up, rather than something breaking down into the sunroof. I am very lucky that I was able to keep my car on the road and not cause an accident, as the sheer loudness of the explosion, and the glass falling all over me were huge safety risks. There have been zero warnings/symptoms with the sunroof prior to this incident, and I had the fabric cover opened, as I did not know that this could happen, which allowed the glass to fall all over me as I was driving on the freeway.
There is a module under the back seat called the J533 that I am told got wet. This completely shut down the entire car as my wife and child were driving down the highway. We were very disheartened to find out that this is an out of pocket expense for a common thing to happen in the back of an SUV. After searching online, I came across this link, which is an identical account: https://www.audiworld.com/forums/q5-sq5-mkii-discussion-218/control-module-ruined-moisture-corrosion-3001605/ I'll highlight one area in this link thread, as it most strongly relates to your questions above: "Audi (VOA) faces considerable legal exposure for any injury caused by a liquid finding its way into a component that poses such a high risk of harm if the module fails.. which evidently it does via corrosion following moisture intrusion of some sort. This is particularly the case given the absence of any mention or warning in the manual about avoiding spillage, and more pertinent to liability, Audi-??s failure to anticipate the considerable risk of harm stemming from a readily foreseeable occurrence, ie, spillage. To frame it in more stark terms, no one reasonably expects to face a death ride when they spill their soda."
I was about to get on the freeway when my car's electrical system failed and I got several warning lights. The braking/stop start system, lights and a few other lit up. I pulled off the road and had it towed. The dealership said water (rain) got in through my sunroof and shorted my system (warranty won't cover). There are several class action suits re. This issue already and Audi knows about it, but there's no recall and cars have stopped suddenly on the freeway. It's very dangerous.
I've had several issues with my vehicle when backing up and the presence going off without a reason. When backing up on several occasions, the sensors will beep and bring the vehicle to grinding stop. When I check the area, there are no vehicles, person, or objects in the path of the vehicle. Recently, when driving on the highway, the pre sense went off when no vehicles were around and slowed the vehicle down at a rapid rate. Twice when driving, the pre sense will activate and bring the vehicle to a complete stop when there are no vehicles in front, behind, or beside me.
This is not an urgent safety issue, but just a dumb decision that should be rectified. It is also limited to drivers utilizing hitch or other rear-attachments. There are certain situations where the parking sensors can be told to stop beeping, but that action also disables the backup camera, which is needed. There is no mechanism to turn off the beeping and keep the backup camera on. Service centers have confirmed this. The main scenario where this is a problem is where there is something connected to a hitch, such as a bike rack that may cause the car to think that there's an object dangerously close to the vehicle. These backup sensors are unable to distinguish between a hitch-based mount (without power connected) and something that is legitimately too close while reversing. When power is connected, such as with an actual trailer to supply power to brake lights, the owner's manual states that the backup warnings will be disabled automatically. But when something like a hitch-based bike rack is attached that doesn't need power, the warning alarm sounds continuously while backing up. This is annoying, and for passengers in the back is actually extremely loud. Turning off the alarm disables the camera as well, which is....less than ideal at least. The desired mode should be to turn off the alarm while keeping the backup camera active during the entire reversing process. The beeping will stop automatically once the vehicle starts moving forward faster than something like 6mph. However, when the vehicle slows down again, it may start a continuous tone alarm again due to this hitch attachment. Please help Audi realize that disabling the camera is inappropriate.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston, TX, USA