2018 Audi Q5 Electrical Problems

My 2018 Audi Q5 experienced significant water intrusion due to a failure of the panoramic sunroof drain system. Water entered the vehicle interior and traveled down into the electrical compartment, submerging the comfort module and damaging multiple wiring harnesses. This caused the vehicle to become inoperable and unable to start. Audi has issued Technical Service Bulletin 2075969/2 describing this exact defect. The bulletin states that the sunroof drain hoses can be kinked during factory installation of the headliner, which blocks drainage and causes water to enter the vehicle. This is a manufacturing defect affecting multiple model years of the Audi Q5. In my case, the water intrusion caused electrical failure, loss of vehicle function, and required thousands of dollars in repairs. Audi declined to cover the defect and stated the vehicle was not maintained on schedule, even though maintenance has no relationship to kinked or improperly routed sunroof drains. This defect poses a safety risk because water intrusion into electrical components can cause sudden vehicle failure, electrical shorts, corrosion, and loss of critical systems. The failure occurred without warning. I am reporting this because the issue appears to be widespread, documented by Audi, and has the potential to disable vehicles unexpectedly.

NHTSA ID

11751123

Incident

Jul 7, 2026

I wrote Audi to request escalation of an unresolved issue involving my 2018 Audi Q5, related to Safety Recall 90S9 (NHTSA Campaign 21V947000) for the gateway control module. Summary of the issue: My vehicle recently experienced a complete gateway control module failure due to water intrusion. I lost steering and brake assist warnings while driving, and the vehicle would not restart after being pulled over safely. It was towed first to the nearest Audi mechanic who diagnosed the issue as Recall 90S9. We then contacted Audi Memphis for inspection by them since it was a recall issues and paid a 2nd towing charge. Audi Memphis (owned by Gossett Motor Cars) said they could not do anything until they looked at the car. I have since obtained a copy of the original repair order from when Recall 90S9 was performed on my vehicle. The vehicle at the time of recall repair was owned by my Mother. The recall requires two remedies: (1) installation of a protective cover over the gateway control module, and (2) sealing of an underbody seam on vehicles produced before September 2021. The repair order shows a technician comment reading "INSF" next to the seam sealant line item, which indicates the sealant application was noted as insufficient at the time of the original recall service. Despite this documentation, and despite towing my vehicle in specifically for a 2nd inspection, Audi Memphis has stated they have no findings and no liability for the current failure. Given that: • My vehicle is included in the affected range for Recall 90S9, • The original repair order appears to document an incomplete or insufficient sealant application, and • Audi's own 90S9 technical bulletin states that damages resulting from improper repair or failure to follow the work instructions are the dealer's responsibility, I am requesting that this case be escalated for review. The current gateway control module repair be repaired at no cost to me. I currently have no working vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11750841

Incident

Jul 6, 2026

The dashboard displayed a solid red brake light with a flashing warning “stop vehicle safely” light. A professional diagnostic scan confirmed a permanent hard fault on the ABS control Module (J104) and Hydraulic Unit (N55). The vehicle has only 66,755 miles. Independent repair shops cannot service this unit because it requires highly restricted, specialized Audi factory programming and coding software, forcing consumers to face massive dealership replacement costs for a premature electronic failure ona critical safety system.

NHTSA ID

11744593

Incident

Jun 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine seized. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The contact replaced the battery. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, however the vehicle was not diagnosed. The independent mechanic attempted to start the vehicle, however the vehicle failed to start. The independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and noticed that the gateway control modular was moist. The contact was informed that the gateway control module had become moist because of the broken seal, the vehicle shut down. The contact stated that the contact's wife had spilled a liquid substance into the vehicle. In addition, the contact was provided pictures of the corrosion. The contact referenced an unknown recall which had a similar failure description, however the contact's VIN was not associated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. In addition, the contact was informed that the unknown recall only covered the seal. The contact was informed that the recall did not cover the replacement of the gateway control modular. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair of the corroded seal was covered under the recall. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000. VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11737237

Incident

Apr 29, 2026

Mileage

103,000 mi

The rear view camera is not operating when shifting to reverse. I can demonstrate this malfunction at any time to anyone. Driver is unable to detect short objects or small children directly behind the vehicle. The problem was confirmed by the dealer during a service visit. At that time, the service technician checked power and ground to the control unit and verified good. Attempted calibration for camera, vehicle would not calibrate. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other agencies. There were no warning messages, or lamps or any other symptoms prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11727995

Incident

Mar 31, 2025

Unpublished costly catastropic electrical failure Audi of America reviewed the case and declined assistance solely because the vehicle was already totaled and unavailable for dealer inspection. Audi did not dispute the presence of water intrusion, the technical findings, or the cause of failure. This failure occurred without warning under ordinary environmental conditions and resulted in sudden loss of vehicle function. I am submitting this complaint to document a potential defect related to the protection and placement of electronic systems vulnerable to water exposure. I am submitting this complaint to report a potential safety-related defect involving water intrusion and catastrophic electrical failure in a 2018 Audi S5. After a heavy rain event with no roadway flooding or submersion, my vehicle experienced complete electrical failure and would not start. Inspection revealed water intrusion into the trunk area where critical electronic components—including the battery and electronic control modules—are located. The damage was extensive and rendered the vehicle inoperable, resulting in a total loss determination. Attached documentation includes photographs, video evidence, and a technical inspection summary prepared by an independent automotive service facility and reviewed in consultation with Audi-trained technicians. The findings indicate water intrusion consistent with design vulnerability rather than misuse or lack of maintenance.

NHTSA ID

11706899

Incident

Nov 6, 2025

My car randomly rebooting while driving. The whole MMI goes down

NHTSA ID

11688674

Incident

Sep 20, 2025

BCM

NHTSA ID

11676529

Incident

Jun 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving 35-40 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pulled to the side of the road, and the vehicle was able to restart. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the body control module(BCM) was floating in water. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V947000 (Electrical System, Structure), and the additional repairs were at the contact's expense. The contact stated that the recall remedy was inadequate for the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA ID

11674315

Incident

Jul 15, 2025

Mileage

58,000 mi

A coil that is attached underneath the sunroof is attached to the BCM. There is not a drain plug at the end so there was 5 inches of water there and the BCM was made to sit in that spot. The electrical wires and BCM were burned out because of this. The BCM controls the entire system not limited to the start button and everything that runs the car. I have only had the vehicle less than 1 year and it costs 4000 dollars to fix. My car has been at the dealership since June 9th.

NHTSA ID

11670179

Incident

Jun 10, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while pulling into a business at an undisclosed speed, there was an unknown warning light illuminated, and the message "Left and Right Rear Signal and Center Rear Brake Light Malfunction" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the key warning light and engine malfunction warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that there was water intrusion into the rear cargo area of the vehicle, due to a clogged drain. The contact was informed that the drain tube needed to be cleaned, the module needed to be replaced, and the vehicle needed to be rewired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ID

11668943

Incident

Jun 13, 2025

Mileage

83,000 mi

My vehicle spontaneously began displaying emergency signals including engine malfunction, turn signal malfunction, parking brake malfunction, brake light malfunction. I would also turn the car completely off and brake lights would remain on asymetrically. Also, the related alert bells would go off intermittently. I have kept my car in good repair and on a regular maintanence schedule. I took the car first to my mechanic who evaluated and said I should take to the Audi dealership. After two days of diagnosis, they came back that the sunroof drains were clogged with debris which definitively caused water to enter and soak the "comfort module" After irrigating them, they did not find any damage and said they do not need replacement. However, the water soaked and heavily corroded the comfort module and say the entire module needs to be replaced along with a rebuild of the harness. They are quoting me $12,300. My safety was at risk in the malfunction of the engine system, and especially signalling capabilities and possible brake impact. The problem has been confirmed by two mechanics - mine and Audi I searched online and have discovered a number of other 2018 Audi Q5 owner accounts of the same and similar defect and result. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11666620

Incident

May 23, 2025

Turns out numerous complaints about water finding its way onto the computer comfort module. It is well known. Audi techs admitted it is due a bad design by Audi. There are no indications or warnings something is going wrong. Module gets fried and vehicle shuts off. Can't even shift or take out of Park. Insurances do not want to cover due it being water related. Audi does not want to repair due to no recall. They want approx $10,000.00 per occurrence when this happens. Definitely not fair to consumers to have to pay this or total their vehicles. My car only has 50k miles.

NHTSA ID

11662640

Incident

May 18, 2025

WATER SEEPED INTO COMFORT CONTROL MODULE VIA BLOCKED SUNROOF DRAIN HOSES AND DAMAGED ELECTRICAL. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME ISSUE REGADING THE GATEWAY CONTROL MODULE WHICH ALLOWS SHOPS TO ADD A PROTECTIVE COVER. THIS SAME RECALL NEEDS TO BE ON THE COMFORT CONTROL MODULE SINCE THE WAY THEY DESIGNED THE SUNROOF DRAINS ALLOWS FOR WATER TO SEEP INTO THE CC MODULE. THIS IS A RIDICULOUS DESIGN THAT REQUIRES A 11K DOLLAR REPAIR FOR CUSTOMERS.

NHTSA ID

11656663

Incident

Apr 14, 2025

Water intrusion from sunroof floods electronics modules and shorting out, making the car unoperable

NHTSA ID

11640013

Incident

Jan 31, 2025

2018 Audi Q5 comfort System Control Module is faulty due to corrosion from water and or humidity. No incidents have occurred with my vehicle that has less than 70k miles. I purchased the vehicle as a certified pre-owned with 7700 miles on the car. The dealership claims that outside forces have cause the module to corrode and that I am responsible for the 10k payment to replace and/or repair.

NHTSA ID

11639457

Incident

Jan 29, 2025

While driving, the steering wheel suddenly locked up and could not be turned. Several warning lights simultaneously appeared on the dashboard including: "Steering malfunction! Please stop vehicle", "Audi adaptive light malfunction! See owners manual", "Start/stop system malfunction! Function unavailable", and "Audi pre sense currently limited" - No warning lights were present prior to this event. The sudden loss of steering could have caused serious injury to myself and to other drivers or pedestrians nearby. I was thankfully able to stop the vehicle, but I could not pull over because the steering wheel could not be turned. The car was towed to the Audi dealership and I was told the "Electronic power steering rack" would need to be replaced costing nearly $5,000.00.

NHTSA ID

11632466

Incident

Dec 21, 2024

2018 Audi Q5 (2.0, 40K miles, excellent condition) experienced severe electronic failure, due to sunroof drainage lines depositing water into the rear side wells where sensitive electronics are housed, impacting all tail-lights, wipers, sensors, internal dashboard sensors, etc., rendering the car highly unsafe and undrivable. The issue is a design and manufacturer defect that has allowed rainwater to leak into the rear side compartments destroying sensitive electronics & wiring, from faulty/kinked drain lines in the sunroof (according to the Audi Technician from my local Audi store), rendering the vehicle undrivable. It was obvious, repeatable, and avoidable. Worse this issue was misdiagnosed by the same Audi store, causing extra parts & labor expenses that didn't solve anything. It took my AUDI store OVER a MONTH to diagnose the issue correctly. There were also significant investigative/diagnostic charges from my Audi Dealership. There were also significant repair expenses to replace all water-logged equipment, including the Electronics Control Unit (ECU). This should be a clear recall item.

NHTSA ID

11628196

Incident

Oct 24, 2024

The Audi Q5 sunroof drain that is intended to keep water out of the vehicle, leaked where water collected and pooled in the car beneath the car liner. The water collected on the "comfort module" and electrical fuse box resulting in immediate electrical failure of several vehicle features/systems including brake lights, turn signals, reverse lights, windshield wipers, etc. to name a few. In addition to repairs in excess of $10k, the vehicle will be totaled by the insurance company. After an exhaustive search, several Audi users of the same make, model and year have faced a similar issue. This issue must be addressed by Audi and should be reviewed immediately.

NHTSA ID

11627813

Incident

Nov 22, 2024

Roof drains clogged resulting in water filling the interior left rear wheelwell where ligting control modules are stored and are not waterproofed. Design defect allowing water incursion into an electrical connection system that is not waterproofed resulted in sudden and immediate multiple lighting system failure, road hazard.

NHTSA ID

11622405

Incident

Oct 28, 2024

The comfort control module in the trunk of the car was sitting in water due to an ingress of water coming in the car. The car would not start due to this water ingress and could have shut off completely on the freeway or while driving. This caused my car to completely shut off and malfunction. There were no warning lamps or messages of the problem. I found out about the problem by taking the car to the Audi dealership. They originally thought the problem was the gateway module which has already been recalled due to the same problem of an ingress of water. The Audi dealership has claimed that the ingress of water is from a clogged drain pipe in the sunroof. They said there is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening.

NHTSA ID

11614106

Incident

Aug 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the turn signals were inoperable. The contact pulled over and noticed that the rear lights including brake lights and turn signals were not operational. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause was diagnosed as a sunroof drain line leakage that caused electrical damage due to water build-up, which damaged the control module. The contact stated that the drain lines needed to be unclogged and the control module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was at the dealer awaiting the repairs. The contact was concerned that the Owner’s Manual did not guide sunroof maintenance to prevent the failure. The contact opened the rear hatch and found water accumulation under the mat. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11609505

Incident

Aug 12, 2024

Mileage

85,000 mi

Starter button does not work. use of emergency start only. Dealership says rain water running off car towards the back, gets into the wiring and causes massive damage. getting a bill of over $11,000 There are recalls on this for other Q5 years but not 2018.

NHTSA ID

11608185

Incident

Aug 8, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, upon reaching the destination, the contact became aware that the headlights would not turn off. After which, the vehicle failed to restart, and the vehicle was towed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V947000 (Electrical System, Structure); the VIN was included, but the vehicle had already been repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11607011

Incident

Aug 6, 2024

Car was left outside for two weeks while we were gone on a trip. When we returned and attempted to start the car numerous warning lights went off related to turn signals, tail lights, engine ignition, key recognition, etc. We were able to drive the car home but the turn signals and tail lights were malfunctioning and the engine would lose power unexpectedly. Upon researching on AudiWorld Forums I came to learn I should check to see if there was any moisture in certain areas, including the rear fuse box area at the rear of the car. I checked that location and found many inches of water in the fusebox!!! I learned that MANY, MANY people with q5s have had the same problem which is RAINWATER ENTERING THE VEHICLES ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DUE TO NON-OPERABLE SUNROOF DRAIN PORTS. Yes, I searched and found an unrelated recall 90s9 but the dealer said this was not the issue, the issue is non-operable sunroof drains and the repair cost is $8,000. Having no idea of the danger I was placing my family in by driving this vehicle while its electrical system was swamped with water, I feel a class action lawsuit should be brought against the company for damages for material, labor, as well as the risk of injury or death I placed my wife and I in by driving this vehicle under such unsafe conditions. I noted there was a suit settled for this issue with other models, but not the 2018 q5. [XXX] V Audi/Volkswagon [XXX] . The idea that someone should have to face death for leaving their car in the rain does not even pass the laugh test. Someone in Audi's risk management department needs to address this and make owners whole again. Please advise. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11603086

Incident

Jul 10, 2024