2025 Audi Q5 Problems

Brake Electronics Control Unit Failure (DTC U041800): Logged active diagnostic code U041800 (implausible signal in address 812C). Dealership records confirm no permanent remedy exists, with software patches delayed into Q3 2026, leaving active braking and electronic system faults unaddressed. Electrical Grid Collapse & Parasitic Battery Drain: Vehicle experienced exterior lights activating independently during sleep mode and cyclical 300mA to 2.0A parasitic draws. Required warranty replacement of the Central Electrical Control Module (J519), Low Voltage Power Distributor Module (J1282), and primary 12V battery (RO #AUCS214055). Powertrain & Transmission Engagement Failures: Experienced Check Engine Light cycling and a total failure to engage "Park" for 20 minutes. Scanned hard factory codes P187C00 (gear actuator 3 failure), P086900, and P270800, requiring ten consecutive distance sensor calibrations. Adaptive Cruise Control & Restraints Malfunctions: ACC fails to engage due to false occupant-detection logic errors, triggering phantom rear-seat belt warnings while driving solo and throwing error messages that compromise restraint safety architecture. Liftgate Architectural Failures: Rear trunk lid fails to open or latch fully due to software conflicts with the mobile key platform, causing the control unit to lose its calibrated position.

On XXX at approximately 5:00 PM, my 2025 Audi Q5 (VIN: [XXX]) initiated an unprovoked forward collision warning and emergency braking intervention while I was traveling at approximately 57–58 mph on [XXX]. Road conditions were clear and dry. Weather was sunny. Adaptive Cruise Control was not activated. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle. A vehicle was making a lawful turn onto the roadway from a T-intersection. There was substantial distance between my vehicle and the turning vehicle. No collision risk existed and no evasive action was required. Despite this, the vehicle's forward collision system overrode my control and initiated emergency braking without cause. As a result of the sudden braking and the force of the seatbelt restraint during the event, I sustained abdominal pain and lower back pain that began immediately following the incident and persisted thereafter. This incident did not occur in isolation. Prior to this event, the vehicle had already exhibited a documented pattern of electronic and driver assistance system malfunctions, including intermittent check engine warnings, repeated false-positive driver assistance alerts, power liftgate malfunctions, sunroof malfunctions, and additional electronic irregularities. All of these concerns were reported to Audi Albany prior to the emergency braking event. Following a service visit, I was told nothing further could be done. The vehicle is currently at Audi Albany undergoing inspection at the request of Audi of America, including a review of the Event Data Recorder. I am filing this complaint to ensure the incident is part of the federal safety record. A driver assistance system that initiates emergency braking at highway speed without a valid hazard present, on a vehicle with a prior history of false-positive alerts, represents a safety defect that I believe warrants federal documentation and review. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Brake Electronics Control Unit Failure (DTC U041800): Logged active diagnostic code U041800 (implausible signal in address 812C). Dealership records confirm no permanent remedy exists, with software patches delayed into Q3 2026, leaving active braking and electronic system faults unaddressed. Electrical Grid Collapse & Parasitic Battery Drain: Vehicle experienced exterior lights activating independently during sleep mode and cyclical 300mA to 2.0A parasitic draws. Required warranty replacement of the Central Electrical Control Module (J519), Low Voltage Power Distributor Module (J1282), and primary 12V battery (RO #AUCS214055). Powertrain & Transmission Engagement Failures: Experienced Check Engine Light cycling and a total failure to engage "Park" for 20 minutes. Scanned hard factory codes P187C00 (gear actuator 3 failure), P086900, and P270800, requiring ten consecutive distance sensor calibrations. Adaptive Cruise Control & Restraints Malfunctions: ACC fails to engage due to false occupant-detection logic errors, triggering phantom rear-seat belt warnings while driving solo and throwing error messages that compromise restraint safety architecture. Liftgate Architectural Failures: Rear trunk lid fails to open or latch fully due to software conflicts with the mobile key platform, causing the control unit to lose its calibrated position.

On XXX at approximately 5:00 PM, my 2025 Audi Q5 (VIN: [XXX]) initiated an unprovoked forward collision warning and emergency braking intervention while I was traveling at approximately 57–58 mph on [XXX]. Road conditions were clear and dry. Weather was sunny. Adaptive Cruise Control was not activated. I was the sole occupant of the vehicle. A vehicle was making a lawful turn onto the roadway from a T-intersection. There was substantial distance between my vehicle and the turning vehicle. No collision risk existed and no evasive action was required. Despite this, the vehicle's forward collision system overrode my control and initiated emergency braking without cause. As a result of the sudden braking and the force of the seatbelt restraint during the event, I sustained abdominal pain and lower back pain that began immediately following the incident and persisted thereafter. This incident did not occur in isolation. Prior to this event, the vehicle had already exhibited a documented pattern of electronic and driver assistance system malfunctions, including intermittent check engine warnings, repeated false-positive driver assistance alerts, power liftgate malfunctions, sunroof malfunctions, and additional electronic irregularities. All of these concerns were reported to Audi Albany prior to the emergency braking event. Following a service visit, I was told nothing further could be done. The vehicle is currently at Audi Albany undergoing inspection at the request of Audi of America, including a review of the Event Data Recorder. I am filing this complaint to ensure the incident is part of the federal safety record. A driver assistance system that initiates emergency braking at highway speed without a valid hazard present, on a vehicle with a prior history of false-positive alerts, represents a safety defect that I believe warrants federal documentation and review. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Brake Electronics Control Unit Failure (DTC U041800): Logged active diagnostic code U041800 (implausible signal in address 812C). Dealership records confirm no permanent remedy exists, with software patches delayed into Q3 2026, leaving active braking and electronic system faults unaddressed. Electrical Grid Collapse & Parasitic Battery Drain: Vehicle experienced exterior lights activating independently during sleep mode and cyclical 300mA to 2.0A parasitic draws. Required warranty replacement of the Central Electrical Control Module (J519), Low Voltage Power Distributor Module (J1282), and primary 12V battery (RO #AUCS214055). Powertrain & Transmission Engagement Failures: Experienced Check Engine Light cycling and a total failure to engage "Park" for 20 minutes. Scanned hard factory codes P187C00 (gear actuator 3 failure), P086900, and P270800, requiring ten consecutive distance sensor calibrations. Adaptive Cruise Control & Restraints Malfunctions: ACC fails to engage due to false occupant-detection logic errors, triggering phantom rear-seat belt warnings while driving solo and throwing error messages that compromise restraint safety architecture. Liftgate Architectural Failures: Rear trunk lid fails to open or latch fully due to software conflicts with the mobile key platform, causing the control unit to lose its calibrated position.

Mileage at time of incident: Approximately 4,000 miles Date of incident: XXX Location: [XXX] Incident description: My vehicle was in neutral while going through an automatic car wash, as instructed. When the exit signal indicated it was clear to proceed, with my foot on the brake, I shifted into drive. The vehicle accelerated on its own, without corresponding accelerator pedal input, and struck the building adjacent to the car wash. The vehicle did not exit the building on its own, so I shifted into reverse. The vehicle again accelerated on its own and struck a structural beam. I applied continuous pressure to the brake pedal throughout the incident. The vehicle did not respond immediately, but the brakes eventually engaged and brought the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle's rear obstacle-detection and automatic braking sensors, which normally engage under similar low-speed reversing conditions, did not activate at any point during this incident. The airbags also did not deploy after the vehicle struck the building. Video footage of the incident shows the vehicle moving at low speed with no visible braking response until the vehicle came to a stop. Police and fire department personnel responded to the scene. No injuries were reported. Property damage occurred to a vinyl fence, an adjacent building, and an interior wall of a business inside that building. I requested that the vehicle's Event Data Recorder (EDR) be reviewed by the dealership/manufacturer prior to any repairs, to determine throttle position, brake switch status, and sensor activity at the time of the incident. As of this report, Audi sent an engineer to inspect the vehicle on XXX and has since provided me with a rental car. I am still awaiting the results of that inspection. Components involved: Engine/motor, electronic throttle control, service brakes, parking assist/sensors, forward collision/automatic braking system I am filing this report because I was genuinely afraid for my safety INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (

See attached document for complaint.

I purchased a new 2025 Audi Q5 Sportback on 4/13/2026. I brought my car home that day and then had to go to the hospital for surgery so didn't drive my car for two weeks. I get in my car after a couple of weeks and the engine light came on and didn't come off I took it into Audi on May 7th. Audi said I could pick up my car on Monday May 11th and said the car battery was charged and I should be good. I brought my car home and then didn't drive it again for a week. I got in my car again and the engine light came on again. I called Audi on the Thursday before Memorial day and was told I needed to bring this back in. I took it in on Tuesday, and was told this code is a known issue and Audi is putting a fix in place to update the modules. They provided me the attached from Audi. If this is a known issue, I feel this should have been provided to me about this before buying the car. I was also told to continue to drive the car and with the light on. How dangerous is that to drive a car with the engine light and ignore it. If something is seriously wrong, I won't know cause I am told to ignore. I would like to know how to return this car as a lemon has this was a known issue and they don't know when the fix will be in place. I am asking for assistance on how to proceed with Audi. I have read several reviews on line with others that have experienced the same issues over a year ago. Thank you !

Mileage at time of incident: Approximately 4,000 miles Date of incident: XXX Location: [XXX] Incident description: My vehicle was in neutral while going through an automatic car wash, as instructed. When the exit signal indicated it was clear to proceed, with my foot on the brake, I shifted into drive. The vehicle accelerated on its own, without corresponding accelerator pedal input, and struck the building adjacent to the car wash. The vehicle did not exit the building on its own, so I shifted into reverse. The vehicle again accelerated on its own and struck a structural beam. I applied continuous pressure to the brake pedal throughout the incident. The vehicle did not respond immediately, but the brakes eventually engaged and brought the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle's rear obstacle-detection and automatic braking sensors, which normally engage under similar low-speed reversing conditions, did not activate at any point during this incident. The airbags also did not deploy after the vehicle struck the building. Video footage of the incident shows the vehicle moving at low speed with no visible braking response until the vehicle came to a stop. Police and fire department personnel responded to the scene. No injuries were reported. Property damage occurred to a vinyl fence, an adjacent building, and an interior wall of a business inside that building. I requested that the vehicle's Event Data Recorder (EDR) be reviewed by the dealership/manufacturer prior to any repairs, to determine throttle position, brake switch status, and sensor activity at the time of the incident. As of this report, Audi sent an engineer to inspect the vehicle on XXX and has since provided me with a rental car. I am still awaiting the results of that inspection. Components involved: Engine/motor, electronic throttle control, service brakes, parking assist/sensors, forward collision/automatic braking system I am filing this report because I was genuinely afraid for my safety INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (

The airbag light and the driving assistance warning lights appeared on the dashboard randomly one day. I took the vehicle to the dealership (Audi of Columbia), where they kept it for a week and said the software needed to be updated. They updated it multiple times, but the car would not complete the update until the last attempt. When I picked up the car, they reported that several other 2025 Q5 (new model) vehicles were being brought in for the same issue. When I picked up the car, there were no warning lights on the dashboard. Approximately 1-2 weeks later, the same warning lights appeared on the dashboard again. I brought it to the dealership again, where they recalibrated the systems, disconnected the battery, and then cleared the fault code. That cleared the warning lights, and they planned to drop off my vehicle the next business day. While they were driving to drop off the vehicle, the warning lights came back on, so they returned it to the dealership. They have replaced the airbag control module without resolution. They have been working on my vehicle for >1 month to resolve the airbag issue.

•XXX: Purchased new 2025 Audi Q5. •XXX Dashboard displayed "Check Tire Pressure" warning for all tires. •XXX: Service at Audi Marin - Reported hatch malfunction, tire pressure concerns, and repeated rollback after brake release during service visit. •XXX: Vehicle displayed "P Not Possible. Risk of Rolling Away" warning. Vehicle could not be placed into PARK, required roadside assistance (never showed after 2-hour wait), and could not be safely secured. •XXX: While stopped at a traffic light, both front seat belts tightened aggressively without warning. Passenger was a [XXX] child. •Late XXX: Collision avoidance/emergency braking warnings continued. Vehicle remained in use while awaiting loaner car availability. •XXX Oil service reminder displayed at approximately 5,000 miles. Electronic issues continue. Additional warning lights appeared. Despite multiple service visits, the vehicle continues to experience unresolved safety-related and electronic malfunctions. I have been without the vehicle since XXXdriving a loaner. Dealership reported there is a pending service solution that will be released in the 3rd quarter (maybe September). That is 2 months away - unacceptable- car is unsafe to drive. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The seat belts are sometimes locked when they should not be. I understand that the seat belts are designed to lock when the vehicle stops quickly, preventing the driver from leaning forward. However, sometimes my seat belts are locked while I am driving and have not made a fast stop. For example, several times the seat belts have been locked when I get to a drive up window or kiosk, and I cannot lean forward to get a parking lot ticket or interact with the kiosk. The seatbelts have also been locked when I am stopped at an intersection. The locked seat belts prevent me from leaning forward to look for vehicles at the intersection or to see around my passenger. I have to pull on the seatbelt a few times and release to get the belt to unlock and let me lean forward.

Check engine light is on almost constantly on my car. It might turn off and stay that way for a couple of days, but always comes on again. Dealership had made two attempts to "fix" it by just clearing the faults. However, according to the service department the reason why check engine light came on was "faults for loss of communication to powertrain electronics and brake electronics" which i think is a real safety concern. After my last trip to the dealership the check engine light came on after just two days of normal driving. There was also a situation when i was unable to shift to park with the risk of rolling along with some other error messages on the dash. I was unable to lock the vehicle because of that and of course there was a risk of it rolling.

After the automatic start/stop system engages, the engine stalls and completely shuts off shortly after the vehicle begins moving again. This occurs after the vehicle restarts and travels only a few feet. When the stall happens, the vehicle loses power and the engine stops functioning while the car is in traffic. This has occurred two separate times: once on a busy highway and once while entering a roundabout. Both incidents created a dangerous situation where the vehicle could not maintain power in active traffic and could have resulted in a crash. A yellow emissions warning light also appeared on the dashboard. The dealer indicated that an intermittent oil pressure sensor code was present but no parts were replaced and no corrective action was taken. The dealer reset the system and stated they could not reproduce the problem. The vehicle is now being returned to me without repair despite the safety risk. An engine stall immediately after the start/stop system restarts the vehicle creates a serious hazard because the vehicle can lose power in the middle of traffic. I believe this issue may be related to the automatic start/stop system or an oil pressure sensor fault affecting engine operation.

The windshield wipers in the vehicle do not turn on automatically until the vehicle is in drive and moving forward. If I want to see in the rain so that I can leave a parking spot, I have to use the windshield wiper control lever to manually wipe the windshield. It only wipes once when the lever is depressed. This is inadequate in heavy rain. The wipers do not go on when parked even when the wiper lever has them on. I thought my wipers were working incorrectly, but when I took it in for service, the manufacturer told that is how they are designed. It is unsafe for the windshield wipers to stop when the car is parked. Drivers need the rain wiped away before driving, not just after. In addition, the wipers do not actuate when driving in reverse, such as when backing out of a parking spot.

The contact owns a 2025 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the panoramic sunroof glass exploded without impact. The contact pulled over at a pit stop to inspect the vehicle. Despite the failure, the contact resumed normal driving with shards of glass falling from the sunroof. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired and remained with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

After the automatic start/stop system engages, the engine stalls and completely shuts off shortly after the vehicle begins moving again. This occurs after the vehicle restarts and travels only a few feet. When the stall happens, the vehicle loses power and the engine stops functioning while the car is in traffic. This has occurred two separate times: once on a busy highway and once while entering a roundabout. Both incidents created a dangerous situation where the vehicle could not maintain power in active traffic and could have resulted in a crash. A yellow emissions warning light also appeared on the dashboard. The dealer indicated that an intermittent oil pressure sensor code was present but no parts were replaced and no corrective action was taken. The dealer reset the system and stated they could not reproduce the problem. The vehicle is now being returned to me without repair despite the safety risk. An engine stall immediately after the start/stop system restarts the vehicle creates a serious hazard because the vehicle can lose power in the middle of traffic. I believe this issue may be related to the automatic start/stop system or an oil pressure sensor fault affecting engine operation.

When attempting to accelerate rapidly (I.e. passing gear) the engine immediately begins to lose power. Audi dealer investigated and determined it was “TURBO LAG”. This situation happened multiple times at different speeds. When trying to accelerate to pass another vehicle or to merge onto a freeway are the scariest and most dangerous instances. Taking your foot off the accelerator does allow the engine to regain speed. The salesman that we had experienced this on a test ride with me. In reading previous turbo problems with Audi/ Volkswagen vehicles, I’m concerned that this may become a safety issue. This also occurred with the loaner vehicle they gave me which was the same year and model.

See attached document for complaint.