2020 Audi Q7

COMPONENT: 48V mild-hybrid electrical system — engine ground connections, Belt Starter Generator circuit, and 48V lithium battery. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request; the 48V battery dealer now call failed has not yet been replaced. SAFETY RISK: On 8/1/2026, the vehicle suffered sudden, complete electrical failure while in motion immediately after exiting I-75 in Bradenton, FL, with my family aboard, including a child. The cluster displayed “Electrical system: malfunction! Safely stop vehicle” (red), then total power loss. I coasted into a parking lot; had this occurred minutes earlier at 70 mph in interstate traffic, a stall with degraded accessories would have been unavoidable. The vehicle would not restart until the system cooled. Risk is ongoing: faults now recur almost daily. CONFIRMED BY DEALER: Yes. Audi Sarasota (RO AUCS126809) diagnosed both main engine ground connections left loose after a 2/2026 engine replacement by an authorized Audi dealer — DTC U350100, Control Module Input Power “A” Circuit Low. A prior dealer had misdiagnosed it as a faulty 12V battery and returned the car unrepaired; it failed on the interstate 16 days later. In 10/2026 another dealer confirmed continuing failure (DTC P0A9400, DC/DC Converter Performance) and states the 48V battery is now failed, quoting $3,700 — probable consequential damage from the prolonged ground fault. OTHER INSPECTIONS: Three authorized Audi dealers; events also logged in Audi’s connected-vehicle telematics (manufacturer-accessible). Audi of America case 07647729 is open. PRIOR WARNINGS: Yes. Intermittent “Electrical system: malfunction” warnings began ~7/2026, escalating over weeks to persistent warnings and A/C loss (48V-powered) on 7/30/2026, two days before the failure. The same failure mode matches the BSG defect in the Steinhardt v. Volkswagen settlement

NHTSA ID

11773489

Incident

Aug 1, 2026

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11766131

Incident

Aug 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly lost motive power and the brakes engaged without warning, causing the vehicle to rear-end another vehicle in front. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact sustained injuries to the lower back, neck, and head. Medical attention was provided. The contact received continued treatment for whiplash, migraine headaches, and chiropractic treatments. A Police report was filed, but the information was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

NHTSA ID

11764109

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

Mileage

73,000 mi

Dashboard leather is bubbling, separating, and delaminating near the center windshield vents. This is a known manufacturing defect, Audi has issued a warranty extension (bulletin AWA-23-11) for this identical issue on the Q8, e-tron quattro, and R8 models, but not the Q7, despite the dashboard part number (4M8857001S33A) being identical across the Q7 and Q8. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting multiple Audi models sharing this dashboard component

NHTSA ID

11752459

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

the first indication of an issue was oil consumption. It was using more oil than usual around the 70K mile mark. Then it started misfiring, and soon after a knocking noise coming from the engine. There are no check engine light on, after bringing it in for diagnostics, it read that it was a spark plug, once they got into the engine they discovered the cylinder had been stripped from the piston. Yes the diagnostics came from our foreign car mechanic. no, it has not been inspected by the manufacturer or police. Just the symptoms. sometimes the light would come on, and then it would go off. At this point it is off. All of this started in the fall of 2025.

NHTSA ID

11737769

Incident

May 1, 2026

While my vehicle was in for the Audi piston issue, they stated my water pump needed to be replaced and isn’t covered by a recall (yet). My vehicle had less than 42,000 mile on it. I was lead to believe that this problem is coming up more often and they believe a class action lawsuit will come about. I needed to pay over $1,700 out of pocket and was told I was saving so much money because they already had the engine apart because of the piston recall. This is unacceptable.

NHTSA ID

11737715

Incident

Apr 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the water pump, coolant pump, vacuum line, and vacuum reservoir were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11724096

Incident

Feb 24, 2026

Mileage

70,000 mi

I discovered this item while researching another issue. There was a class action law suit against VW/Audi for the Water Pump and coolant leaking into the system. The class action covered the year and model for my Audi (2020 Q7) but my VIN was not included. The class action ended in 2024. On 8/4/25, My water pump went out because of coolant going into system. A $6,000 repair. I brought the issue up with Audi. No response.

NHTSA ID

11720200

Incident

Aug 4, 2025

This bulletin provides informaiton on the use of the PICO-NVH tool (VAS 611 015).

This bulletin provides information when the DTC P0C2A00 or U028700 is stored regarding the auxiliary hydraulic pump.

This bulletin provides information when the air spring symbol is illuminated; DTC U112100 or C1260F0.

This bulletin provides information regarding the current top concerns being addressed by the Audi Digital Business Solutions (DBS) team.

This bulletin proides service information when there is a prompt to take over the steering wheel (hands off detection).

This bulletin provides information when the starter battery is discharged or malfunctioning.