AUDI Complaints

My car sat overnight and the next afternoon I drove approx. 3 miles and got a warning to at the engine “coolant temperature too high: let engine run while vehicle is stationary”. I took the car to the local dealership who diagnosed it as “coolant migration” and quoted a repair cost of nearly $5200. The vehicle is 2022 with not even 26k miles and well maintained at the same dealership. I was informed it was a known issue but and they service manager would take the matter up with Audi corporate given the vehicle is 6 months out of warranty. That was all in Friday 8/10/26. Today, the service advisor called and told me it would be a goodwill repair and I would be responsible for 66% of the repair cost or roughly $3500. I am extremely unhappy and would like to pursue legal action

My 2018 Audi A5 Sportback previously received Audi Safety Recall 74E3 on January 27, 2023. The recall repair documentation indicates a seat POD (Passenger Occupant Detection System) update was performed. Several years later, the vehicle developed another passenger airbag fault. The vehicle displays a message indicating the front passenger airbag is OFF even when an occupant is seated in the front passenger seat. Audi diagnosed fault code B12251B, "Passive Occupant Detection System Mat Resistance Too High," and determined that the seat POD occupancy mat and wiring are defective and require replacement. Audi has refused to cover the repair because more than 12 months and 12,000 miles have passed since the recall repair. I am concerned that the passenger occupant detection system involved in the previous safety recall has failed again, resulting in the passenger airbag being disabled while the seat is occupied. I am requesting that NHTSA review whether the recall remedy adequately corrected this safety issue.

The contact owns a 2020 Audi A4. The contact stated that the emergency-call/communication system was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under TSB: 91-20-29; however, the software update was unsuccessful due to the module. The dealer informed the contact that the module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had not experienced a failure prior to the vehicle being taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000. The VIN was not available.

The high-voltage charging system has repeatedly malfunctioned. The vehicle intermittently displays a "Charging System Malfunction" warning and a message that only AC charging is possible, the charge-port indicator blinks green and then red, and the vehicle cannot be reliably charged. The vehicle and the affected charging components are available for inspection on request. Safety risk: because the vehicle cannot be dependably charged, it can be left without sufficient power to complete a trip, creating a risk of losing motive power and leaving the driver stranded, potentially on a roadway or in an unsafe location. The affected onboard charger is the subject of Audi Safety Recall 93FR (Onboard Charger with Integrated DC/DC-Converter) — a component the manufacturer has already identified as safety-related. As of 8/10/26, the fault has returned and I no longer consider the vehicle safe to rely on for normal driving. Reproduced and confirmed by a dealer: yes, on multiple occasions. On 06/03/2026 (~52,771 miles), Audi Tysons Corner recorded the "Charging System Malfunction / unable to charge / blinks green then red" complaint and performed a combined software update (ID.S 5.4.3, TSB 2080398). On 07/08/2026 (~54,673 miles), the same dealer recorded the "Charging System Malfunction / only AC charging possible" complaint, reported diagnostic fault P33E800 (charge socket / charge connector lock mechanical malfunction), and replaced the Connector Lock 1 Actuator (F498). The defect has since returned. Inspected by the manufacturer and others: the vehicle has been inspected and serviced only by Audi authorized dealers (Audi Tysons Corner and Audi Chantilly), including warranty and recall work, with diagnostic/GFF logs uploaded to Audi. On 10/13/2025 (~37,447 miles) Audi performed Safety Recall 93FR on the onboard charger, and the high-voltage charger was subsequently replaced under that recall. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. Repair invoices are avail

Component failed: The vehicle's structural front subframe assembly has suffered severe, catastrophic rust perforation and deterioration. Safety risk: The subframe holds the engine and front suspension. It is structurally compromised and at imminent risk of snapping or collapsing at highway speeds, which would cause a total loss of steering and vehicle control, risking a fatal high-speed crash. Dealer confirmation: An authorized Audi dealership inspected the vehicle on [Insert Date from 2 weeks ago] and explicitly determined that the vehicle is completely unsafe to drive. Availability: The vehicle and the failed component are currently held at the authorized Audi dealership and are fully available for federal inspection upon request. Symptoms: There were zero dashboard warning lights, messages, or symptoms prior to this discovery. The failure was only found because the dealership lifted the vehicle for a separate service. This hidden danger is due to factory-installed plastic underbody covers that trap moisture and road salt directly against the steel frame, concealing the severe rust perforation until the vehicle becomes an active hazard.

The electronic door locking system on my 2025 Audi S5 has repeatedly and unpredictably locked me inside the vehicle and, on separate occasions, locked me out of the vehicle, with no consistent trigger. The electronic central door locking system/mechanism (door latch actuators and associated locking control module) has malfunctioned, intermittently failing to unlock (trapping occupants inside) and failing to lock (locking me out). This matches a known issue reported in Audi TSB 2078793/4, affecting 2025-2026 A5, S5, Q5, and SQ5 models, and is also the subject of a filed class action lawsuit (Parikh v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-03288, C.D. Cal.) covering this exact vehicle and model year. Yes — a "Central Locking: Malfunction" warning message has appeared on the vehicle's display.

While driving my Audi Q6 e-tron on the highway, the vehicle experienced a sudden and complete loss of propulsion and nearly all vehicle electrical/display functions. The instrument cluster and dashboard went completely black, and the vehicle would no longer respond to accelerator input. I was able to get the vehicle to the side of the highway. After the failure, the vehicle could not be restarted or driven. The dashboard and vehicle controls remained inoperative, and I was unable to electronically lock the vehicle. The primary functions that continued to operate were the hazard warning lights and the SOS emergency-call button. An unusual additional symptom was that the steering wheel continued to vibrate intermittently/continuously for hours after the vehicle had become inoperative, indicating that at least some electrical systems remained powered despite the apparent shutdown of the vehicle. Because the vehicle lost propulsion and its primary displays and controls while traveling on a highway, I consider this a serious safety issue. There was no indication that the high-voltage traction battery was depleted. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Audi dealership. The dealership has not yet identified the cause of the failure and has escalated the diagnosis to a specialized Audi technician. I am submitting this complaint because a sudden and unexplained loss of propulsion, instrument displays, and vehicle control systems while driving could create a significant risk of a collision, particularly if it occurs at highway speed or in a location where the driver cannot safely move the vehicle out of traffic.

I purchased my 2018 Audi SQ5 on September 12, 2025, from Audi Denver (McDonald Automotive Group). On XXX, at 114,145 miles, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic engine failure while driving on the highway near [XXX], caused by defective rocker arm needle bearings in the 3.0T EA839 V6 engine. ?The early-design needle bearings disintegrated within the cylinder head, scattering loose metal roller bearings into the valvetrain and oiling system. This caused an immediate, complete loss of engine power and sudden engine lockup on a remote stretch of highway. ?This mechanical failure created a severe driving emergency. The sudden engine seizure stranded us on the shoulder, resulting in a total loss of propulsion, loss of vacuum assist for power braking, and potential loss of power steering—posing a severe risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding highway traffic. The vehicle required an initial tow off the highway in [XXX], followed by a second tow of nearly 200 miles back to [XXX]. ?Professional diagnostics confirmed complete engine destruction due to valvetrain failure, with repair estimates exceeding $20,000 for an engine replacement. Because the repair cost far exceeded the vehicle’s market value, I was forced to sell the vehicle for scrap/junk at a severe loss. ?Audi is aware of this EA839 rocker arm needle bearing defect and updated the part design in later production runs, yet has failed to issue a safety recall or warranty extension for this active driving hazard. I strongly urge NHTSA to open an investigation into early 2018 EA839 3.0T rocker arm failures. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On multiple occasions, the car states there is a steering malfunction and to stop the car immediately. Power steering fails. The last time I left the car to the dealership to have a recall serviced - it did this. I let the Audi (Fred Lavery Birmingham Michigan) know. They did not respond / did nothing. It has happens at least 10x at varying speeds (some high, med and low speed) since the day I left the dealership

On August 3, 2026, a 2008 Audi A6 was traveling on the George Washington Parkway in Virginia when the driver encountered a large tree branch in the roadway and swerved to avoid it. The vehicle struck a curb, became airborne, rolled, and went down an embankment before coming to rest. The driver was wearing a seat belt. The driver’s frontal airbag in the steering wheel deployed, but none of the side or curtain airbags deployed during the crash. Given the severity and multiple-impact sequence of the accident, I am reporting the non-deployment so NHTSA can evaluate whether the side and curtain airbag systems operated as designed. The vehicle sustained significant damage and was declared a total loss. It remains intact and available for inspection, and we have requested that it be preserved.The vehicle has been in the same family since it was purchased new in 2008, with two owners within the family. It had never been involved in an accident before this crash, and to our knowledge there had been no previous airbag deployments or repairs to the airbag or restraint systems. There were no airbag warning lights, messages, or other indications of a problem before the crash.Police responded to the accident, and the vehicle has been inspected by the insurance company. It has not yet been inspected by Audi or an independent engineer specifically regarding the side and curtain airbag non-deployment. I understand a rollover alone does not necessarily require these airbags to deploy. My concern is that the driver’s frontal airbag deployed during a serious, multiple-impact crash while the side and curtain airbags did not, and I would like the non-deployment evaluated while the vehicle remains available for inspection. NHTSA previously conducted a Special Crash Investigation involving side-airbag non-deployment in another 2008 Audi A6 (NHTSA Publication 813261). NHTSA determined that vehicle’s airbags operated as intended. I am referencing it because it involved the same model year