general problems of the 2018 Audi Q5 - part 1

The vehicle stalls and does not move forward while I was driving it stalled. I had to allow it to roll freely out of traffic.

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.

Gateway control module on engine coolant system.

I have owned the car for 2 years, purchased a 2018 Q5 from an Audi dealer. Within the first year, my thermostat failed causing the car to lose power and turn off while driving with my newborn baby. I also received the passenger airbag alert daily, which I did see there was a recall for this prior to buying the car. I also received the “add a quart of oil” message about 3 months after an oil change. I would like this car to be reviewed for excessive oil consumption. At the times of these messages no oil leak was found. Now, my car went in for an oil change and an oil and transmission oil leak has been found. Within 2 years of owning a car that has had regular maintenance, I have spent over $6,000 on service and repairs, which is unusual. I need help.

Kinked rear sunroof drains causing water to enter vehicle at trunk seres where water was found having entered into the comfort module. The car key fob was not responding me the fault codes for the module were cycling rendering the car in drivable. I have reported this before but wanted to include the proper updated invoice from Audi atl. The previous invoice didn’t state the problem.

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.

Panaramic sunroof drains failed allowing water to egress into wheel well trunk side containers and spare tire areas. Water encompassed the comfort control module and left the electronics cycling through electronic error codes leaving the car unable to drive. The car was unable to recognize the key fob and the warning codes were flashing and cycling. Failure of the panaramic sunroof drains.

The engine mounts on my car began to fail around the 55k, this causes the engine to shift while driving which can not only permanently damage the engine but also cause the car to malfunction and could cause a serious accident. This definitely puts the safety of myself as the driver and others on the road at risk. The problem has been confirmed by an independent service center, and there are many other Audis with the 2. 0 engine that have this same issue ranging as low as 25k miles that I have seen. No warnings or messages, car had began shaking when pressing on accelerator and when shifted in to reverse and braking, making it unstable on the road.

-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. ).

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.

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 of.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Two issues. My temperature housing unit is leaking coolant. This car has very low mileage and is barely driven so it is very strange that this part is already defective. Seems the original integrity of the part may not have been good. Second, my Audi pre sense comes on while the car is driving and brings the car to a screaming halt as is there is something in the cars path. The problem is there is nothing in the cars path when this feature kicks in . It’s quite dangerous as this has happened to me while driving on busy roads .

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. . Read more...

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. . Read more...

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.

I was driving 65 miles an hour on I-95 in the left lane approaching the exit for I-695 north on Saturday, January 4th at 5:00pm. It was raining. No one was in front of me or behind me when my car dash lit up with an Audi pre sense red sign on a black background. The brakes stopped the car suddenly on their own and my seat belt slammed me tightly into my seat. Fortunately no one was behind me or this could have caused a multi car accident. There was nothing visible on the road to set this system off. Monday morning I went to the dealer to see if they could disconnect this system since I was now afraid this would happen again and I would not be so lucky with the traffic situation the next time. They lowered the sensitivity but they could not disconnect the system. I also called Audi to inform them about this hazard. They noted it on their record but said it is part of the car and it could not be disconnected. When I looked on line there were many complaints about this problem; however none of the other drivers were on the open highway full speed ahead. Can this problem be looked into before someone's car causes a major pileup with serious injuries. Thank you!.

When depressing gas pedal from stopped (or near stopped) position, the vehicle fails to respond before moving forward. This most frequently occurs when pulling onto or crossing a street, and I'm concerned it will eventually be the cause of an accident. The dealer has checked this several times, but says that the recorder shows no problem. It does not occur every time, and no default is recorded, but it continues to occur even after almost two years. Dealer has a number of service requests for this issue, all marked as ntf. I also have copies of 10 or more email complaints to dealer that can be made available is requested. Only the latest date is noted below - it happens almost every week.

On the morning of Apr. 24, I was on my way to drop off my kids at their school when I heard an explosion and realized the rear window of my car shattered and left glass on my son's lap and all over the backseat and floorboard. I was driving on se 20th st. , sammamish, wa at about 30 miles/hr. There was no rock to cause the explosion. Thankfully, my son was facing his sister, talking to her, when the explosion occurred. Otherwise, the glass might have gotten into his eyes. My kids were extremely frightened by this traumatic experience, and I had to console and reassure them. I was frighted but relieved they were not injured. I went to Audi bellevue and told them the window exploded by itself. They suggested me leave the car with them. They called the next day to say the Audi factory declined to cover the cost. They told me there must have been an outside influence to cause the explosion, which is not the truth. The window explosion scratched the paint off the rear door on the driver's side. I filed a claim with my insurance company and had Audi fix the window. I paid for the $500 deductible. Unfortunately, even with the window replaced, I don't feel safe to drive my kids in the car. Furthermore, my kids worry another window might explode on them. There was no safety check performed following this incident on the other windows. On may 7, I went to gerber collision and glass in bellevue for an estimate on the body damage. The cost is estimated at $1800. The probability is that Audi has defective windows and they should be held responsible for the repairs. It was a very frightening experience and dangerous. We are very disappointed with Audi. We hope they will ultimately be held responsible and wish for this never to happen to another family or risk injury to children.

Going down the road and moon roof exploded. Audi says it was a rock, but no other vehicle was around. We were driving between 50 and 60 mph. Sounded like a shot gun went off in our car. Glass went everywhere. High safety issue. Once again a rock didn't hit us the moon roof's are not safe.

1)Audi pre-sense activated while vehicle was stationary, in drive, with driver's foot on the brake. This occurred while waiting in the left turn lane of a traffic light. The seat belt pre-tightened suddenly, and forcefully. While the vehicle is stopped at a light the occupants could be expected to be leaning over, looking in the glove box etc. , and the pre-tightening of the seat belt could cause an injury. This is also startling, since it seems indicative of a collision, and could cause the driver to remove their foot from the brake losing control of the vehicle. The pre-sense system is supposed to only be active above 20mph. Its activation when the vehicle is stopped implies a serious safety defect. Could this defect cause other safety related systems to activate incorrectly like the air bags?.

5)establishing a bluetooth connection is intermittent with a samsung galaxy s9. Often the mmi will indicate that it can't connect. If the car is in reverse with the parking assist displaying the rear view camera, the bluetooth connection screen can suddenly appear replacing the rear view image while the car is actively backing up. The rear view camera image is no longer available while the vehicle is in rearward motion. This has happened on multiple occasions.

Vag has known and addressed this problem in previous models. The rubberized material on interior trim pieces is peeling or delaminating. No caustic chemicals or cleaning agents have ever been used to clean or protect the pieces.

The Audi pre sense was activated without any vehicle in front of the car when it was at speed ~50 miles/hour. The road was empty when this happened. The car broke really hard and the speed reduced to less 20 miles/hours in 1-2 second. This is a serious safety issue, as the driver behind would not have enough time to respond to the sudden breaking. The car had only ~1000 miles on it when this happens.