Automatic Emergency Braking problems of the 2025 Audi Q5

On may 21, 2026, at approximately 5:00 pm, my 2025 Audi Q5 (VIN: wa12aagu0s2040827) initiated an unprovoked forward collision warning and emergency braking intervention while I was traveling at approximately 57–58 mph on charlton road in charlton, NY. 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.

Randomly the mmi screens are blank. This means I have no speedometer, I cannot see my fuel level and there is no Audio, such as blinker indicator.

The vehicle triggers the braking system when there is nothing in the road, this has happened when turning across traffic, into parking lots, and when just driving on a road. Luckily this has not caused a crash yet but it has a high likelihood of causing a crash if not properly fixed by Audi. Occasionally the sensors stop working and the seatbelts tighten aggressively. This is especially risky because my wife is pregnant and this tightens for no reason around the baby. This has happened many times in the short time I’ve owned this vehicle.

* primary component: forward collision avoidance * secondary component (if available): electrical system / lane departure step 3: the incident description (copy & paste below) > summary of safety defect: > the vehicle is experiencing a critical, recurring failure of the advanced driver assistance system (adas). There are two primary life-safety issues: > * phantom braking: the vehicle initiates sudden, forceful emergency braking without any external hazard or obstacle present. This rapid, unprovoked deceleration occurs at highway speeds, creating an immediate risk of rear-end collisions. > * total warning failure: the system fails to provide any visual or Audible "pre-sense" alerts when actual hazards are present. The safety suite is non-functional and fails to warn the driver of oncoming items. > * context: the vehicle has undergone four repair attempts and has been out of service for over 30 days. As of late December 2025, the manufacturer has been unable to resolve these safety-critical software and sensor malfunctions. >.

This vehicle misrecognizes intersections on two lane highways and causes the vehicle to unexpectedly slam on its brakes without warning in anticipation of an intersection that either does not exist or where my vehicle has the entire right way. This behavior has persisted since the date of purchase and has not been corrected at all. Audi has confirmed that the vehicle is operating as designed however, I have personally almost had two major traffic accidents when this system engaged in the process of overtaking a vehicle, slamming the brakes and almost causing a accident where he and I was rear ended. This is not a vehicle. I would let a child learn how to drive in.

Brand new car, needed a major software upgrade, for engine code, no heat , safety system flashing. It’s going back to the dealer today , for faulty gps and limited camera view for speed signs. The car has major software issues.

While driving home from the dealership on route 65 at approximately 45 mph, the vehicle suddenly and forcefully applied the brakes without warning. My husband and I are experiencing symptoms of whiplash including back and neck pain. There were no vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles nearby that would have triggered this response. This was a scary experience, and I am concerned it could happen again in traffic or at higher speeds. This incident presents a serious safety hazard to me, my passengers, and others on the road. The auto was purchased one week ago. Had it in for service. According to the service summary, the driver assist system had a coding error, and a hard reset of the module was performed. Unfortunately, after the braking incident, upon arriving home and restarting the vehicle, the same error message “initializing active front assist” immediately reappeared. I drove the vehicle for an additional five minutes, and the message remained. This suggests the issue was not resolved and may indicate a deeper fault in the system.