Table 1 shows one common vehicle speed control related problems of the 2021 Audi Q7.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control problems |
On startup, the instrument cluster (Audi virtual cockpit) takes an abnormally long time to illuminate. When it does come on, the check engine light and multiple other warning indicators are illuminated. First noticed about a month ago when the panel with the speed indicator wouldn't light up or took a long time to illuminate. I took the car to three dealerships before Audi mentioned that this is a manufacturing issue. The vehicle was taken to jim ellis Audi, marietta, GA (repair order 106862u) in August 2026. The technician's diagnostic notes recorded a fault described as "control module for instrument cluster — optical data bus — no communication. " the dealer referenced an internal technical service bulletin describing an intermittent hardware defect in the Audi virtual cockpit logic module, attributed to a manufacturing/semiconductor issue at the supplier level. Per the TSB, if the instrument cluster's production date is before February 1, 2025, the cluster must be replaced. The dealer quoted $3,093. 81 to replace the instrument cluster assembly. I am aware that NHTSA recall 25v201 (Audi internal number 90vc) covers 2021 Q7 vehicles for a related virtual cockpit shutdown defect, remedied with a free software update.
There is a recall for my issue from Audi 90vc. The “remedy” is a software update that a previous dealer and Audi field techs say willl not fix my issue. It’s a hardware issue. The remedy provided for the recall is a facade and doesn’t fix the root cause of the issue. I’m one that actually have the symptoms of the cockpit failed (completely blank screen) but yet Audi is telling me I have to pay to have this safety recall/issue fixed.
My car first had a warning “electrical system: malfunction! please contact service. ” I made a appointment at my Audi dealership 2 days later, but the next day I got more warnings. “automatic start/stop system: malfunction!” then my power steering was not working. I decided to drive straight to the service department that afternoon, but never made it. In rush hour traffic on a busy street, my Q7 started beeping every warning - “electrical system: malfunction! safely stop vehicle”, “drive system: malfunction! stop vehicle safely” and the vehicle decreased speed then abruptly turned off. I was so scared that I would get hit by the traffic zooming around me. It wouldn't go into neutral and my parking brake was engaged blinking. I put on my hazard lights and called 911 for traffic assistance while sitting in my car. I was able to safely exit and after calling Audi, I could get my car into neutral and move it off the busy street with the help of some good samaritans. I had the car towed to Audi. The service department said they have seen this a handful of times and that it's a problem with the accelerator/generator.
Was driving around 30 mph. Audi Q7started showing malfunctions on the dashboard, stabilization control malfunction, transmission malfunction, startup system malfunction, backup system malfunction, drivers assist malfunction, tire pressure malfunction, drive system malfunction. The vehicle started to brake on it own, fishtailed and then started to accelerate on its own.