2026 Audi A5

Issue: Unexpected and extremely forceful Brake Hold impeded normal and safe driving maneuvers. While driving in heavy stop-and-go traffic on an incline approaching the GW Bridge towards NY, I cautiously attempted to move out of my lane into an adjacent lane. I lightly applied the brake, (I believe the automatic brake hold activated, to prevent rolling backwards) and the vehicle suddenly jerked extremely hard and came to a complete stop in the middle of the lane. A loud banging sound occurred at the same time, sounding like a collision. Fortunately, there was no collision. The safety concern is particularly serious when changing lanes or merging from slow-moving traffic into a lane where vehicles are traveling significantly faster. An unexpected and forceful stop could leave the vehicle stopped in the path of approaching traffic and creates a substantial risk of being struck from behind or causing a collision. Currently the 2026 Audi A5 Brake Hold function can be disabled only for level grade driving. However, it activates automatically when driving uphill. On a downhill it also activates if you press hard on the brake. "Because the Brake Hold function can interfere with normal and cautious maneuvering the manufacturer should allow the driver to totally deactivated the Brake Hold on demand". Thank you