2015 Audi Q5

UPDATE ON NHTSA TRACKING NUMBER 11184036 I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE AUDI SERVICE AREA WHERE MY CAR WAS TOWED YESTERDAY FOR A FIX TO THE STEERING PROBLEM (ALARM TELLING ME NOT TO DRIVE DUE TO UNSAFE STEERING AND A LOCKED STEERING WHEEL) AUDI REFUSES TO REPLACE ANY STEERING RELATED PARTS UNLESS THE PROBLEM HAPPENS A SECOND TIME. SINCE THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COLD WEATHER PROBLEM, I WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WINTER SINCE THE EXTREME COLD IS PROBABLY OVER FOR THIS YEAR AS WE ENTER SPRING. JUST HOPE IT DOESN'T HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY.

I DROVE MY CAR EARLY IN THE MORNING TO CHURCH AND, ON THE WAY HOME, STOPPED AT A SUPERMARKET. IT WAS VERY COLD, MINUS 15 DEGREES AT THE TIME IN BOZEMAN, MONTANA. WHEN I CAME BACK TO THE CAR TO START TO GO HOME, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD ALARM AND A WARNING - STEERING DEFECTIVE - UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND TRIED TO RESTART IT AND THE SAME LOUD ALARM AND WARNING OCCURRED. I WAITED 5 MINUTES AND TRIED AGAIN AND GOT THE SAME RESULT. I GOT THE CAR TOWED TO MY NEARBY AUDI DEALER TO BE FIXED. THEN I DID SOME RESEARCH AND SAW THAT THIS STEERING ISSUE IS A REAL PROBLEM WITH AUDI Q5 AND SQ5, BUT ONLY THE SQ5 HAS HAD A RECALL. APPARENTLY THERE IS A LOT OF CONTROVERSY ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, SOMETIMES REQUIRING A STEERING RACK REPLACEMENT AND OTHER TIMES SOFTWARE. IN ANY EVENT, AUDI KNOWS ABUT THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. WHAT IF I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY BABY GRANDSON IN THE CAR? I DISCOVERED A LOT OF VERY NEGATIVE INFO ON THE AUDI WORLD FORUMS DATING BACK AS FAR AS EARLY 2016 CONCERNING THE 2015 SQ5. SAME SEEMS TO BE THE PROBLEM WITH THE Q5. APPARENTLY ON TRANSPORT CANADA'S WEBSITE THE SQ5 STEERING HAS BEEN RECALLED, BUT NOT THE Q5. IN LIGHT OF THE EMISSIONS SCANDAL IN WHICH THE CAR COMPANY (VOLKSWAGEN) DELIBERATELY DECEIVED ON EMISSIONS, I AM THINKING THAT THEY ARE A RATHER UNTRUSTWORTHY COMPANY FROM WHICH TO BUY A CAR. I WILL GET RID OF MINE FOR SAFETY'S SAKE AS SOON AS I CAN! THE CAR IS STILL AT THE DEALER FOR REPAIR, AND I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THEM SINCE EARLY THIS MORNING. I TRIED TO REACH THE SERVICE AREA FOR AN UPDATE, BUT AS YET HAVE NOT HEARD BACK. I HAVE 4 MONTHS LEFT ON MY WARRANTY. AND THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 12,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THIS IS SCARY.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 AUDI Q5. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS AN ABNORMAL BURNING ODOR COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. CROWN AUDI OF CLEARWATER (18940 US-19, CLEARWATER, FL 33764, (888) 727-0742) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V229000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,999.

IT WAS AN UNUSUALLY COLD DAY (-14 DEGREES) IN MICHIGAN. I HAD BEEN DRIVING THE CAR EARLIER THAT DAY WITHOUT INCIDENT. I PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE AND APPROXIMATELY 1 HOUR LATER I WENT TO USE IT AND I WAS PRESENTED WITH LOUD WARNING BEEPS AND THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE: "STEERING DEFECTIVE! DO NOT DRIVE VEHICLE!" IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT THE (ELECTRIC) POWER ASSIST WAS NOT FUNCTIONING. I TRIED EVERY HOUR AND AFTER ABOUT 4 HOURS THE ERROR WAS GONE AND THE POWER STEERING SEEMED TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY. IT HAS BEEN FINE SINCE. I CALLED THE DEALER ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT DID NOT BRING IT TO THEM FOR A "DIAGNOSIS". I NOTICED A RECALL (15V-452) FOR THE 2015 SQ5 FOR THIS EXACT PROBLEM AND WONDERED WHY AN SQ5 WOULD BE DIFFERENT FROM MY 2015 Q5 (WITH A 3.0L V6 ENGINE). THERE ARE QUITE A FEW PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE DURING VERY COLD DAYS AND I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE ROOT CAUSE. THE RECALL IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SOFTWARE UPDATE. (MAYBE TO EXPAND THE ACCEPTABLE THRESHOLD VALUES?) I AM CONCERNED THAT THE RECALL WAS NOT SCOPED PROPERLY AND IS ACTUALLY AFFECTING OTHER AUDIS. I AM A FORMER VW/AUDI MECHANIC WITH OVER 30 YEARS OF MECHANICAL EXPERIENCE.

WHILE DRIVING MY FRONT PANEL SUNROOF EXPLODED. THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENED. THERE WAS A LOUD POP. LOUD ENOUGH TO MAKE MY EARS RING AND THEN THE GLASS WAS EVERYWHERE. I NOTICED A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT ISSUE ON THE 2012 AUDI Q5. I AM DRIVING A 2015 AUDI Q5. THERE IS NO RECALL LISTED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS ISSUE ON THE 2015 MODEL. A SEPARATE SUNROOF RECALL FOR DRAINAGE IS LISTED, BUT NOT ONE FOR SHATTERING SUNROOFS. MY LOCAL AUDI DEALERSHIP DIDN'T SEEM TO CONCERNED WHEN I SPOKE WITH THEM...

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V229000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PARTS TO DO THE REPAIR WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. AUDI RICHMOND (12592 BROADSTREET RD, RICHMOND, VA 23233, (804) 273-8700) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 AUDI Q5. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V229000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THELEN AUDI VOLKSWAGEN MAZDA (1112 NORTH EUCLID AVENUE, BAY CITY, MICHIGAN 48706, (989) 684-2980) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE RECALL AND STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.