2022 Audi Q5

NHTSA Vehicle Safety Complaint – 2022 Audi Q5 I am reporting a potential safety defect involving water intrusion through the panoramic-roof drainage system of a 2022 Audi Q5 and resulting damage to the vehicle's electrical system. The vehicle was purchased with a rebuilt title at approximately 8,000 miles following minor dents/scratches and was fully operational. We drove approximately 23,000 additional miles without water-intrusion or electrical problems. Following heavy rainfall, water entered the vehicle and reached the comfort module, wiring and connectors, causing corrosion and extensive electrical damage. While driving, the vehicle began stalling and its lights/electronics started flashing. After we stopped, it would not start again. Audi estimated approximately $12,000 to repair the vehicle by replacing the comfort module/connectors and cutting and splicing the affected wiring harness to new connectors. Our insurer, Progressive, considers this a safety concern because the affected wiring harness connects with other vehicle systems and recommends replacement of the entire harness rather than splicing it. Audi TSB 2075969/2 addresses water intrusion in 2018–2023 Q5/SQ5 vehicles and states that panoramic-roof drain hoses may become kinked during headliner installation, blocking drainage and allowing water into the vehicle. Audi also issued Safety Recall 90S9/NHTSA 21V-947 concerning liquid reaching the gateway control module in 2018–2022 Q5/SQ5 vehicles, recognizing that water-related electrical failure can cause reduced engine power and increase crash risk. Our vehicle experienced an electrical malfunction while driving after water intrusion. I request that NHTSA investigate whether this known Q5 panoramic-roof drainage defect presents a safety defect requiring recall action. The vehicle is preserved and available for inspection.

The contact owned a 2022 Audi Q5. The contact stated that after completing an oil change at Jiffy Lube, the contact was informed that there was a minor oil leak coming from the oil pan to the top of the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the oil leak might have happened during the oil change and recommended the oil plug replacement. Additionally, the contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to make a turn, the driver depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and drove off at 40-50 MPH in front of vehicles that were stopped at the red traffic light. The vehicle then hit the curb and was propelled 4-5 feet in the air. The vehicle then hit a hill and drove on top of the hill in a parking lot. The driver depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped. The air bags deployed. The hazard lights were illuminated. The contact's wife sustained a back injury and could not exit the vehicle. The contact stated that his wife was extracted from the vehicle by the ambulance and was transported to the hospital, where the contact's wife underwent surgery for broken vertebrae. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and totaled by the insurance company. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

I was parking my car in a driveway on clear and sunny day. As I put the car into reverse, the engine suddenly accelerated. The car then spun around and moved sideways causing me to crash into the garage along the length of the car on passenger side. The garage was heavily damaged as were two other cars in the garage. I was not injured except for mild bruising and stiffness in neck and shoulders. Air bags did not deploy. My car had to be towed away. Three weeks earlier, the RF ACC sensor/module J428 was repaired by the Audi dealership in New London. It was out of alignment due to collision/damage to right front bumper from hit and run driver in a parking lot in June.