2017 Audi Q7

Front right side marker light is showing defective on 2017 Audi Q7. Light appears to be on but is still throwing error message. Safety issue as I have no visibility when driving to determine whether or not the light is properly working - anything regarding light faults should be considered a safety issue. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by an independent service center, but a quick online search will show this is a known issue and an astronomical cost associated with replacing the entire light assembly.

A warning light is showing on the dash about the right side light not working. On inspection all lights are illuminated. Reportedly there has been a recall on some VIN’s for this problem but not ours. On line discussion groups report that the problem is more wide-spread in this model than with the limited VIN’s covered. Since the cost of a dealer replacing the lighting assembly is around $5000, we would like to have our vehicle covered as well.

I drive a 2017 Audi Q7 and recently I got a warning light and message on my dash telling me my front right marker was defective and to check my owners manual and contact Audi but when I reached out to Audi they said my car was not one of the cars affect by the recall but I know a lot of people who are not under the recall status who also have had this issue and it is very expensive to fix even if nothing is wrong. My light appears to be working but my service center I take my car too told me to reach out to NHTSA to let it be known that others aside from those under the recall status are having the same issue and we are having to pay out of pocket to get it fixed. Audi recall campaign 97CB (NHTSA campaign ID 16V642000).

Side markers lights are failing at an abnormally high rate. The pop up error and chime is incredibly distracting as it pops up every 20 to 30 seconds blocking most of the information on the instrument cluster. The side marker lights still function even when the error pops up. Audi will only replace the entire headlight housing to fix the problem, but that seems extreme to fix what appears to be a software issue, as the side marker lights still is fully functioning.

The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Side Marker light Fault Detected" was displayed. The contact stated that after a visual inspection, the contact became aware that both side marker lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the side marker light assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V642000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

CAMPAIGN 97cb (nhtsa campaign ID 16v642000 Side Marker Lights Do Not Illuminate With Parking Lights Or Headlights On This poses a risk for my safety and others during night driving making the vehicle less visible at night. I paid Audi of Portland $285.00 to diagnose this issue, due to receiving the message on my car "front left" or "front right" "side marker light defective" and they said it would cost almost $12,000.00 to replace both left and right-side headlight housing. Marker lights are LED and cannot be replaced without replacing entire housing. I checked for a recall and my 2017 Audi Q7 does not have any open recalls. However other models made the same year are being recalled. the side marker lights do not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Error front left side marker light defective error message but no issue with the actual marker light. To be clear the marker light is operating perfectly as noted by my dealer. It is a known system error code malfunction and exact issue for my vehicle year and make - recall code 97cb. I contacted Audi and they claim my VIN was not impacted by the production line issue but obviously that is not true. Audi is not standing by their product and dealer charge is $6,889 to replace left headlight. VIN [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

This issue closely resembles Audi recall campaign 97cb (NHTSA campaign id 16v642000), with details available at [xxx] . In my case, the marker light itself is functioning properly, but the vehicle is displaying a false error message: "front right side marker light defective. " this poses safety risks because the erroneous warning distracts drivers from the road and could lead to the system failing to alert the driver of an actual side marker light issue in the future. Many owners of the same model and year are disabling their side marker lights entirely to avoid the error, as evidenced in discussions such as those on [xxx] . Repairing this issue typically requires replacing the entire headlight assembly, with costs ranging from $2,400 to $5,300, making it prohibitively expensive for many. Although Audi initiated a recall (97cb) for a similar issue, it was limited to a specific subset of vehicles, and the widespread nature of this problem in other vehicles outside the recall’s VIN range suggests a broader defect. Given these safety risks, high repair costs, and the frequency of the issue, I urge the NHTSA to investigate whether this problem warrants a broader recall or corrective actions by the manufacturer. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).