Water intrusion from sunroof floods electronics modules and shorting out, making the car unoperable

- Crystal Lake, IL, USA

2018 Audi Q5 comfort System Control Module is faulty due to corrosion from water and or humidity. No incidents have occurred with my vehicle that has less than 70k miles. I purchased the vehicle as a certified pre-owned with 7700 miles on the car. The dealership claims that outside forces have cause the module to corrode and that I am responsible for the 10k payment to replace and/or repair.

- Randallstown, MD, USA

While driving, the steering wheel suddenly locked up and could not be turned. Several warning lights simultaneously appeared on the dashboard including: "Steering malfunction! Please stop vehicle", "Audi adaptive light malfunction! See owners manual", "Start/stop system malfunction! Function unavailable", and "Audi pre sense currently limited" - No warning lights were present prior to this event. The sudden loss of steering could have caused serious injury to myself and to other drivers or pedestrians nearby. I was thankfully able to stop the vehicle, but I could not pull over because the steering wheel could not be turned. The car was towed to the Audi dealership and I was told the "Electronic power steering rack" would need to be replaced costing nearly $5,000.

- Bellevue, NE, USA

2018 Audi Q5 (2.0, 40K miles, excellent condition) experienced severe electronic failure, due to sunroof drainage lines depositing water into the rear side wells where sensitive electronics are housed, impacting all tail-lights, wipers, sensors, internal dashboard sensors, etc., rendering the car highly unsafe and undrivable. The issue is a design and manufacturer defect that has allowed rainwater to leak into the rear side compartments destroying sensitive electronics & wiring, from faulty/kinked drain lines in the sunroof (according to the Audi Technician from my local Audi store), rendering the vehicle undrivable. It was obvious, repeatable, and avoidable. Worse this issue was misdiagnosed by the same Audi store, causing extra parts & labor expenses that didn't solve anything. It took my AUDI store OVER a MONTH to diagnose the issue correctly. There were also significant investigative/diagnostic charges from my Audi Dealership. There were also significant repair expenses to replace all water-logged equipment, including the Electronics Control Unit (ECU). This should be a clear recall item.

- Oakton, VA, USA

The Audi Q5 sunroof drain that is intended to keep water out of the vehicle, leaked where water collected and pooled in the car beneath the car liner. The water collected on the "comfort module" and electrical fuse box resulting in immediate electrical failure of several vehicle features/systems including brake lights, turn signals, reverse lights, windshield wipers, etc. to name a few. In addition to repairs in excess of $10k, the vehicle will be totaled by the insurance company. After an exhaustive search, several Audi users of the same make, model and year have faced a similar issue. This issue must be addressed by Audi and should be reviewed immediately.

- East Windsor, NJ, USA

Roof drains clogged resulting in water filling the interior left rear wheelwell where ligting control modules are stored and are not waterproofed. Design defect allowing water incursion into an electrical connection system that is not waterproofed resulted in sudden and immediate multiple lighting system failure, road hazard.

- Silverdale, WA, USA

The comfort control module in the trunk of the car was sitting in water due to an ingress of water coming in the car. The car would not start due to this water ingress and could have shut off completely on the freeway or while driving. This caused my car to completely shut off and malfunction. There were no warning lamps or messages of the problem. I found out about the problem by taking the car to the Audi dealership. They originally thought the problem was the gateway module which has already been recalled due to the same problem of an ingress of water. The Audi dealership has claimed that the ingress of water is from a clogged drain pipe in the sunroof. They said there is nothing you can do to prevent this from happening.

- West Bloomfield , MI, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the turn signals were inoperable. The contact pulled over and noticed that the rear lights including brake lights and turn signals were not operational. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the cause was diagnosed as a sunroof drain line leakage that caused electrical damage due to water build-up, which damaged the control module. The contact stated that the drain lines needed to be unclogged and the control module needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was at the dealer awaiting the repairs. The contact was concerned that the Owner-??s Manual did not guide sunroof maintenance to prevent the failure. The contact opened the rear hatch and found water accumulation under the mat. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000.

- Brewerton, NY, USA

Starter button does not work. use of emergency start only. Dealership says rain water running off car towards the back, gets into the wiring and causes massive damage. getting a bill of over $11,000 There are recalls on this for other Q5 years but not 2018.

- Pennington, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, upon reaching the destination, the contact became aware that the headlights would not turn off. After which, the vehicle failed to restart, and the vehicle was towed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V947000 (Electrical System, Structure); the VIN was included, but the vehicle had already been repaired under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Myrtle Beach, SC, USA

Car was left outside for two weeks while we were gone on a trip. When we returned and attempted to start the car numerous warning lights went off related to turn signals, tail lights, engine ignition, key recognition, etc. We were able to drive the car home but the turn signals and tail lights were malfunctioning and the engine would lose power unexpectedly. Upon researching on AudiWorld Forums I came to learn I should check to see if there was any moisture in certain areas, including the rear fuse box area at the rear of the car. I checked that location and found many inches of water in the fusebox!!! I learned that MANY, MANY people with q5s have had the same problem which is RAINWATER ENTERING THE VEHICLES ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DUE TO NON-OPERABLE SUNROOF DRAIN PORTS. Yes, I searched and found an unrelated recall 90s9 but the dealer said this was not the issue, the issue is non-operable sunroof drains and the repair cost is $8,000. Having no idea of the danger I was placing my family in by driving this vehicle while its electrical system was swamped with water, I feel a class action lawsuit should be brought against the company for damages for material, labor, as well as the risk of injury or death I placed my wife and I in by driving this vehicle under such unsafe conditions. I noted there was a suit settled for this issue with other models, but not the 2018 q5. [XXX] V Audi/Volkswagon [XXX]. The idea that someone should have to face death for leaving their car in the rain does not even pass the laugh test. Someone in Audi's risk management department needs to address this and make owners whole again. Please advise. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Mosinee, WI, USA

Sunroof drain lines leaked and filled the rear compartment with water which is also where the body control module is. The water damaged the body control module which affected vehicle lighting and abs system. Upon further investigation, this is a very common issue with Audi.

- Livonia, MI, USA

On May 3, 2024, while driving to work, the vehicle acutely started to make a loud clicking noise in the engine compartment. I parked the vehicle and looked for a warning light indicator on the dashboard to determine the problem, but no indicator light emerged. I then called Audi Omaha and spoke with the Service Manager who kindly arranged to have my vehicle picked up and a loaner dropped off. I did ask at that time whether it was safe to have somebody drive my vehicle to Audi given the severity of the noise and I was told that since there was not a warning light on the dashboard, it would be ok. I later discovered that my vehicle stalled on the way to Audi Omaha and required a tow. On May 6, 2024, I received a report of the problem and the estimate for repairs. It was explained that the head of a spark plug had broken off into the engine causing the piston to make contact with the valve in cylinder 3 resulting in engine damage which was beyond repair. Additionally, a second spark plug had been misfiring for several days. The estimate to replace the engine: $9,282.03. To my surprise, the multi-point vehicle inspection report I received on the same day reported that everything (aside from rear brake pad wear) passed inspection -?" including the engine and spark plugs! On May 7, 2024, I called Audi Omaha to express my concern that an entire engine would need replaced on a 6-year old luxury vehicle with only 60,000 miles and spark plugs that were replaced at 40,000 miles prior to my purchase of the vehicle. Even more concerning is that no warning light indictor ever displayed on the dashboard (despite being informed that the vehicles computer system had detected changes in the engine compartment 2-days prior to this event). Because of these glaring safety concerns, this issue was escalated to the Audi central region division who declined to provide assistance despite the faulty spark plug and the malfunction of the warning indicator light.

- Bellevue, NE, USA

I got a Safety System Malfunction! Fault. I took it to aan Audi dealer and they said it was an issue with a harness under the passenger seat. Tech notes here references a service bulletin. Air Bag Occupant Sensor - Replace | faults present b1225f1 - tsb 2051242/7 -- per tsb apply wiring ties to secure and prevent faults from returning -- not covered under extended warranty policy. Not sure why this isn-??t covered under extended warranty or a recall. It basically disables the passenger airbag. I have seen other Audi vehicles with recalls for similar issues with harness under the passenger seat. I think they have a design issue but are wanting to charge me (and probably others) $220 to diagnose and $695 plus tax to put two wire ties on the harness to supposedly fix (or bandaid) a bad harness.

- Fishers, IN, USA

-Car shut down (engine off, battery still functioning) while driving. Car went into neutral. -Lost power steering and other functions after about 20 seconds of the engine shutting down. -Immediate life-threatening danger while driving to us and surrounding drivers and pedestrians -no inspection or police report yet. -the car has not been driven since the incident and so the problem has not been reproduced yet. Upon inspection of the trunk area (2018 Audi Q5), we found about 4 inches of water. This has been attributed to clogged sunroof drains causing water to flow into the trunk and short out electrical components.

- Houston, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q5. The contact stated the vehicle was parked during a rainstorm and the contact attempted to start the vehicle, but the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test and stated that water entered the vehicle through a fractured seal causing the electrical wiring to get wet. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V947000 (Electrical System, Structure) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

- Akron, OH, USA

I have a 2018 Audi Q5. The electrical system basically went into complete failure, and upon taking it to the dealership, was told the sunroof draining system "clogged" and the flooding caused by this caused the damage. After significant research online, I have noted this seems to be a very well-known issue.

- Tampa, FL, USA

For months the car has smelled musty. Last week the electrical lights went on and warnings to not drive the car. Water was discovered in the wheel wells and the computer system appears to have been damaged by a leaky sunroof. On the car fax report it was noted that at 14, 608 miles the vehicle had it's sunroof "replaced/ repaired" with a seal removed and repaired according to an invoice record furnished to us by the dealer. The vehicle ran out of it's warranty in July of this year. We've heard that others have been having a similar, if not the same issue and the dealership has quoted up to $20K to repair. Clearly there has been a defect from day one at 14,000 miles. The car is never parked under trees.

- Sarasota, FL, USA

The car was sitting in the driveway in the rain. I went out to get something out of it and the car was dead, but the back wiper was going, the rear lights were on and the driver side windows went down. I had it towed to the dealer and they told me water had gotten into the area in the back left wheel well where the comfort module is located. The dealer tried to say there was something wrong with the rear hatch but there isn-??t. I-??ve read account after account online of this exact issue happening to other owners and it caused by a defective sunroof drain. It drains right into the rear hatch with the module. They quoted $9000 for the repairs.

- Richfield, MN, USA

Rear Sunroof drain leak into major electronic components. 2018 Q5 with 61k miles after heavy rain started receiving all kind all errors including lights and ignition. Upon inspection Audi service has stated that HVAC control module has shorten (the area with the module in the left rear portion of the trunk filled with water), quoting repair of the module and insisting to replace sunroof drain hoses for total of $5k. Insurance has agreed to cover module replacement due to the flood of approx. $2,5k, however drain hoses and deducible with another $2,5k would not be covered and is on me. Mechanic in the Audi service several times noted that that this is common issue with Q5 and Q7s., I am so frustrated and do not understand how come the Audi car the owner shall be responsible for any cost of such if it is unclear: 1. How and why the water gets there through the closed sunroof in such amount to flood electrical equipment. Are all Audi sunroof seals so bad that they fail in 6 years? 2. I had serviced the car in the Audi for up to 60k, and no one ever cleaned the drains there or advised me of such (all is needed a small note for me)" Why did I pay extra to service car in the official dealerships" 3. How Audi could sell a vehicle with such design flaw, placing weak drainage hose through the electrical equipment compartment, considering they just had a class action lawsuit over sunroof leaking but on different models and model years.

- Staten Island, NY, USA