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When Audi launched its SUV e-tron back in 2018 it announced it was launching an “e-offensive.” The company also announced that by 2025 it will offer 12 vehicles with all-electric drive. Even more boldly, it said it would achieve about 33% of its sales with electrified models.
The e-tron was so popular that before it even saw the light of day there were problems. The German Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) refused to certify the car until changes were made to its software. This resulted in delays and 6-month long waiting lists for customers.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2022
Contents
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2021 Audi e-tron
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Engine | |
| Electrical System:propulsion System:charging:module:accessory | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Fuel/propulsion System |
Soon after the release of the first 2019 Audi e-tron in the U.S. Lemberg Law reported that many customers were complaining about the SUV’s faulty electrical system. There were also major issues with the exterior lighting, which, of course, is also electrical.
At the time, we expressed concern that an electrical car would have serious electrical problems. We also drew attention to a recall caused by an electrical system problem.
According to the United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) records, this reportedly affected a potential 1,646 vehicles. It was due to the danger of a high-voltage battery short-circuiting.
Owners of affected vehicles were warned to immediately stop driving their new 2019 Audi e-trons if they saw the warning message, “Electrical system: fault”.
Electrical system complaints also top the list of complaints to NHTSA about the 2021 Audi e-tron. While there are already 4 recalls, the electrical system recall doesn’t appear to apply. But there are complaints that report similar electrical system fault messages.
Most Common Problems with the 2021 Audi e-tron
Almost all the problems with the 2021 Audi e-tron are related to the electrical system in some way or another. They even include complaints that have been submitted in other categories.
There are also 108 manufacturer communications to dealers that highlight electrical system problems. These highlight malfunctions, faults, and potential problems that must, by law, be shared with NHTSA.
There are a total of 7 complaints so far about the 2021 e-tron, 4 of which are filed as electrical system problems. Three of these are also categorized as powertrain problems. The list filters complaints by affected components and also includes 1 complaint that refers to an engine problem and 1 about the fuel/propulsion system. Both cite the electrical system as well.
There are a total of 4 powertrain problems, 1 that doesn’t cite electrics, and 3 categorized as being unknown or some other problem.
In reality, those who have complained to NHTSA have multiple complaints.
2021 Audi e-tron Electrical System Problems
The first complaint about the 2021 e-tron’s electrical system is also filed as being an engine and powertrain problem.
The driver had been driving for “several minutes” when the first alert, “ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION – PLEASE CONTACT SERVICE” was displayed. A few minutes later, a second alert, “ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTION – STOP VEHICLE” displayed.
“I immediately pulled over to the side of the road into a parking lot just before the electric motors shut down completely. This put myself and my dog in danger.”
After the car was towed to a dealership, they said that “coolant had infiltrated the front motor and needed to be replaced. Then other hoses and parts had to be replaced.”
The owner of the Audi had been without the vehicle for 4 weeks at this stage. The SUV was not much more than 9 months old and it had 9,800 miles on the clock. The complaint states that there are many reports of similar issues of coolant infiltrating motors after long road trips or many miles traveled.
“This kills the motor and some owners report horror stories of having no electrical power in the middle of traffic and in the middle of streets.”
Described as “a routine issue with the Audi E-tron Sportback,” the complaint draws attention to the fact that the vehicle has two motors, each costing about $15,000.
“It is likely a very serious and expensive problem that Audi doesn’t want to be known. Loss of drivability (along with other systems) in an EV in traffic or highways is an extremely dangerous and terrible activity, especially for first responders and hazard workers that assist an owner in a vehicle that is very difficult to move when in this state.”
2021 Audi e-tron Powertrain Problems
Another combined powertrain/electrical problem is also categorized as a fuel/propulsion system issue. It also involves malfunction messages. They said, “pull over safely and call for service.”
Once this e-tron stopped, “the vehicle was disabled with no forward or reverse drive possible. The car was stranded close to the middle right of the street. The car had to be towed to the nearest dealership around midnight.”
At the time of the complaint the dealer was still “looking into the problem.” It also states that there had been previous warning messages including:
- Headlamp malfunction
- Audi emergency assist unavailable
- High beam headlight faulty
None of these had disabled the electric SUV.
Another powertrain/electric system complaint describes how the vehicle suddenly jerks and the drive chain disengages. It maintains power and the steering and braking work as the car coasts to a stop.
“This occurred 5 times over the course of 3 miles as I attempted to make my way home, and I would estimate that each occurrence happened at a speed under 10 mph. The car was near full battery charge level when this occurred.”
Again, there were warning messages indicating a variety of warning messages including the electrical system, drive train, collision avoidance, and tire pressure monitor.
And, again, the dealer was unable to diagnose the problem even though many forums quote owners describing the same problem.
2021 Audi e-tron Other Problems
Other problems highlighted in complaints include air conditioning failure and a car roof leaking.
The complaint about the leak highlights the potential danger of water seeping into the electrical system of the vehicle. “This is an electronic car and water inside the car due to a car roof leak is unsafe and can potentially cause a fire.”
What to do if Your 2021 Audi e-tron is a Lemon? Your Lemon Rights
Faults, malfunctions, and defects all impact negatively on Audi e-tron owners. Some may be covered by your warranty and your dealer will fix them. But sometimes, defects recur and impact the safe use and value of vehicles. If this happens to you, you might have bought a lemon.
If you think you have a lemon, contact Lemberg Law immediately so that we can assess how we can help you. We have negotiated settlements for many of our lemon law clients in the form of trade-ins, refunds, buy-backs, and replacement vehicles.
In case you aren’t aware, the law says Audi must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases. So, you won’t be out of pocket.
Complaint Data
| Category | Electrical System:propulsion System:charging:module:accessory |
| Date | Feb 24, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Chargepoint, inc manufacturers defective electric motor vehicle chargers for residential use. Chargepoint's initially worked upon delivery and installation by a certified/license electrician. However, after several months the charger became defective and was replaced by chargepoint with another identical charger. The second charger did not work upon arrival despite customer service assistance. Chargepoint refused to refund me the cost of purchase and replacement. Chargepoint would like to have the defective chargers returned without reimbursement of all expenses. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Nov 07, 2022 |
| State | PA |
| Description | The audi charger failed and burned the charge point going into the house. |
| Category | Engine, Power Train, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Oct 14, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | While on the highway, the car threw the following error message: "electrical system: malfunction! Safely stop vehicle" I was able to drive for a mile or so to pull into a residential street and at that point, the vehicle just wouldn't move. It was essentially stalled, and I had to call roadside assistance to have it towed. After a few days, I receive an update from the dealer that the motor needs to be replaced - this car has done like 19,000 miles and the motor has apparently died abruptly. On further research, I noticed that there have been other etron owners that have had to deal with similar issues, often happening abruptly and while their car was in use. I'm glad that I was able to pull over to safety and there was no other serious injury - this could have ended very differently. |
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Oct 11, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Car turns on but won't move. Take it to dealership as it happens for the second time and turns out the brakes are sticking to the rotors. Audi says it's perfectly normal just put force to the accelerator. When you do that in fact, it sound like the car is about to split in half. Dangerous as they could stick while driving anywhere. Scared for my life in the car. |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train |
| Date | Sep 21, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | My vehicle has 13,090 miles on it. I have had two electrical issues that affected the a/c button not working on the panel display, which were both fixed by the dealership. Last week, after dropping my children off at school, a warning sign came on my display that said "electrical system malfunction - safely stop the vehicle." I wasn't in a spot to stop the vehicle safely so I started to drive to a parking lot where I could. While trying to take off at an intersection after the red light turned green, the car completely stopped with the nose of my car sticking out into the crosswalk/intersection. The accelerator would not respond and I could not move. I had to ask some people standing by to help me push my car off into a parking lot where I had the vehicle towed to the dealership. After being at the dealership for 6 days, they let me know that it has been verified that a motor is going to need to be replaced and they put an order in for it. They said they aren't sure on when the vehicle will be ready for me to pick it up. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | May 28, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | E-tron with 9300 miles, received electrical malfunction: contact service. Audi service said to bring vehicle in. On way to dealer, warning changed to electrical malfunction: pull over safely and then, before being able to do so, the vehicle jerked and died while in traffic. Fortunately, I had decided not to take the freeway and had enough momentum to coast to the side of the road, but the experience certainly stressed my nerves, especially since I could have chosen to be on the freeway in heavy, fast, multilane traffic. Dealer said it was a coolant leak into the front motor which killed the electrical motor. Subsequently discovered from research this has been happening since the 2019 model year in e-trons, and is likely related to a faulty gasket. I have not received my car back from repair so cannot yet confirm that this was the cause in my case. But a properly designed electric vehicle should not allow coolant to get into an electrical motor. Having a vehicle stop in traffic is a definite safety risk. In addition, I don't know if audi has redesigned the faulty parts to prevent this from reoccurring. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Apr 03, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | Car roof leak. Water tracking inside the car cabin and potentially into the electrical system of the vehicle. This is an electronic car and water inside the car due to a car roof leak is unsafe and can potentially cause a fire. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 18, 2022 |
| State | WA |
| Description | All of audi e-tron models do not have am radio. You are not told of this during sales and in fact the dealer sales rep and service manager did not know this until they came to the car to show me how to turn it on. I consider this feature (am radio) a standard for over 50 years and is a safety measure as road side signs direct you to tune to am radio for traffic or road conditions ahead. I think this deceptive absence of a standard tool should warrant a national recall. |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train |
| Date | Jan 13, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | Had multiple instances as I approached intersection stops of the vehicle suddenly jerking and the drive train becoming disengaged. The car maintained electrical power and had working steering and braking as I coasted to a stop. This occurred 5 times over the course of 3 miles as I attempted to make my way home, and I would estimate that each occurrence happened at a speed under 10 mph. The car was near full battery charge level when this occurred. With each occurrence, the vehicle would generate a series of warning messages (indicating failures of one system after another, ranging from electrical system, to drive train, to collision avoidance, to tire pressure monitor, etc.) and would indicate the car was disabled, should be pulled over safely, and that I should call the dealer for support. For about 30 seconds, the car could not be put back into "drive" mode, but after that time I could restart the car and was able to resume driving. Fortunately, this all occurred when I was driving on neighborhood streets during a non-busy period, and I was able to carefully make my way back home. But having a car suddenly and randomly disabled while in motion could obviously be a significant safety issue. The following day I had the car towed to my local audi dealer and at this point have received no indication of what the problem might be or even when it might be assigned to a technician for diagnosis. In looking online at audi owner forums, it's clear that others have experienced the same problem I experienced, along with an array of other significant electrical failures. I've spoken to the audi customer experience support desk and they say the problem I experienced is not one they've been made aware of. |
| Category | Electrical System, Fuel/propulsion System, Power Train |
| Date | Dec 17, 2021 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Vehicle traveling when electrical systems malfunction message came on. Said pull over safely and call for service. After car was slowed to a stop, the vehicle was disabled with no forward or reverse drive possible. The car was stranded close to the middle right of the street. Car had to be towed to the nearest dealership around midnight. Problem has been confirmed with the dealer and they are still looking into the problem. Prior warnings messages of headlamp malfunction, audi emergency assist unavailable, high beam headlight faulty were present about a month prior but did not disable the vehicle. |
| Category | Electrical System, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Dec 05, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | While operating the vehicle the air conditioning system failed. The vehicle was brought to dealer for diagnosis which confirmed the failure and was out of service for 30 days due to parts availability being sop. The dealer provided a loaner and fuel reimbursement due my car being electric but refused to reimburse the lease payment for the 30 days out of service. The parts replaced were 4m0-959-609 sensor, 87571950 high pressure switch & refrigerant. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Nov 06, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | While I was on vacation a couple states away, I drove the audi etron sportback for the first time since three days before when I drove to the vacation destination. After several minutes driving I got an "electrical system malfunction - please contact service" notification. Several minutes later I got very large red alert that said "electrical system malfunction - stop vehicle". I immediately pulled over to the side of the road into a parking lot just before the electric motors shut down completely. This put myself and my dog in danger. Car was towed to local audi dealership and they informed me that coolant had infiltrated the front motor and needed to be replaced. Then other hoses and parts had to be replaced. I am at 4 weeks without my vehicle. The car had 9800 miles on it and was roughly 9. 5 months old. Upon searching the internet, there's many complaints of coolant infiltrating the motors after a long road trip or after many miles. This kills the motor and some owners report horror stories of having no electrical power in the middle of traffic and in the middle of streets. This is apparent that it is a not a stray issue - but it is a routine issue with the audi etron sportback. And with two motors, and each one costing about ,000 each - it is likely a very serious and expensive problem that audi doesn't want to be known. Loss of drive ability (along with other systems) in an ev in traffic or highways is an extremely dangerous and terrible activity, especially for first responders and hazard workers that assist an owner in a vehicle that is very difficult to move when in this state. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jan 20, 2021 |
| State | VA |
| Description | Vehicle shuts off and slams into park when driving at low speeds. Vehicle will then refuse to restart for about 15 seconds and I am unable move the vehicle from park. This issue only occurs when the vehicle has been charging overnight, and has not occurred if the vehicle hasn't been recently charged. Vehicle was brought to the dealer which stated it was working as designed. The problem has occurred multiple times. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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