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Introduced to the U.S. as a 2019 model in September 2018, the Audi e-tron SUV was the first fully electric production model from this brand. Offering sporty efficiency and high performance, Audi promised a vehicle that would enable customers to “enjoy fully-electric driving without compromise.” But some owners are finding there are lots of compromises. They are complaining about powertrains and engines that malfunction, as well as safety issues including brakes that fail and tire sensors that don’t work.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2019 2021
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2022 Audi e-tron
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Power Train | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Wheels |
Most Common Problems with the 2022 Audi e-tron
When the first Audi e-tron was released in the U.S. there was just one model, an SUV with all-wheel drive (AWD). In 2020, they introduced a Sportback Sport AWD, and in 2022 increased the model range to 9. Now there’s an Audi e-tron SUV AWD, an e-tron S SUV AWD, as well as an e-tron Sportback and S Sportback SUV AWDs. There are e-tron and RS e-tron GT 4 DR AWDs, a Q4 e-tron SUV rear-wheel drive (RWD), and Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron SUV AWDs.
That’s quite a lineup. But if recalls are anything to go by, this may have been a mistake. There are already 10 recalls for the 2022 model versus 6 for the 2021 model. The 2019 and 2020 models only have 1 recall each.
Between March 23 and November 20, 2022, 8 consumers lodged complaints with the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA). There are also a total of 8 recalls that have been issued by Volkswagen, which owns Audi.
There are:
- 3 complaints about the SUV, S SUV, Sportback SUV, and S Sportback SUV. There are 2 recalls, both about the rearview camera.
- 3 complaints about the GT 4 DR AWD and 6 recalls 2 because of the rear view camera. However, only 1 is the same as those mentioned above.
- 2 complaints about the RS e-tron GT and no recalls.
- No complaints about the 3 Q4 models, but 1 recall. The recall is also because of the rear view camera, but it is different from those issued for other models.
The powertrain and engine feature amongst the top complaints, as do the brakes. There are also complaints about the 2022 e-tron battery and charger in the e-tron forum.
Powertrain and Engine Problems
All 5 of the complaints lodged about the powertrain relate to the GT and RS e-tron models. The 2 complaints that blame engine problems relate to the standard Audi e-tron and the GT 4 DR AWD.
Many of the complaints describe how the SUVs randomly switch from drive to park when stopped at stop lights. Another issue is that the accelerator doesn’t respond when they want to get started again
For example, an owner from Indianapolis tells how after backing out of a parking space an e-tron GT randomly shifted to neutral after being placed in drive. “My vehicle has shifted to neutral once and (to) park twice previously. I reported this issue to Audi of Indianapolis in May 2022, but no technical remedy was provided.”
An owner from Virginia states that when the e-tron SUV has been “resting at a stop” for more than 30 seconds, the vehicle won’t accelerate. The “SAFE” warning shows up in the instrument cluster. This has happened twice and he had to turn the power off and then back on to be able to accelerate.
Also from Virginia, another owner states how an RS e-tron GT wouldn’t move after stopping at a light. When the light changed “I pushed the accelerator (and) nothing happened.” He turned on the emergency flashers, powered down the car completely, and then restarted it. Then it functioned normally. But it happened four times in total. The ”car has already been at the dealer once and had some replacement parts done to fix the issue, but now it has occurred again and they are not sure why.”
Drivetrain Malfunction
An owner from Missouri had just exited the highway and was slowing down for traffic when the e-tron GT displayed a message stating the drive system had malfunctioned. It wasn’t possible to continue driving, but “I was able to limp the car out of traffic to a parking lot nearby, but the car had almost no power.” The e-tron barely moved even when pushing the accelerator to the floor.
“Once in the parking lot, I turned the car off for a few minutes and then back on. The problem appeared to resolve, but once exiting the parking lot (it) immediately came back. Once again I limped to another parking lot and shut the car off longer, waiting for it to go to ‘sleep.’ After restarting the car this time the error was gone and driving functionality was normal, and has not reoccurred since (knock on wood).”
This owner tracked down a discussion in the e-tron GT owners’ forum that shows that others have experienced the same issue. It was this discussion that highlighted that turning an e-tron off and on could resolve the problem and allow continued driving.
“While the issue has not persisted, it put me in a very dangerous situation where I lost all power in the middle of traffic. I’m thankful I had exited the interstate when it occurred and it didn’t happen while I was traveling at a high speed.”
Problems with the Brakes
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.”
Brake Failure
An owner from Georgia describes how, all of a sudden, the brakes of his 2022 Audi e-tron suddenly failed. “We were at an elementary school in (the) carpool line – near children. The brake pedal did not work at all.” But there was a warning message. This said, “stop driving, brake failure.” Luckily, the Audi-Sense alert activated the emergency parking brake before they hit the car in front of them. The driver turned the SUV off and on again, checking if it was a brake or computer issue. It was both! The car lurched forward. The warning came on again. And then the driver was able to drive off.
In the complaint, the owner states that it is unclear whether the brakes were “actually gone.” But she notes that there was a European recall for e-trons in September 2021 that suggests “this is really a brake issue.” The recall was for a condition “exactly as described here.”
Additionally, the tire sensors don’t work, producing incorrect readings on tire pressure, which is a safety issue. Again, there is a similar e-tron recall, but this model/vin number is not included. The complaint states that there are also other computer errors. For example, the screen goes black when in use and cannot be accessed while driving. While not a safety issue directly, the controls and visibility are not maintained.
“This model should not be sold in (the) U.S. (It’s) unsafe.”
Brake Malfunction
The Colorado owner of an e-tron GT 4 DR also reports multiple issues that relate to safety, including unexpected braking.
“While backing out of a parking space, with the car in reverse and in motion, the car turned itself off. The car stopped abruptly. I’m not sure if it applied the brakes or some sort of parking brake – at first, I thought we got hit from behind – it was very forceful. The car turning itself off and stopping without warning is a huge safety risk, I am glad it did not happen on a roadway.”
Another malfunction, that may be related, is the Park Assist feature that malfunctioned. “I started the engine from my phone, but (it) did not move the car. I entered the car and put it in reverse.” He thought that Park Assist might have timed out, triggering the car to switch off. It took about 30 seconds before it turned off. “Depending on the parking configuration, that would be enough time to get onto a public road, (which is) a real danger.”
Additionally, this owner has experienced dozens of other minor safety issues with the car. These include unexpected phantom lane-keep turns, lane-keep turning into obstacles, inconsistent idle/creep movements, unexpected high beam re-enabling, and false SOS signals. “When I reported these to the dealer, they either said ‘unable to reproduce’ or ‘works as intended’.”
Battery and Charger Problems
A Canadian owner asked for help from members of the e-tron forum when his Sportback had been with the dealer for more than 2 months with a battery problem. Nobody had any ideas.
Another member reported problems unplugging the charger. Others on the forum said they had the same problem.
According to one response, this was an issue with the 2019 e-trons, “but Audi has since updated the software for the charge port. I have not had any issues since the update. Newer e-trons also have that option in the MMI for releasing the lock when AC charging, but older ones only have that for DC.”
What to do if Your 2022 Audi e-tron is a Lemon? Your Lemon Rights
There are no specific problems that will indicate that a 2022 Audi e-tron is a lemon, but if you think yours might be, Lemberg Law is ready to give advice. A good rule of thumb is that if your e-tron’s problems are affecting the use or value of the SUV, it could be a lemon.
Automakers frequently buy back, trade-in, or pay cash settlement agreements to customers who have bought lemon vehicles. Where there are legal fees involved, they also have to pay these.
You are welcome to contact Lemberg Law via our Helpline or by filling out a contact form. We will assess your problems and get back to you free of charge.
Complaint Data
| Category | Service Brakes |
| Date | Mar 03, 2023 |
| State | VT |
| Description | On 3 separate occasions brake pedal went all the way to the floor without stopping the vehicle. Pumping the brake pedal did not help as brake pedal went to the floor each time. After a few panic pumps all of sudden brakes worked as if nothing had happen. This was not a gradual regain of pedal force but full force as if nothing had happen. Did not see any indications on dashboard at the time and none were present after any of the events listed below. Note - each event was after car sat in parking lot for at least 4 hours. First time was jan 23, 2023 at ~ 12,300 miles leaving parking in the morning onto main road. Fortunately no traffic. Second event feb 8 ~12,900 miles leaving parking lot onto main road in the morning. Fortunately no traffic. Third event feb 9 ~ 12,940 miles leaving business parking lot in the afternoon and was approaching the exiting gate which rose out of the way in time for car not to hit the barrier. Car was taken to audi service on feb 13, 2023 to be evaluated. Audi service could not duplicate issue and kept the car for 11 days. Audi technical team advised replacing the brake booster module (pn 4ke-614-100-ag-bef) which was done by audi service in south burlington, vt. Original brake booster removed from car was kept at audi service. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Feb 14, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Complete electrical system had a complete and unintended shut down making the vehicle totally inoperable for minute 15 seconds until electric (ev) power to the vehicle was restored. Occurred at a red light stop, if the power had failed while I was driving my 2022 audi etron ev on almaden expressway, san jose, ca would have had the potential to be catastrophic. Received a warning on the dashboard approximately 30 seconds prior to the unintended power failure to the vehicle indicating' "malfunction of driver assistance". Vehicle also had experienced numerous false warning of traveling in the wrong direction on a one way road. This was incorrect as the warning indicated a street I was not driving on, that is approx. 85 miles away. This has happened approximately 4x prior to the unintended power disruption incident. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Feb 11, 2023 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Electric car that does not hold power. Ad says full charge can get you to 220 mi, however I can barely get 170 mi of full charge. |
| Category | Electrical System, Power Train |
| Date | Feb 09, 2023 |
| State | CA |
| Description | The contact owns a 2022 audi e-tron. The contact stated while at a stop light and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehicle operated as designed. On another occasion, the contact stated while driving 30 mph, a message was displayed erroneously showing that the vehicle was heading in the wrong direction. The dealer was contacted, and a voicemail was left. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 2,707. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | Jan 18, 2023 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The heater has failed. Dealer has diagnosed as high voltage heating unit failure. The issue is that this problem is occurring in many etron gts and porsche taycans and there is no info from audi as to when they will have replacement parts. No heat in the middle of winter, and the windows fog up, forcing you to drive with a window cracked open. |
| Category | Forward Collision Avoidance |
| Date | Nov 30, 2022 |
| State | TX |
| Description | The contact owns a 2022 audi e-tron. The contact stated while at a complete stop at a traffic light in the middle of an intersection, the vehicle lunged 2-3 ft. Forward. A message indicating a possible forward collision was displayed. The vehicle then turned off independently. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving; however, the failure reoccurred while at a complete stop. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000. |
| Category | Engine, Unknown Or Other, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Oct 26, 2022 |
| State | VA |
| Description | Upon the vehicle resting at a stop, for longer than 30 seconds, the vehicle will no longer accelerate. “safe†warning is shown by the instrument cluster. Had to turn power off to vehicle and back on for vehicle to accelerate. This has happened twice almost resulting in being rear ended and being stuck in traffic. |
| Category | Service Brakes, Unknown Or Other, Wheels |
| Date | Sep 20, 2022 |
| State | GA |
| Description | 1. The brakes all of a sudden failed. We were at an elementary school in carpool line - near children- the brake pedal did not work at all, nothing. Warning message to stop driving brake failure. The audi-sense alert did at least put on the emergency parking brake before hitting a car ahead of us. Turned off and on, checking if computer vs actual brake issue (see below, computer issues as well). The car lurched forward, then warning, got out of line onto side of parking lot. After turning off and on again, it worked to drive again. Unclear right now if brakes actually gone but european recall sept 2021 suggests this is really a brake issue and recall exactly as described here (I bought this car three months later, which suggests gross negligence on part of audi here). 2. Tire sensors do not work, wrong readings on pressure. Safety issue. Similar e-tron recalled, but not mine - again, audi negligence not properly recalling all impacted vehicles. 3. Additional computer errors. The screen goes black when in use and cannot be accessed while driving. Not a safety issue, but controls and visibility are lost. As I can only list 3 problems here will open a second issue for remaining failures on this 9 month old vehicle. Thank you, this model should not be sold in us. Unsafe. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Aug 05, 2022 |
| State | IN |
| Description | On thursday august 4, 2022, after backing out of a space, I placed the vehicle in drive and the vehicle shifted uncommanded to neutral prior to being motion. My vehicle has shifted to neutral once and park twice previously. I reported this issue to audi of indianapolis in may 2022, but no technical remedy was provided. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Jul 25, 2022 |
| State | MO |
| Description | After exiting the highway and slowing for traffic the car lost power and displayed a message along the lines of "drive system malfunction. Continued driving not possible." I was able to limp the car out of traffic to a parking lot nearby, but the car had almost no power. You could push the accelerator all the way to the floor and the car would barely move. Once in the parking lot I turned the car off for a few minutes and then back on. The problem appeared to resolve but once exiting the parking lot immediately came back. Once again I limped to another parking lot and shut the car off longer, waiting for it to go to "sleep." after restarting the car this time the error was gone and driving functionality was normal, and has not reoccurred since (knock on wood). The e-tron gt owners forum has a thread where others have experienced the issue, which is how I was aware that turning the car off and on could resolve the problem and allow continued driving. While the issue has not persisted, it put me in a very dangerous situation where I lost all power in the middle of traffic. I'm thankful I had exited the interstate when it occurred and it didn't happen while I was traveling at a high speed. |
| Category | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System, Power Train |
| Date | Jul 19, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | While backing out of a parking space, with the car in reverse and in motion, the car turned itself off. The car stopped abruptly, I'm not sure if it applied the brakes or some sort of parking brake - at first I thought we got hit from behind - it was very forceful. The car turning itself off and stopping without warning is a huge safety risk, I am glad it did not happen on a roadway. Possibly related, I had started the "park assist" feature from my phone. I started the engine from my phone, but did not move the car. I entered the car and put it in reverse. I wonder if the "park assist" timed out and triggered the car turning off. It was about 30 seconds from when the car turned on before it turned off. Depending on the parking configuration, that would be enough time to get onto a public road, a real danger. To best address the specific questions in guidelines, it has not been looked at by a dealer or service center. I have encountered dozens of minor safety issues with the car (ie. Unexpected braking, unexpected phantom lane keep turns, lane keep turning into obstacles, inconsistent idle/creep movements, unexpected high beam re-enabling, false sos signals, etc). When I reported these to the dealer, they either said "unable to reproduce" or "works as intended". None of these rose to the level I felt it needed to be reported, but I can expand on those issues more if needed. |
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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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