Transmission and engine lag issues among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
The 2019 Audi Q8 is a newer luxury SUV that is supposed to become a leader in the company’s lineup. As part of the marketing, the automaker claims that “expectations put limitations on possibilities.” While this statement is used to sell the vehicle, it actually backfires. Customers quickly learn not to have any realistic expectations with this model because it is riddled with issues. From a malfunctioning engine to a defective powertrain, this SUV is nothing like what owners hoped for.
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The engine is arguably one of the most important parts of any vehicle. When it comes to driving a luxury model, it’s natural to anticipate plenty of power and reliability, but that’s not what the 2019 Audi Q8 offers. Instead, there are some major motor issues that must be addressed.
Just look at this NHTSA complaint. “There is a noticeable throttle lag (hesitation) when the auto start/stop feature is enabled, and the car comes out of a rolling stop (ex. When making a left turn). Disabling the auto start/stop feature or selecting Sport mode negates the issue.”
The auto start/stop system shuts down the engine and restarts it automatically to reduce how long it spends idling. This reduces fuel consumption and lessens emissions, which is a major reason that owners want to drive a car with this feature. Disabling it defeats the purpose of having this innovative technology on-board. Still, it appears there are many engine issues that Audi doesn’t know how to fix. Service Bulletin #A0119232054182_2 talks about how the engine can misfire. Instead of offering a fix, Audi states for technicians to “explain to the customer that a solution is forthcoming and currently scheduled for the late 4th quarter of 2019. No repairs are necessary at this point.” Instead, the luxury car company expects drivers to continue operating their overpriced SUV with a misfiring engine. Maybe it’s time to lower expectations.
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| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Electrical System | |
| Power Train | |
| Engine | |
| Steering | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| Seat Belts |
As we evaluate the various transmission issues, we see the same rough ride illustrated earlier.
On the NHTSA website, another driver wrote, “On multiple occasions, 2019 Audi Q8 will not accelerate when gas pedal applied for roughly 1-3 seconds when coasting to a stop or immediately coming out of a stop, causing the vehicle to remain stationary although gas pedal is applied. Once the vehicle responds to the depressed accelerator, after a delay, then the auto can accelerate beyond the requested acceleration. It feels like the vehicle is trying to decide whether or not to respond to the depressed accelerator, leaving the vehicle vulnerable if trying to cross traffic, accelerate from a stop sign, or turn left between oncoming traffic. The problem feels intermittent although feels like it’s becoming more common. Vehicle responds this way whether or not the auto stop feature is engaged or not.”
The issues don’t seem to be related to the auto start/stop feature. While there are nearly 200 service bulletins, the luxury automaker decided not to discuss one powertrain problem. Maybe they expect everyone to believe that there are no troubles present. It’s just another way to help owners lower their expectations while Audi does nothing to fix the issues.
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 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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I have a 2019 Audi Q* that has received the 37M6 update and did not correct my issue. The Audi dealership confirmed the problem but Audi USA will not grant the dealership access to the car software to diagnose the problem.
An ECU software update was released by Audi. It improves a lot the throttle lag issue. In EU they release the update mid September.
Is a pity although it took so long.
Has Audi provided a throttle modulator fix to get rid of the throttle lag?
I leased The Q8 3 months ago and have been experiencing lag many times thinking that it was me.
I also have a misfire thinking its bad gas. I was wrong. It makes no difference where you get your gas or what level octane.
Have these items been fixed yet.
Any Thoughts?