What 29 owners told NHTSA about the 2025 Audi Q6 Sportback E-tron

On May 6, 2026, while operating the vehicle on a neighborhood street, the vehicle experienced a sudden, violent, and dangerous failure. After accelerating away from a stop sign, the vehicle was traveling at approximately 20-25 mph when, simultaneous with a warning message, it came to an immediate and abrupt stop. A number of error messages appeared in rapid succession on the vehicle’s MMI. Those messages referenced, among other things, drive battery errors, a major electrical system failure, and drivetrain issues. After the abrupt stop, the driver, attempted to restart the vehicle. Following one failed attempt, the vehicle restarted; however, after traveling approximately 30 feet, the vehicle again came to an abrupt, violent, and sudden stop. After several additional failed attempts to restart the vehicle, the driver allowed the vehicle to sit idle for approximately five minutes. The driver was then able to restart the vehicle and drive it, very cautiously and slowly, approximately two miles to a safe location. Once in a safe location, driver contacted the dealer who confirmed that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. On May 7, 2026, the dealer informed us that they had found “several different faults stored in the vehicle but those faults all basically contradict each other.” The dealer further informed us that they would need to contact Audi in Germany for guidance on how to proceed with diagnosis and repair. On May 22, 2026, the dealer informed us that "(w)e do need to drop the battery. There is a module in one of the battery cells that we are going to replace and also the module that controls the battery as well".

NHTSA ODI 11741094

While driving on the freeway in the carpool lane, our Audi Q6 malfunctioned and lost power. There were numerous malfunction lights all at once. No other warning that the car was about to lose power. I was forced to coast across lanes avoiding traffic to the side of the road. Steering wheel was also violently shaking. The car has been out of service at the dealer for 58 days as of today. The manufacturer and dealer have both spent time analyzing the car and replaced the 12 volt battery and some control modules. Here is the text message I received from the service advisor at the dealer: “the following are the latest notes from the technician and techline audi :The control module for engine and suspension control is the module that has the static low voltage faults. Tech line thinks this control module staying awake is what’s killing the 12 volt battery. A faulty or discharged 12 volt can cause several problems in an electric vehicle” My concern is that there is no advance warning that the control module or suspension control is draining the battery and there is no advance warning that the 12 volt battery is going to die or is discharged. Audi has not been able to provide reassurance or confirmation that we will know in advance of this issue happening again. We were fortunate to be able to get out of traffic and to the shoulder, but it was a dangerous situation for me and my family to be in. With no advance warning, it seems a good possibility this can happen again.

NHTSA ODI 11718670

10/21/25-electric drive:malfunction, cooling system Car abruptly inoperable(while on Highway)-@412pm on 10/21/25 Inspected-by Insurance in <24hours and took @2 weeks by dealer service , and in shop last 60 days as of today 12/25/25-no end in site ! There was warning-“YELLOW” light-10/21/25 @915am,so on contacting dealer same @920am, 10/21/25 , dealer gave a service appointment for Nov 28th, 2025, “inoperable”incident happened 10/21/25 evening

NHTSA ODI 11707013

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle experienced an electrical malfunction that caused it to shut off or switch into an inoperable gear while in motion, without driver input. A “Central Locking: Malfunction” message appeared on the dashboard at the time of failure. Yes, the vehicle is currently with Audi North Atlanta and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle lost power and became unresponsive while I was actively driving, putting me and others at risk of collision. In one instance, I was turning in an intersection on a busy road when the vehicle became undrivable. On another occasion, my child was in the back seat, and the car shut off despite both of us being fully restrained. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. The service manager at Audi North Atlanta confirmed that he experienced the same issue when the vehicle switched into an inoperable state after he shifted his weight in the seat while driving through the parking lot. He has acknowledged this as a potential seat sensor or occupancy detection issue and is currently conducting further research. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes. The vehicle is currently under investigation by Audi North Atlanta, and Audi’s Technical Field Manager for the Atlanta region has been involved in the review process. No police or insurance representatives have inspected the vehicle at this time. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes. A “Central Locking: Malfunction” warning message appeared on the dashboard at the time of the incidents. There were no prior warnings before the vehicle lost power and became unresponsive. The issue has occurred multiple times since.

NHTSA ODI 11674537

High-voltage electrical system malfunction - within a week of purchase, car gave this warning, dealership said this is related to a software update, which is not going to be available until Q3 2025. Dealership said the "warning" is no longer being displayed and the car is drive-able, and if the issue persists, car should be turned off and turned back on in a few minutes.

NHTSA ODI 11646017