FaultScore

Audi A7 electrical problems

44 of the 217 complaints filed about the Audi A7 are about the electrical system — 20% of everything owners reported. The worst model year for it is 2019.

44

Complaints

20%

Share of all complaints

3

Crashes

0

Fires

Electrical System complaints by model year

2012 A7 6 13.6%

Median failure at 97,000 miles

2013 A7 7 15.9%

Median failure at 30,000 miles

2014 A7 1 2.3%
2016 A7 1 2.3%

Median failure at 10,956 miles

2018 A7 1 2.3%
2019 A7 24 54.5%

Median failure at 18,500 miles

2020 A7 2 4.5%
2021 A7 2 4.5%

What owners said

2019 Audi A7 Lutz, FL

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The car shut-off on three separate occasions while driving on [XXX] in Wesley Chapel, FL (twice) and once while traveling south on [XXX] in Orlando. There were multiple warning lamps and messages and I am requesting the BSG be replaced on this vehicle and the dealership refuses to replace it, although there is a manufacturer recall on this part that is a ticking time-bomb that may cause the car to shut off again while driving. When this occurs, you cannot put the car in gear and it presented a clear and present danger to the driver and their passengers. The dealership continues to try and fix other things and not the immediate and present issue of the BSG replacement. Someone please assist with getting this issue resolved and corrected. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11747681 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Phoenix, AZ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The following issues started in September 2024, however, they continue to be a problem and safety concerns. 1. The all doors of this vehicle has complications with opening as the lock and latch assembly fails. This causes issues with the doors locking or opening appropriately. It also causes central locking error code to be alerted. REPLACEMENT OF DRIVER FRONT DOOR LOCK/LATCH ASSEMBLY DUE TO MECHANICAL FAILURE INTERNAL OF LATCH MECHANISM NOT ALLOWING INTERIOR HANDLE/CABLE TO REACH CLOSED POSITION 2. The truck of the car does not open with the use of the door latch or key fob. You have to manually open the trunk. BOTH REAR HATCH MOTORS DUE TO MECHANICAL FAILURE 3. The Apple car play does not always connect successfully which causes a safety concern for not being able to use hand free and reduce distractions while driving.

NHTSA complaint #11733115 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Woodbridge, VA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2019 Audi A7 VIN: [XXX] Mileage: 53336 Fuel Pump and Starter Battery Failure Car stalls during operation. Confirmed by Tyson Audi Dealer wants to charge me for the repair of the said parts. Warning light appeared, then went off. Vehicle was taken to dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11672007 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2018 Audi A7 Houston, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My 2018 Audi A7 auto start / stop system has a very noticeable violent jerk when the engine restarts or I let off the brake.

NHTSA complaint #11581063 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2014 Audi A7 North Bend, OR, OR 1 injured

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND ALL OF A SUDDEN STEERING WHEEL STOPS WORKING GETS SO STIFF THE ELECTRICAL STEERING WHEEL COLUM COMPONET STOPS WORKING.JUST ABOUT CRASHED. THANK GOODNESS NO ONE IN FREEWAY. TPS LIGHTS GOES ON. PAYED ALL THE DIAGNOISES AND SAYS WEEKS TO ORDER THE PART. SAYS DON'T DRIVE. RED WARNING LIGHT. DID 3 DIAGNOSIS AND ITS THE CPU COMPONET THAT CONTROLS THE DASHBOARD AND FLIP SCREEN REAR TAIL THAT SHOULD RAISE AT 75 I BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO CLICK THE BUTTON TO ACTIVATE IF THE CAR LETS YOU. NO SCREEN ON FLIP SCREEN WENT OUT WHEN DRIVING WITH GPS ON IN THE MIDDLE OF A STORM. THE TRACTION ON THE CAR IS OFF . AUDI SAYS 8,000 DOLLARS FOR THE STEERING WHEEL COMPONET THEY SAY VERY HARD AND EXPENSIVE TO FIX.

NHTSA complaint #11574557 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Concord Twp, OH

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Dashboard stated “Electrical Malfunction” and yellow battery icon was illuminated. Eventually, the battery icon flashed red and message was to pull over immediately. The A7 was towed to an Audi dealership and the issue diagnosed as a “catastrophic generator failure”.

NHTSA complaint #11560453 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Encinitas, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Electric failure warning and car is undriveable. Power steering, brakes, etc won’t operate.

NHTSA complaint #11558135 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Audi A7 Bethesda, MD

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

At first, the yellow electrical system malfunction warning light came on. After a short time of driving, the light turned red, and very shortly after than (within five minutes as I was trying to drive the vehicle to the dealership for repair), all of the electrical systems in the vehicle failed. It created a very dangerous driving situation. I brought the vehicle to the Audi dealership, where they made repairs (replacing the generator) and returned the vehicle to me. Two days later, the yellow electrical system malfunction warning light returned while I was driving on the highway. I was able to drive the vehicle home, but along the way, the air conditioning failed. I will be bringing the vehicle back to Audi for further repairs. This defect is very dangerous because, in a very short amount of time, the car not only becomes inoperable, but essentially all of the car’s systems fail.

NHTSA complaint #11552430 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2020 Audi A7 Hoboken, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Electrical system malfunction during driving with multiple failures following after that. I managed to get the car in a safe area so I could get towed and not cause a dangerous situation on the road. This is a known issue with Audi’s with mild hybrid system where the 48v generator/alternator fails. The car goes in limp mode and causes a dangerous situation for driver and passengers if not able to steer the car off the highway. Audi has confirmed the issue with the 48v generator, but there is no recall for these vehicles despite Audi knowing this can cause dangerous situations on the road during a failure of this type. The car cannot be driven now until a replacement part comes in (lead time around 3 months).

NHTSA complaint #11551205 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2021 Audi A7 Orange, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The virtual cockpit (dashboard) went completely black except for an exclamation point. Speed, warning symbols, engine temp etc were not visible. Dealers has confirmed the issue and is currently trying to remedy the situation. The danger was not knowing how fast I was traveling.

NHTSA complaint #11517345 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Loganville, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The alternator malfunctioned and was not available for inspection upon request My safety was put at risk as the car ceased to move while driving on high speeds on the hwy The problem has been reproduced by several other audi owners. This is a widespread issue putting multiple lives at risk The vehicle component has been inspected by the manufacture There were no malfunctions happening prior I was driving on the highway and all of a sudden, all the lights were going off on the car. alot of malfunctioning. first message was electrical system malfunction, then rear spoiler malfunction and the car ceased to begin moving. I had to park it in the merging lane and feared for my safey. I decided to call audi for a jump start. the car started but as soon as the cables were removed the car died again. i had to then call for a tow truck to take the car to the dealership. All this happened while i was cold and stuck in the middle of a busy highway street. I was told by audi this is a widespread issue. they did not provide a loaner car as they said they were out and ive been on the waiting list for the past 3 weeks. They also said the parts were back ordered and i can be looking at 3-6 months without my car. No reinbursement for the car payments either and im limited to a rental for $50 a day max which i would have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed while paying for the car note as well. This is unacceptable.

NHTSA complaint #11506170 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Plainsboro, NJ

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2019 Audi 7. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V155000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11505182 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Greensboro, NC

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Multiple warnings indicating to contact dealer (Lane departure, adaptive cruise control, collision avoidance, etc) then 1 minute later transmission failure and engine failure imminent.... pull over immediately and contact dealer. while driving a few minutes later my center MMI went blank then my electronic dash went blank, transmission went into neutral and the engine died all within a few seconds. Fortunately I was able to coast to a stop and unable to restart the vehicle. towed to dealer who assessed that starter/generator needed to be replaced.

NHTSA complaint #11504805 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Houston, TX

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On a late dark night driving back home from supper my wife's low mileage Audi suddenly died on a busy and unlit street (Champions Forest Drive). We had to call an Uber to take us home. We also had to leave the abandoned vehicle overnight. Early the next morning a Harris County Precinct 4 Constable Deputy came to our house inquiring about the status of our abandoned car. An Audi tow truck hauled the car to their North Houston Audi dealership that same early morning where we were told that the problem was due to a defective alternator. They also told us that we would have to wait 3-4 months for repairs. They have, at their small dealership, over 50 cars waiting to be repaired. We were also informed there are 40,000 to 50,000 vehicles worldwide with this exact same problem.

NHTSA complaint #11504030 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Arcadia, CA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Received an electrical malfunction - please call service warning icon on dash display. In less than one mile, I received cascading sequential warnings - including transmission and steering warnings - please pull over now. I attempted to exit the freeway on the next ramp, on the I10 Freeway in Claremont, CA on the Monte Vista Exit - but the car completely lost all power and electric (dash and all screens were dark) blocking a traffic lane. Was stranded there for over 45 Minutes until AAA/Highway Patrol were able to obtain a tow truck. Car was towed to dealer and found out it is a known issue with the 48V Alternator System in 2019 Model Year Audis. Found out alternator is unavailable due to supply chain issues and car will be out of service for at least 4 weeks! Per research on Audi Forms, this is a known issue and Audi should be recalling these vehicles and performing the KNOWN software update (TSB Software Update 27-22-45 - Version 527) on all 2019-2020 Audi vehicles with this system. I was in fear of being rear-ended and injured - and to find out this should not have happened is very disappointing. Please require Audi to recall these vehicles and update the software so others are NOT put in this same life threatening situation - and then forced to wait until the vehicle can be fixed - currently at least 4 weeks! It has happened to MANY others - just check the Audi Owner Forums on the internet. Thank you for your consideration.

NHTSA complaint #11503807 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Indianapolis, IN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am reaching out to update complaint number 11503265. Back in October of 2022, my vehicle turned off on me one time at the gas station and would not start until I waited 5 minutes. The vehicle did the same thing about 15 minutes later after I arrived at a friends' house. Following that incident later on that night it happened again. I have also had some issues with the vehicle not accelerating.

NHTSA complaint #11503879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 at 45,000 miles Indianapolis, IN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2019 Audi A7. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle was shuddering and failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that the oil warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V155000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA complaint #11503265 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Ten Mile, TN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Starter Generator failure of the 48v Mild hybrid system. This issue is very common, and has a recall on the 2019+ audi a6 (however its because of a risk of electrical fire). Car sends errors to driver as many electrical components begin to fail and fault one by one, steering wheel dynamics shifted while in motion (as steering module failed), air suspension faults occurred. The car inevitably died during operation. Was stuck inside of vehicle, the internal door handles are powered by the 48v system, they are not mechanical latches. Car stalls out when the 48v battery fails. I have had this part replaced on my car, dealership says there are 8 just like it in the past 2 months. Very common issue for Audi's. As more of these find their way on the road, each car magnifies the risks to vehicle owners and other drivers as these issues are becoming more in more common in 3 year old Audi models.

NHTSA complaint #11502709 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Hampton, GA

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The electrical malfunction light came on while driving. Then my spoiler malfunction light came on. After that my dash board lit up like a Christmas tree. All kinds of lights came on. My car stopped in the middle of traffic. Had Audi care tow it to a Audi dealership. The SA says it's an alternator issue and there is no eta when the part will be in. They have over 30 cars at each Audi dealership around the city with no recall, or loaners. I may be without a car for a month or more.

NHTSA complaint #11501561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

2019 Audi A7 Beaverton, OR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

"Electrical System Malfunction!" warning popped up, along with "Start/Stop Malfunction!". Car seemed to drive fine. Called dealership to make appointment to drop off car. Drove car another 8 miles, was on the way to the dealership when all components of the vehicle shut down, many warning lights then the vehicle went into limp mode and completely died. I was on a 50mph stretch of the highway and had to pull into the center median/divider for safety because there was no shoulder. Vehicle had to be towed. This appears to be an issue on many 2019+ Audis right now and turns out it is an alternator failure. I'm wondering if it's software related as it is happening on many Audi's right now.

NHTSA complaint #11500601 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other Audi A7 problems