Dealer Can’t Find Cause of Electrical System Malfunction in My Q4

[JudeGeor_1020]

I’ve been loving my Q4 for the past 4 months, but recently we had a pretty alarming issue that’s left us uneasy. While my wife was driving through a busy intersection, the car suddenly died and displayed “Electrical System Malfunction – Please Exit Safely” message on the dash. She tried powering the car on and off, but it wouldn’t drive. Strangely enough, the lights, radio, and other electrical components were working just fine, but the car simply wouldn’t move. She gave it one more try while waiting for a tow truck to show up; like magic, the car powered on and started running once more. When we brought it to the dealer, they verified they located the error code but were unsure of its source. The car has been with them for more than a week; they have not been able to replicate the problem or determine what set it off.

The dealer mentioned that if we’re concerned about safety, they can escalate the case to Audi USA. We’re now wondering if this might be a lemon. This was a new lease we were planning to pay off, but this incident has made us question that decision. Has anyone else experienced something like this with their Q4 e-tron, or have any advice? The dealer ruled out a software issue, but they seem pretty clueless as to what caused the malfunction.

 

[SuperBane]

Over the last 2 years, my car has been such a pain! Seriously, it’s given me trouble three times! The first time was just over a year ago when I had to tow it to the dealer for a couple of weeks because of some weird connector issue. I was super frustrated since my car was barely a few months old, so I even reached out to Audi USA for that! Then, about a month ago, the same error hit, and I got stuck. Luckily, a quick restart fixed it. But just last Friday? Yep, it happened again! This time, turning it off didn’t help, but after I rebooted the MMI and turned on the heater, the error finally went away. What a hassle!

 

[iGone88]

After just a week with my 2024 Audi Q4 55 Premium Plus, I'm dealing with serious issues. The MMI screen froze two days in, and a hard reset led to warnings about electrical malfunctions and a defective electric drive. It's back at the dealer, and while I have a rental car, I'm incredibly frustrated.

Thank goodness it’s a lease, but I may have to consider a Lemon Law claim if this continues. It’s crazy to have these problems with less than 150 miles on the car!

 

[Mirth43]

I’ve been loving my Q4 for the past 4 months, but recently we had a pretty alarming issue that’s left us uneasy. While my wife was driving through a busy intersection, the car suddenly died and displayed “Electrical System Malfunction – Please Exit Safely” message on the dash. She tried powering the car on and off, but it wouldn’t drive. Strangely enough, the lights, radio, and other electrical components were working just fine, but the car simply wouldn’t move. She gave it one more try while waiting for a tow truck to show up; like magic, the car powered on and started running once more. When we brought it to the dealer, they verified they located the error code but were unsure of its source. The car has been with them for more than a week; they have not been able to replicate the problem or determine what set it off.

The dealer mentioned that if we’re concerned about safety, they can escalate the case to Audi USA. We’re now wondering if this might be a lemon. This was a new lease we were planning to pay off, but this incident has made us question that decision. Has anyone else experienced something like this with their Q4 e-tron, or have any advice? The dealer ruled out a software issue, but they seem pretty clueless as to what caused the malfunction.

That definitely sounds super frustrating and a bit worrisome! Intermittent issues can pop up with EVs, but a sudden failure and an error message? Yikes! Hitting up Audi USA is a solid move, especially if you're thinking about your lease options.

Make sure to jot down everything, including what the dealer says, and hey, if things don’t get sorted out, chatting with a lemon law attorney might be worth it.

 

[Jrub]

I am also dealing with the dreaded "Electrical System Malfunction" error message on my 2024 Q8 Etron with 8700 miles on it. I came back to the airport parking garage after leaving it for 6 days and got the message as soon as I started it and put it in reverse. The car was towed to a local dealer a week ago,
and they have not even looked at it yet.