Owners have filed 19 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical, transmission, and automatic emergency braking. The 8 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/8 checked
2025 Audi e-tron: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
Nearby years usually share most parts, so their problems are worth checking on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Owners report these failures starting around the mileages below. A car inside one of these ranges deserves a closer look at that part, or records showing it was already fixed.
High-voltage and fire warnings
1,000–7,000 miles
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Audi e-tron, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Sudden high-voltage faults are the main pattern. Cars show high-voltage, "Driving System Malfunction" and "Risk of Fire" warnings, refuse to go into gear, or lose all power while moving, sometimes at highway speed. Some reports add lost braking, a shaking steering wheel, and an instrument cluster that goes blank during a system reset. A dealer confirmed that last behavior in writing. Other symptoms include false alerts, doors locking on their own, and unprompted SOS calls. Failures start early, from under 1,000 miles to about 7,000. Several cars return to the dealer repeatedly without a fix.
Cars lose drive power while moving. On freeways and in intersections, they suddenly become inoperable, with a burst of warning lights, a violently shaking steering wheel, and little or no warning beforehand. Drivers have to coast across traffic to the shoulder, which creates a real crash risk. Repairs are slow. Cars sit at dealers for about 60 days while technicians replace the 12-volt battery, control modules, or a central SX6 module, and part delays stretch the wait. In one case, a dealer blamed software and said a fix was still pending.
Driver-assistance systems shut down or misbehave. Several safety systems are flagged as not working at once, sometimes from the first drive home. With cruise control on, cars also veer toward the shoulder after misreading construction zones. Front camera failures disable many safety features. Dealers try software updates, camera replacement and alignment, and module or ECU swaps, often without success, and cars stay in the shop for weeks. One report at 7,500 miles also describes navigation and backup camera faults after a software update.
Excerpts from complaints e-tron owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
•Numerous error codes appeared on the dashboard. •All lights shut off while driving, creating a dangerous situation. •The doors locked automatically when I parked and attempted to exit the vehicle. •The SOS system activated while driving, instructing me to stop the vehicle immediately. •The alarm system sounded unexpectedly when I left the car. •I received false notifications on my iPhone indicating that children were in the rear seats.
Filed with NHTSA, December 2025
UPDATE TO EXISTING COMPLAINT #11717767: On 2/24/2026, the Audi dealer performed a diagnosis and confirmed in writing on the attached official Repair Order that the vehicle is designed to intentionally blank out the instrument cluster and speedometer for 30-60 seconds during an MMI reset, which they acknowledge is a safety hazard while driving. Please merge this dealer admission PDF attachment with my original complaint.
Filed with NHTSA, February 2026
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
Filed with NHTSA, December 2025
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.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2025
The entire ADAS system malfunctioned while driving and has been in the shop for the past 30 days. Despite replacing multiple modules, the dealership has not identified a viable solution. There were no prior warnings before the system failure.
Filed with NHTSA, May 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 ranks sixth for owner complaints among 8 e-tron years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Recall repairs are free at any Audi dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility.".
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2025 SQ6 E-Tron, SQ6 Sportback E-Tron, Q6 Sportback E-Tron, A6, A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, Q6 E-Tron, S5, and S6 Sportback E-Tron vehicles. The automatic locking retractor may fail to engage when a child seat is installed using the seat belt. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 208, "Occupant Crash Protection" and 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies.".
Risk: An improperly secured child seat can increase risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the right and left rear seat belt assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 16, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69D8. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2025 GTI, Golf R, Audi A5, A6 Sportback E-Tron, S5, S6 Sportback E-Tron, 2026 Q4 Sportback E-Tron, and Q4 E-Tron vehicles. The torsion bar in one or both front seat belt retractors may have been damaged during production.
Risk: In a crash, a damaged torsion bar in a retractor could fail. If this happens, the seat belt may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace one or both front seat belts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 30, 2025, and October 31, 2025. Owners may contact Audi at 1-800-253-2834 or Volkswagen at 1-800-893-5298. Audi's number for this recall is 69UM; Volkswagen’s number for this recall is 694T. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning September 26, 2025.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2025 SQ6 and Q6 vehicles. The rearview camera image may be delayed or deactivated after shifting into reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility.".
Risk: A rearview camera with a delayed or deactivated image reduces the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury or crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the rearview camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 20, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 916C.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2025 SQ6 e-tron and Q6 e-tron vehicles. The rearview camera may show a blurry image. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility.".
Risk: A blurry rearview image can reduce the driver's view of what is behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera. In addition, dealers will inspect and replace surround view cameras as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 2, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90XM.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2024-2025 AUDI Q4 E-Tron SUV, AUDI Q4 E-Tron Sportback, and 2024 ID.4 vehicles. The on-board charger (OCDC) may fail and stop charging the 12-volt battery, which can result in a loss of drive power.
Risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the OCDC, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 20, 2025. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 93CJ. Audi's number for this recall is 93FR.
Cars shoppers compare with the Audi e-tron, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
