In affected vehicles, the parking brake indicator light may fail to illuminate, which could lead to a rollaway and potential crash.
Since its debut for the 2022 model year, the Audi Q4 e-tron hasn’t faced too many issues, which is always great news for a brand new product. However, like pretty much every other new automotive model out there, the all-electric SUV has been the subject of a few recalls thus far. Now, Volkswagen is issuing another recall for select 2022-2023 Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback models – as well as some 2021-2023 Volkswagen ID.4 crossovers – due to a software issue that could cause the transmission gear lever indicator to fail to display properly.
This particular problem impacts a total of 60,490 Audi Q4 e-tron models produced between September 20, 2021 and October 12, 2023, as well as Q4 e-tron Sportback models built from September 27, 2021 and October 10, 2023. The problem stems from software behavior in the brake control unit, which can lead to a different kind of issue, at least, in terms of the fact that if the parking brake isn’t engaged, the red parking brake indicator light won’t be illuminated.
This particular failure to display the gear position could result in the vehicle rolling away if the parking brake is not engaged, which could lead to a crash. Additionally, the fault means that impacted vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 102, “Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect.” The fix for this problem is rather simple, at least, as affected Audi Q4 e-tron and Q4 e-tron Sportback owners are being instructed to take their vehicles to their preferred dealership, where techs will update the brake control unit software free of charge.
Notification letters are expected to be mailed out on April 25, 2025, but in the meantime, Audi is instructing impacted owners to double check and make sure their parking brake indicator light is illuminated before exiting the vehicle, in order to confirm that it won’t roll away when parked on an incline of any sort. Customers can also contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834, referencing recall number 454R, or contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or by visiting nhtsa.gov.
Photos: Audi
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