Verified government source

NHTSA complaint #11625504

This page summarizes an official U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration owner complaint. Use the verification links below to confirm the record directly with NHTSA.

Vehicle

2021 AUDI Q7

Manufacturer

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Components

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Dates

Incident: 11/04/2024
Filed: 11/15/2024

Owner complaint summary

Driving on highway at 70 mph and high engine temp light came on. Said to pull over and continue to run car until temp decreased. I got over as quickly as I could ( no more than 1/4 of a mile) and sat on side of PA turnpike as engine cooled. I was at bottom of an exit ramp. I slowly proceeded up the ramp and warning came on again and red temp light reached again. I pulled right into the gas station at top of TP exit ramp. It still said to continue to run the car. I sat with my son in the car and ran the car in the shade. The temp was decreasing and then all my electrical lights came on, yellow battery warning light on and then suddenly the red battery light and all systems failed. Car turned off. Called AAA to take to my mechanic as Audi was a 3 hour wait for a tow and 3 weeks for service appointment with no loaners available. My certified mechanic said water pump completely dislodged. He replaced water pump, thermostat (which was already replaced bc it failed in year 2 of ownership). After repair, 48 volt battery would not take a charge. Assumed faulty alternator and/or battery. Alternator was already replaced once at year 1 as car died while driving as well. We had car towed to audi and they are reporting known issues with water pump but not issuing recalls. Also known issues with alternator repair parts that were used in year 1 but no warning to consumers. They are diagnosing problem now and if alternator and subsequent battery issue, it will be covered but not if battery issue comes back as electrical in nature.

This is an owner complaint filed with NHTSA (ODI #11625504). It is not automatically an official recall, investigation outcome, or manufacturer admission unless the complaint text itself describes one.

Official record ID (ODI): 11625504. This page is the human-readable source link used across afterwarranty. The raw JSON link proxies NHTSA's public API for machine verification; prefer this page when reading the complaint.