Verified government source

NHTSA complaint #11745545

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 Q5

Manufacturer

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.

Components

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Dates

Incident: 06/19/2026
Filed: 06/22/2026

Owner complaint summary

If I have a sensor that will malfunction due to water then there should be a water indicator alert. My sunroof vent was blocked and water went into my trunk where the core module is. I had just come to a red light to turn on to a major highway and my car began to smell like fuel. I rolled down the windows and realized the smell was not as strong as inside. The light turned green and as I stepped on the gas the car went into limp mode as I was in the middle of my turn. The power steering then went out in the turn and the wheel yanked to the left and put me half way into the lane next to me. Thankfully no one was there. I had to yank it back to the right to get off of the highway on to the side of the road. I do not think that the power steering should be associated with that module or at least a water indicator sensor should be added. What happens if someone is on the interstate is driving 75 mph and their power steering goes out. It's in the shop and there is no damage other than now I am scared to drive it

This is an owner complaint filed with NHTSA (ODI #11745545). It is not automatically an official recall, investigation outcome, or manufacturer admission unless the complaint text itself describes one.

Official record ID (ODI): 11745545. 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.