Sudden and catastrophic transmission failure

musashiz222 · Feb 3, 2025

Recently new owner of a 2017 Audi E-tron. Really fell in love with this car. Even got a new battery under warranty. 61k miles.

Was driving home last Saturday and the dash lights up like a Xmas tree. 6 or 7 different errors. "Transmission failure" was the most notable ones.

After a tow to Audi and a few days in the shop, they quoted more than the value of the car in repairs. Obv I'll be lemon law'ing this car. But like... Wtf??

Srsly like what is the deal here? How many others experienced this? Is this a wrong diagnosis? Is it just the mechatronic failing?

Super sad my love affair ended this quickly.

icee · Feb 4, 2025

Were there any changes in the way the transmission drove/felt, or sounds coming from the car leading up to the failure?

musashiz222 · Feb 4, 2025

No not that I noticed. It drove perfectly up until the sudden failure.

Jacks A3 ET · Feb 4, 2025

See - search for - old post on Metronic failure with link to YouTube vidio

musashiz222 · Feb 4, 2025

Yeah to be honest it does not feel like a transmission failure it feels like a mechatronic failure and Audi dealership is misdiagnosing the problem.

The only reason that I say it's transmission failure is because that is what the Audi dealership diagnosis says.

Either way I don't want to really fight with Audi about it. Im going to go with the vehicle buyback/lemon law approach. Very sad, love this car.

Even if I fought without Audi saying it's just a mechatronic issue they aren't going to listen to a word I say

SteveO90290 · Feb 5, 2025

How will you lemon law a used car out of warranty?

icee · Feb 5, 2025

It would be a shame to decommission the car since it has a relatively brand spanking new traction battery. If you read the posts with what people have to go through at the dealership to get it replaced under warranty, you'll understand why its so special.

I also understand that sinking feeling that sticks with you when a new to you car doesn't work as it should.

If you have AAA to keep towing the car around and if you can stomach a few more diagnostics fees, I'd take the car to a trusted independent VW/Audi repair shop. I'm a data/info drivin guy and it irritates me to no end when a dealership gives you no supporting information for their diagnostics.

I wish you luck with getting everything sorted out.
(I hope that means you get to keep the car fixed up good as new)

musashiz222 · Feb 5, 2025

SteveO90290 said:
How will you lemon law a used car out of warranty?

Its still under hybrid system warranty. It is 8yr/100k on these cars

Nuje · Feb 5, 2025

From the sounds of it (you're right around the 100K km / 62K miles mark where this seems to rear its ugly head), there is a far more affordable solution:

SteveO90290 · Feb 6, 2025

If you can get them to diagnose as that would be the key. Finding a LL attorney that will actually take the case is the hard part. Fingers crossed for you.

musashiz222 · Feb 6, 2025

Nuje said:
From the sounds of it (you're right around the 100K km / 62K miles mark where this seems to rear its ugly head), there is a far more affordable solution:

Yeah im aware. I actually reached out to this guy personally to ask how I can get the mechatronic serviced and there's no shops that will actually service the mechatronic they all want to replace it. He gave me ATR's number but they wont call me back. Of course in Europe you can get the mechatronic services instead of replaced.

It very well could be the mechatronic but I just don't have the energy to fight without Audi on this. Life's too short. Such a shame that these amazing cars have to go to the crusher but I have limited time and I can't be fighting with Audi and chasing down people that can to service the mechatronic.

SteveO90290 · Feb 6, 2025

I just watched the video. So it seems that the key would to getting warranty service or LL attorney is if the mechatronic unit is considered part of the hybrid system. In a car like this it would seem as if it would be as there is no starter motor. Please keep us informed on your progress as it looks like this could be an issue for many.

Thanks
SteveO

icee · Feb 6, 2025

musashiz222 said:
... I can't be fighting with Audi and chasing down people that can to service the mechatronic.

I also can't find a shop willing to dig into DSG Mech units to do solenoid service and I'm only a few hours North from you.

The one time where a car manufacturer actually makes a part serviceable and no one local can do the work.

Nuje · Feb 6, 2025

How capable are you with a wrench?
Could you remove the mechatronic yourself, pack it up, and ship it off to get repaired?

It's a self-contained unit (the mechatronic), so if you can live with an unmovable car in your driveway for a few weeks, that seems like the most cost-efficient way to get going again.

elkm36a · Feb 7, 2025

If you watch the video there is a gasket where the stainless steels mesh filter fails. If the gasket is unavailable could try to fabricate it using stock SS mesh.

musashiz222 · Feb 8, 2025

Nuje said:
How capable are you with a wrench?
Could you remove the mechatronic yourself, pack it up, and ship it off to get repaired?

It's a self-contained unit (the mechatronic), so if you can live with an unmovable car in your driveway for a few weeks, that seems like the most cost-efficient way to get going again.

I am open to that but I looked into the procedure for servicing it and re-install. however there are things that can go wrong as it's a sealed unit. If the re-install procedure has ANY corners cut you will very likely see other issues you never had before. I think this is why possibly no one wants to work on it?

But then again the video addresses the mech issue where the car runs - but only in ev mode. My car wouldn't run in any mode gas or electric. Wish diagnoseDan was state side

Nuje · Feb 9, 2025

Oh - I thought the issue he described was exactly yours - neither gas nor EV worked.
(Been a few months since I watched the video.)

DrOptiks · Feb 13, 2025

Not sure if I'm having the same problem but over that past couple months I've also been getting the Christmas tree error symptoms. Started with a low start stop battery warning, two weeks later I got the first electronic failure error. Then I got the drive failure error with a parking brake error. Would run in gas mode.

Read about changing the start stop battery, which mine was 6 years of so I put in an Interstate battery, coded it in vcds, still got some errors so I swapped with a battery from Audi dealer. Recoded the new VAG battery. Couple of days later the car bricked itself, wouldn't start, shift, nothing, errors all over the place, drive error, transmission failure, parking brake failure, electronic failure .

Finally got it in neutral so I could push it out of the road. Interestingly, I disconnected the start stop battery for 5 minutes, reconnected and all was fine. Drove home.

I've had another drive failure error so I put a CanBus logger in the car to pull some data and the car has been almost fine for a month. Last week I got another low start stop battery warning when the car was at 0 charge. But nothing.

My trouble doesn't feel like a transmission failure unless pulling the start stop battery connector pulses the silonoid and causes it to start working again.

I'm at 89,000 so for now I keep a 10mm wrench in the car in case it bricks again. But I don't have confidence in the car so would love to know if these errors are covered under warranty.

elkm36a · Feb 14, 2025

Would be a stroke of luck if it went out while still in warranty since Audi would likely replace everything so your car would have practically a new hybrid transmission. Definitely would increase the resale value.

Micheal · Feb 14, 2025

DrOptiks said:
Not sure if I'm having the same problem but over that past couple months I've also been getting the Christmas tree error symptoms. Started with a low start stop battery warning, two weeks later I got the first electronic failure error. Then I got the drive failure error with a parking brake error. Would run in gas mode.

Read about changing the start stop battery, which mine was 6 years of so I put in an Interstate battery, coded it in vcds, still got some errors so I swapped with a battery from Audi dealer. Recoded the new VAG battery. Couple of days later the car bricked itself, wouldn't start, shift, nothing, errors all over the place, drive error, transmission failure, parking brake failure, electronic failure .

Finally got it in neutral so I could push it out of the road. Interestingly, I disconnected the start stop battery for 5 minutes, reconnected and all was fine. Drove home.

I've had another drive failure error so I put a CanBus logger in the car to pull some data and the car has been almost fine for a month. Last week I got another low start stop battery warning when the car was at 0 charge. But nothing.

My trouble doesn't feel like a transmission failure unless pulling the start stop battery connector pulses the silonoid and causes it to start working again.

I'm at 89,000 so for now I keep a 10mm wrench in the car in case it bricks again. But I don't have confidence in the car so would love to know if these errors are covered under warranty.

Am also having the same problems as you, Jump started a few times, have now a new start battery & hoping for the best,

Sudden and catastrophic transmission failure

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