e-tron problems

Several owners of Audi's first electric model, the e-tron, have had to replace the rear motor and differential on cars with moderate mileage. Why is this happening, and can it be prevented?

The Audi e-tron was Audi's first commercial electric model. It gave the market a signal that the Volkswagen Group was ready to electrify its car fleet. The year was 2019. With tax and duty exemptions, the electric Audi became widely available in Norway. For the same price as a mediocre station wagon, you could get a large and pompous Audi SUV the size of an Audi Q7. Today, according to Elbilstatistikk.no Over 30000 Audi e-trons have been registered (50 and 55 ed. note). The figure includes both cars distributed via brand dealers and parallel imports.

A known issue

I could easily pick out 10 ads on Finn.no where it was stated that the e-tron's rear motor had been replaced. Probably the tip of the iceberg. The car with the lowest mileage only had 66000 km on the odometer. I also find the problem discussed in posts on online forums. An American Audi owner had to pay $10700 to fix the car. A Norwegian car seller quoted 100000 kroner – another 110000 kroner. The amount is not of great interest at the moment, as most cars sold in Norway are still under new car warranty. The high price will probably raise more concern as the warranties expire. In the US, Audi has extended the warranty period for this specific problem. Perhaps Audi will do the same in Norway – at its discretion.

Coolant on the way out

In short, the problem occurs after coolant leaks around the rear engine. The leak occurs at a sealing ring. The engineers at Audi have actually foreseen a problem with excess water (coolant and/or condensation) and made a container on the underside of the engine to collect this. The container should be replaced at the 30000 km service. Normally, you will only find a splash of clear water there. But when the sealing ring does not do its job, the container fills up faster and liquid penetrates vulnerable components.

There are videos on YouTube that show you can empty the excess water tank yourself. It is accessed from the underside of the drivetrain behind a plastic cover.

Scope and prevention

Currently, there is only speculation about why the sealing ring fails. One theory is that coolant deposits adhere to the ring due to heat. What strengthens this theory is that the problem seems to affect a larger proportion of car owners in the United States than in Norway. Hours of driving at highway speeds with subsequent fast charging and hot climates can create high temperatures in the batteries. Even though the Audi e-tron has separate cooling ducts for batteries and motors, the theory cannot be ruled out.

On a forum page, there is a discussion about whether to check the excess water tank more frequently to detect leaks at an early stage before vulnerable components are damaged, or just replace the sealing ring. I suspect that the branded workshops will replace the entire cluster consisting of engine, differential and control box anyway, rather than unscrewing everything to replace the sealing ring. Furthermore, the excess water tank is not suitable for inspection outside of service intervals.

Consequences

When new car warranties start to expire, you no longer have any legal claims against the dealers. But since it is a manufacturing defect, good customers may experience having the repair carried out under an extended warranty. Owners of parallel-imported cars have no claims beyond any local used car warranty. Car owners with service performed outside of the brand's workshops may also risk being met with a cold shoulder after the warranty has expired. Eventually, when all car owners have to cover the costs themselves, we may see well-maintained cars with low mileage being sent for recycling. Audi will not be the first in this case.

The question many may ask: Does this apply to all cars?

It is too early to draw any conclusions. We do not know the exact extent, but since the defect is already well known, we must assume that the number may be significant. Of the ads I checked, they are about cars registered between 2019 and 2021, repaired relatively recently in 2024 or 2025. There does not seem to be any connection with mileage, but age may be important. The third aspect is whether driving patterns and climate may play a role. Time will tell.

Repair instead of replace?

The YouTube video below (click on the image) shows the dismantling of a water-damaged rear engine cluster from an Audi e-tron. The video claims that the engine is made by Volkswagen and that it is also installed as the front engine in the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX. Since the ID.4 GTX with 4-wheel drive primarily drives the rear wheels, the front engine provides the the front wheels when needed. The Audi e-tron primarily drives the front wheels, and this engine is located at the rear.

audi e-tron problems — Points to presumed sealing ring

The mechanic discovered water in the steering box and noticed a strong, nasty smell from the gears in the differential, which he suggests may be caused by coolant mixing with transmission fluid. The point is that the electric motor appeared undamaged. The differential also looks like it can be cleaned and reassembled. Should thousands of owners of aging Audi e-trons experience problems with the rear motor, perhaps specialist workshops will emerge that can repair for half the price?

Should the problems also appear in the Volkswagen ID.4, they will have full order books.

See

electric motor replacement e-tron — Audi e-tron 55

hyundai i10 — A3 e-tron in winter twilight. Archive photo.

Advanced electronics are great – but not in a snowstorm. Was it the weather conditions that put the Audi e-tron out of action this evening? Fortunately, I was able to get there in a car without advanced electronics. The Hyundai i10 is in many ways a cool car, but not today. - Audi e-tron, on the other hand...

The day the electronics failed

I had my bike locked in a bike shed at work, but the electronic card reader for the door lock had died. Dense snow drifts, moist air and changing temperatures put the electronics out of action. It was going to get worse. While I was trying to find out when the bus left, my wife called. Her Audi A3 e-tron had gone completely "bananas". The dashboard flashed and honked, the red oil light was on and the screen told of serious engine problems. There were no mechanical problems. It was the electronics that failed. The worst part was that she couldn't turn off the ignition and lock the car. She couldn't leave it like that, and the tow truck couldn't come for two hours. They had a lot to do today.

E-tron with electronics problems

I have owned several modern family cars from the Volkswagen group. Under such conditions, it happened that they went into emergency mode without warning. Then it was just a matter of jumping over to the shoulder of the road, turning off the engine, putting on the hazard warning lights, calmly counting to ten and starting again. Pure routine. My guess is that when the car's central control system (software) stops, everything fails - including the error logging. Then all you have to do is resort to the "Swedish button". Cut the power. The problem with the e-tron is that there is no "Swedish button".

Small Hyundai i10 on the way!

With a woman in distress and an e-tron with serious electronics problems, I had to ditch the bus home and find a suitable car to come to the rescue. I had just returned the weekend's Toyota ProAce to Hertz car pool. Next to it, stood a red Hyundai i10. It was supposed to be the ambulance. The transition from ProAce to i10 was quite a big one. From feeling towering on the road, I suddenly became very small, - even compared to normal cars.

The snowfall had caused chaos in the traffic. On the Ringveien, things went awry. On the way out of the parking garage, I had to drive around a newer Golf with hazard lights. On the move, I couldn't tell if it was a GTE (Volkswagen's "e-tron") or an e-Golf. A little further away there was a bus with its emergency lights on. A really bad day for electronics, I thought.

While I was on the phone with my wife, her Audi had miraculously come back to its hooks. After half an hour it worked again. I asked her to start the gas engine and drive a few leisurely laps in the parking lot.

Crazy?

As I drove the little Hyundai, I thought how liberating low-tech this vehicle is. In the snow, I amused myself by "throwing" it into 90 degree turns and giving it gas. It felt like it was turning around on its own little axis without losing momentum, just like in a computer game. This is a surprisingly fun car, without being overwhelmed by electronics. I could have called the Hyundai "crazy", but in the stress and drive to help my wife, "crazy" wasn't the right word. Rema 1000 expression "The simple is often the best" fit better.

No problems for the Teslas

As I approached my wife's workplace I glimpsed her cosmos-blue e-tron in slow motion around and around the parking lot. On the way home, I saw another Golf parked on the side of the road with its hazard lights on. I was surprised that only cars from the Volkswagen group had been stopped. Why no Tesla? They are packed with all kinds of electronics! But the Teslas obviously had no problems at all this evening. On the contrary. I saw how easily they made their way through the snow. What a grip!

"No, the have we never heard of…”

I imagine that's the kind of thing people say in the car industry to avoid a bad reputation. I have experienced it in the past, - about technical errors that have been common, but only known within the dealer environment. You don't get to know that customer. You must know someone at the workshop. Møllerbil is a serious dealer. The mechanic who checked the error log found no information. The car was checked twice. Each check took less than half an hour.

As a car blogger, I allow myself to speculate

It took me a few seconds to find a forum page online for owners of the e-tron's sister model, the Golf GTE. A man had his car winched onto the tow truck after experiencing exactly the same thing as my wife. Other owners reported similar experiences. When Møller checked our car, they probably found nothing new - and just reported another case of a known fault to the factory. - And should anyone be wondering... Of course Norwegian Audi dealers are aware of this problem!

Is the Volkswagen group out on thin ice again?

Headlines about that "E-tron has electronic problems" would hardly have come conveniently after the diesel scandal. The management at Volkswagen has declared that they are betting on electricity. The E-tron project is the spearhead that will catch the world's eyes. Tesla was there a few years ago. At the time, many were skeptical of the technology and thought the project would fail. It didn't – at least not technologically. Should the "e-tron" fail now, the future for the Volkswagen Group undoubtedly looks bleak.

On my way to Møllerbil Vest (Oslo) I spotted the new A1. It has a 1,0-liter TSI engine of 116 HP with S Tronic – perhaps the simplest powertrain Audi can deliver at the moment. The design language does not look that much like the Hyundai i10, but in terms of size it is in the middle between the i10 and the A3. The new A1 actually looks very good! If the e-tron project does not stumble at the start, the Volkswagen Group is going to roll out electric car-based powertrains on a large scale. Then it is not impossible that it might be offered in the new A1, too?

New e-tron – new problems?

In the middle of the room was Audi's new all-electric e-tron model. It was still covered and was not to be uncovered until 6 o'clock in the evening. It undoubtedly looks beautiful, but the question the world is asking is whether the quality of the advanced technology is good enough. If not, the emergency pockets are going to be tight for the winter.

If I ever open the bike shed, they can borrow my bike 🙂

Same symptoms in the new Audi e-tron!

Found an article on tek no. Audi e-tron owner Øyvind Stensby learned that his Audi e-tron went completely bananas. The reason, according to Audi, is that it had been on slow charging for more than 12 hours. They recommend ignoring the messages, locking the car for 3 minutes and trying again. Anyone had similar experiences?