‘Just keep the car!’: Several Canadians say their luxury electric vehicles are malfunctioning. Transport Canada now reviewing concerns

Canadian consumers who purchased the Audi Q4 e-tron vehicle in recent months reached out to Speakers Corner as they unite to demand answers about several technical glitches that have eroded their confidence in the vehicle.

“I purchased a brand new car and it has not worked from day one, and it should never have been sold that way,” said Ryan Lundie, who lives in Orangeville.

Lundie, who leased his fully electric Audi Q4 e-tron in August, says the problems began the moment he picked it up on delivery day.

“The salesperson couldn’t get some of the systems to work, small things like the phone not connecting or trunk door not opening.”

After a reboot, things appeared fine.

“I drove it home, received a few other error messages but just played that off and drove it for the next few days until we received a message to contact the service department. There was an electrical system malfunction.”

Since then, his vehicle has been in and out of the dealership’s repair shop where it remained when we spoke with him.

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“It has been in the shop in total, including the first time, for over 75 days now,” he said.

Frustrated, Lundie began scouring the internet, searching for other Q4 customers who may be experiencing the same thing.

“I thought maybe this was an isolated case. But then I created a post on Facebook and someone reached out to tell me to join this Facebook group created by customers in Quebec.”

That group was created by Montreal resident Shawn Erridge. His leased 2024 Audi Q4 e-tron malfunctioned after a golf trip this fall and says he’s has had sporadic issues ever since.

“My vehicle is still in the shop with no timeline as to when I am getting it back,” he told us. “When I started the group back in October, we had six or seven people complaining, now that group has grown to nearly 500 people.”

A majority of the group’s members live in Quebec, like Karl Phaneuf, from Montreal.

“I went on the interstate, at 110 kilometers, and everything goes black,” he told us. “The vehicle was still driving but all of the systems just went black.”

The problems continued after he arrived home.

“After that, I tried to restart the vehicle and nothing happened, so it was completely dead.”

He had it towed to the dealership where it was repaired.

“But since I’ve had it back it’s just been problem, after problem, after problem,” he said. “It’s impossible for me to start the vehicle or to open the door with the keyless feature. Recently my own son was stuck in the vehicle because everything was locked.”

Malfunctions not causing accidents but buyers still worry about safety

While none of the numerous people Speakers Corner spoke to about this story say the problems have caused any accidents or injuries, consumers still worry about safety. Erridge says those concerns were heightened after members in his Facebook group reported issues while driving the vehicle.

“There are actually safety and security issues where the car just shuts down. For some people it shuts down on the highway while they’re driving or for other people, like myself, it’s left me stranded far away from home. These are safety issues that need to be addressed.”

Dr. Jade Hindie, also from Quebec, says in December of 2023 his vehicle moved on its own while being charged in his driveway.

“I saw that the car had rolled by itself around six or seven meters, right into the middle of the street and the car charger it had been plugged into was completely broken and torn off.”

He brought the vehicle back to the dealership for repair.

“Audi had the car for three entire months, and basically told me that what happened was impossible, and they found nothing to fix, even though I’m not crazy, and I took pictures of what happened.”

While there has not been a repeat since he got the vehicle back, the incident has him taking precautions.

“I have two driveways and now I’ve been propping the car in the other driveway so should it roll again, it would crash into my garage and not the street,” he said. “I am a pediatrician and all I kept worrying about is what if this rolled into a kid?”

Transport Canada reviewing claims

Speakers Corner reached out to Transport Canada and a spokesperson confirmed they’ve been getting reports.

“Transport Canada has recently received an influx of complaints regarding various issues with Audi AG’s Q4 electric vehicles,” Flavio Nienow said.

“When complaints are submitted to Transport Canada, they are entered into a database and reviewed by a technical defect complaint analyst. Public complaints are also shared with the vehicle manufacturer to ensure they are aware of the concerns.”

While those concerns are being reviewed, Nienow said to date, no incidents have been reported involving collisions or injuries.

“Should a trend indicating a potential safety defect be identified, Transport Canada may initiate further investigative actions to assess the issue.”

Audi also investigating and working to address customer complaints

Speakers Corner asked Audi Canada if it’s considering a recall in response to the rising number  customer complaints.

“The Q4 e-tron is designed and engineered to meet or exceed all Canadian safety requirements. Audi Canada is investigating all customers’ complaints in compliance with the Motor Vehicle Safety Act,” spokesperson Cort Nielsen said in response.

He went on to tell us they’re working with every customer impacted on a case-by-case basis and are offering relief for any inconvenience.

“In appreciation for our customers’ patience and to provide a premium customer experience we offer a complementary service loaner, support monthly payments and further goodwill gestures.”

All customers we spoke with backed that up, saying Audi has worked with them by offering loaners and payment breaks. Regardless, many say they’ve lost confidence in the vehicle.

“I no longer have any trust in this vehicle,” Erridge said. “I don’t want money back from Audi. I just want to be let out of the lease.”

Speakers Corner asked Audi Canada if that option is available to customers who’ve had repeated problems.

“As noted above, we are committed to addressing any customer concerns. We offer a complimentary inspection to assess their vehicle. Our Audi authorized dealers are supported by our technical services team at Audi Canada and AUDI AG when needed,” Nielsen said in response.

But consumers who spoke with Speakers Corner say as the number of Canadians complaining continues to rise, Audi and Transport Canada need to start thinking about serious action.

“I am not certain Audi knows exactly what’s causing all of these issues which explains why we take it to the shop for repairs and issues aren’t fully resolved,” Lundie said. “If you look at that Facebook group you’ll see it’s a lot of Quebec customers. Is this a problem in Canada because of our weather, our cold temperatures? I don’t know, but it needs to be looked into.”

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