My Audi Q5 caused a big accident driving itself!! HELP!!

**Jake1975** · 08-05-2015 03:50 AM

Hi everybody. My 2010 Audi Q5 2.0 TDI Quattro S-tronic caused a big accident the other day by revving up the engine and driving itself!! My wife were about to drive my kids to school and they were in the backseat. She sat in the car and were about to reverse out of our parking spot. When she put her foot on the brake and moved the gear leaver from park into reverse the car suddenly revs up to almost full throttle, slams into revers and spins backwards into another parked car!! Luckily no one was harmed but my car and the other car were damaged quite badly.

The mechanic tells me that they haven't found any problem with the car and that there is no faulty readout from the car. The insurance company and Audi have concluded that it must have been a driver operating fault!! That could have been the case, but it's impossible for me to imagine how that could have been. You have to put your foot on the brake to get the gear leaver out of 'Park' The car has a rev limiter so it won't go higher than 2500 rpm. In this case my wife would have to operate the car with two feet and kicked it in to gear at 2500 rpm and kept holding the pedal to the floor!! I know my wife :) but this is ludicrous to imagine this and even do!!

It all went very fast an she just lost control over the car.

Has anybody any idea what could have caused this to happen?? HELP!!

**spijun** · 08-05-2015 04:27 AM

I have never heard of a similar problem

Q5 S-tronic not exist on NA market, try on EU forums

**Hatchman** · 08-05-2015 05:52 AM

There is probably a good chance that was operator error. If her foot was on the brake, with a good bit of pressure, the car would not have gotten as fast and there probably wouldn't have been as much damage, right? Or are you saying the computer overruled the brake command, and went max accelerator instead? I know the car may still move when you floor the accelerator with the brake (not that your torque converter is going to like that), but if you have a the brake pedal to the floor, how fast does it move? Most every car I've had, automatics anyway, you nail the brake and floor the accelerator, at best you get some rear tire spin but don't move anywhere. In a manual, you'll probably just fry the clutch.

I have heard of that happening in several other cars, but it was always operating error. They always thought they were putting the brake pedal through the floor... when it was really the accelerator. I watched a kid in a Camaro next to me in stand still traffic hit the car in front of it... twice. The guy in the Camaro swore he was flooring the brake pedal... but all I could see was the rear tires spinning while he slammed to the car in front of him over again. And it was an old camaro, so the accelerator pedal connected to the carb linkage with a cable... no computer to take over, just manual manipulation. Kid in the Camaro finally admitted he had falling asleep at the wheel, nailed what he thought was the brake but was really the accelerator.

Anyway, I have other stories (girlfriend drove into/through my garage, grandfather parked his car on top of a lawn tractor, etc), but in the end, it was always the person's foot slipping off the brake after they had it in gear, or some other case where they were positive they had the brake... but didn't.

That's what insurance is for. Get it fixed, then sell it if you are scared there were electrical gremlins and it could happen again.

When you get the car back, get in it, nail the brake, put it in Reverse, then punch the accelerator (real quick, no need to hold it) with the other foot while keeping the brake to the floor. Chances are, it may lurch a little but I doubt it will go flying backwards as the brake should override the torque converter.

Glad none of your family was hurt, that's the most important thing.

**MacFady** · 08-05-2015 06:08 AM

^ I'm right there with your reasoning as well. Glad no one was hurt though, good thing no one was walking behind the vehicle.

**AnotherJake** · 08-05-2015 07:22 AM

I'm pretty sure that with the S4 (factory tune) will not allow you to accelerate/add power even if your foot is on the accelerator as long as the brake is pressed. The computer will not accept the accelerator input till your foot comes off the brake for safety reasons. This is one reason some guys get a tune so they can tap the brake while still on the accelerator at the same time for going around a road course. I'm sure all other models would have this safety feature.