Vehicle Electronics Malfunction warning?

[volyer]

My wife's A3 got a warning screen this morning with "Vehicle Electronics Malfunction! Shift to P before leaving car. Contact Service." There doesn't seem to be anything on this site about that, at least not in A3 section. Anybody had this happen, or know the fix? The screen went away eventually, but not a good omen. Mind you this is ~1.5 years after a red exclamation point warning sign related to it losing coolant to below a critical level with "Stop immediately," which the dealer just topped off and said it was fine.

[JOaks24]

Not heard of the electronics thing. The coolant thing has been common. Something about an air bubble when filling at the factory. I had same coolant issye at 8000 miles. Good ever since at 20,000 now

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[volyer]

Interesting, had not heard that. Yeah the coolant thing was around 10-15k miles for us, and has not recurred. The electronics warning went away and she drove it to work with no event, but surely it can't be normal.

[HurrayFive]

Battery is nearing death, put it on a trickle charger and see if you can save it.

My S3 was about 1.5 years in but the first half of the second year it barely got driven, I only average 6K/yr, was only driving it on weekends. I got the same message and it wouldn't crank, dead battery. Ton of systems running off the battery at engine shut off and before start so not enough voltage triggers the alert you're seeing.

New battery and cleared all codes and it was fine, keep it on a trickle charger now to prevent it from another premature death.

[volyer]

Battery is nearing death, put it on a trickle charger and see if you can save it.

My S3 was about 1.5 years in but the first half of the second year it barely got driven, I only average 6K/yr, was only driving it on weekends. I got the same message and it wouldn't crank, dead battery. Ton of systems running off the battery at engine shut off and before start so not enough voltage triggers the alert you're seeing.

New battery and cleared all codes and it was fine, keep it on a trickle charger now to prevent it from another premature death.

Thanks! Oddly enough, this is already the second battery the car has gotten from new and it's a 2015. I wonder if there's an alternator problem. This car is driven 20k+ miles/year.

[volyer]

Battery is nearing death, put it on a trickle charger and see if you can save it.

My S3 was about 1.5 years in but the first half of the second year it barely got driven, I only average 6K/yr, was only driving it on weekends. I got the same message and it wouldn't crank, dead battery. Ton of systems running off the battery at engine shut off and before start so not enough voltage triggers the alert you're seeing.

New battery and cleared all codes and it was fine, keep it on a trickle charger now to prevent it from another premature death.

FWIW, it does not appear to be the alternator or battery. Battery shows 12.6 volts off and 14.2 ish while idling. No issues at all starting, and the battery is less than 1 year old. No codes remain per Torque and OBDII, but I guess there could be some hidden ones only Audi could see. I guess we'll chalk it up as a random Audi freakout, since nothing actually happened and there does not appear to be any reason for the fault.

[tonyk]

Hello there. I just got this same message. Any updates to what was the cause?

[volyer]

Not yet. Battery is less than a year old and still showing good voltage (12.6 when off, 14.2 or so while running), no other symptoms except stupid error light. Dealer diag will be ran in a couple of weeks when we have time to take it.

[kearnslw]

My wife's A3 got a warning screen this morning with "Vehicle Electronics Malfunction! Shift to P before leaving car. Contact Service." There doesn't seem to be anything on this site about that, at least not in A3 section. Anybody had this happen, or know the fix? The screen went away eventually, but not a good omen. Mind you this is ~1.5 years after a red exclamation point warning sign related to it losing coolant to below a critical level with "Stop immediately," which the dealer just topped off and said it was fine.

My Audi A3 (2015 model) also has had this warning...have had it 3 times now in last month. Car seems to run fine and all seems to work. I called service and they told me to reboot....has anyone done this or found what is the issue....

Thanks!

[Sushi]

Got this warning on my 2015 A3. Took it to the dealer and they replaced the shifter assembly(?) and I haven't seen it since. There's now a rather loud rattling in my center console though.

[Sushi]

Also shortly after getting it back, my car's battery was having problems as well and I got that replaced a few weeks later. Not sure if that's related.

[volyer]

Still no resolution. We live in a fairly rural part of TN with the closest Audi dealer over an hour each way (and not open on weekends!); they advised if the code was not active while at the dealer the trip would likely be a waste anyway. It comes and goes, and never stays on more than 10 minutes. Everything works fine, I even tested ABS (country road, nobody around, slammed them and engaged ABS fine!). I now plan on running OBDII and VAGCOM on it to see what could be going on.

[Sushi]

I don't think the code not active thing is true. I had the exact same issue, it would go on and off again for periods of time. My technician told me it wasn't an issue as they could see the history of codes thrown by the car. FWIW I don't think it has any effect on driveability, mine was periodically coming on for over a month before I could get it fixed, and I didn't notice anything abnormal while driving.

[volyer]

Anyone else had this happen? Looks like 4 of us so far in this thread. OBDII shows clean, still no drivability issues other than annoyance.

[kearnslw]

I have had it happen multiple times and can't figure what triggers it. Car seems to be running fine.

[kedearian]

I had this happen to me recently as well ( 2015 Audi a3 ). I took it to the dealership and apparently it's the electronic shifting mechanism. They said that it was shorting out internally and that's what was causing the problem. Mine was covered by audi warranty, but otherwise it's about a $300 part + labor. It's possible when this shorts, it could cause the car to shift into the wrong gear (neutral/reverse/attempt to go into park) so it's probably for the best to get it fixed ASAP.

[volyer]

I had this happen to me recently as well ( 2015 Audi a3 ). I took it to the dealership and apparently it's the electronic shifting mechanism. They said that it was shorting out internally and that's what was causing the problem. Mine was covered by audi warranty, but otherwise it's about a $300 part + labor. It's possible when this shorts, it could cause the car to shift into the wrong gear (neutral/reverse/attempt to go into park) so it's probably for the best to get it fixed ASAP.

Interesting. How did they diagnose it as the shifting mechanism? I just don't want to drive an hour each way to the dealer if the code is gone and they can't tell me what went wrong.

[volyer]

FWIW, VAGCOM does show this to be a shifter issue. Still running fine other than annoying lights, but I guess we should get the dealer to swap it out as long as CPO warranty covers that.

1 Fault Found:617752 - Selector Lever Park Position Lock Switch B1162 29 [024] - Signal Implausible Intermittent - Confirmed - Not Tested Since Memory Clear Freeze Frame: Fault Status: 00000001 Fault Priority: 2 Fault Frequency: 54 Reset counter: 24 Mileage: 98442 km Date: 2017.07.05 Time: 07:09:57

[AdX9170]

I have the same warning showing up ("Vehicle Electronics Malfunction! Shift to P before leaving car. Contact Service."). Audi service says it's due to a damaged gearshift lever housing that's going to take $2,700 to replace

[1killera4]

Mine does it intermittently as well. Going in for warranty work this weekend! :)

[AdX9170]

I have a third party warranty (bought my car used) and it doesn't cover any of the other parts that need to be repaired/replaced .

[aik1ng]

What did Audi say was the cause for the warning?

I have it now also.

[mitcheyc]

Does anyone have an update on this warning? I bought a 2015 Audi A3 a month ago (less than 50,000) and I've gotten this warning 4 times in 2 days. Thanks!

[NH Cappy]

Does anyone have an update on this warning? I bought a 2015 Audi A3 a month ago (less than 50,000) and I've gotten this warning 4 times in 2 days. Thanks!

Same thing here? Any resolution other than to give the Stealership $2700.00 to replace a $600.00 part. Mine comes and goes, 50K miles on clock now. Lights go out after about 10 minutes of driving. Car runs fine otherwise. Same fault codes as everyone else. Thanks

[DeanA3]

Has anyone replaced the shifter themselves? Much to it? I see Audi wants $500-600 for a replacement shifter. I’m considering a salvage part, but wonder if I can expect to run into this issue again if this is a common failure item.

[VWVW]

I also have been having this warning since about a month ago (MY2015). It comes on and off intermittently.

I have had it diagnosed by the dealership and they said nothing is wrong, but said if it shows up again, I should have the shifter replaced. The warning has of course shown up again, but I never bothered to replace the shifter just yet.

[MoreGone]

Sorry for reviving an old thread....

My '15 A3 with 69k just got this warning this morning.

Has anyone actually done any repairs?

[Devin0705]

I was getting this warning as well. Took it to an independent to run diagnostics - was getting the exact same code as one of the posts above.

They cleared the code, but said it came back. I haven’t seen the warning light since, but it’s only been a few days.

They told me it was a common problem with the Golf R’s, and that most people “just live with it”. Not too sure if I want to live with something that has to do with the function of the shifter. I haven’t found much on this issue other than this thread...


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[MoreGone]

Living with it isn't too bad, will live with it for now.

[rawrmcrawrrawr]

This is a common issue on PFL A3s. Check TSB 2047609/1.

I had this exact problem fixed under warranty.The dealership replaced the gear shift mechanism. 8V1713023AB.

[Devin0705]

Should that be covered under powertrain, or would it have to be bumper-bumper?


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[DominicDNO]

I had the vehicle electronics warning diagnosed at a local Audi dealership. They said there is a TSB from Audi but the repair cost will not be covered (car has 60,000 miles, 10k past factory warranty).

I also purchased an EasyCare warranty for $8,500. They informed the Audi service writer that this would not be covered. They stated some parts of the transmission are covered but not the shifter assembly.

The service writer believes this could be dangerous and recommended I go ahead with the repair for $2,300! How can something like this not be covered by Audi or an extended warranty!?

[1killera4]

Mine was fixed under warranty. Took a whole new shifter assembly.

[DominicDNO]

Mine was fixed under warranty. Took a whole new shifter assembly.

You got lucky! I had the issue outside of the 50k mile warranty and it looks like Audi will not cover it even though it is a known issue.

[bakedcorn]

Apparently not all TSBs are covered if the vehicle is outside of warranty as per my dealership. Not sure how they can get away with that logic.


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[17A3]

wow what a load of shitttttt. bring that up to audi of america or audi canada and threaten to sue.

warranty should not dictate a covered fix or not for a safety issue.

youll see how quickly someone will step up

[bakedcorn]

wow what a load of shitttttt. bring that up to audi of america or audi canada and threaten to sue.

warranty should not dictate a covered fix or not for a safety issue.

youll see how quickly someone will step up

I agree, the warranty in my ride is just about up so I brought it in due to the some harshness in the ride from the rears given the car has magride.

Apparently the SA confirmed with the lead tech that the TSB will not be covered outside of warranty.

I was somewhat shocked as they seem to be very helpful most if not all the time but to hear that I was shocked. Obviously I had them replace the rear dampers but wow!


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[handyman28]

Yup, got the warning several times here, car has 45k but past the 4 yr mark which means factory warranty is over..... this is not good. This is my 3rd Audi, first was a 2010 which had oil consumption issue which they covered and rebuilt motor. Since this is a potential safety hazard I'm surprised they are not addressing it, although I have not spoken to my dealer about it since I read here that it is not covered.

[17A3]

you guys need to look into a class action suit as it seems to affect alot of 2015 2016 models.

[DaHonga]

you guys need to look into a class action suit as it seems to affect alot of 2015 2016 models.

I've been driving with this issue for the past 2 years or so. Very annoying with the error message but it always seems to clear eventually on the drive.
US has a TSB on this and fixes it under warranty, what about Canada? :(