Presense false activation
03-27-2019, 08:28 PM
#61
AudiWorld Senior Member
Came across this thread as I've been having issues with the pre-sense system in my 2018 S4. I've had the car for almost 4 months now and can no longer live with pre-sense slamming the brakes on me as I leave my house. I believe my issue is that I have a steep driveway (live in Los Angeles) and the sensors are detecting the street as an object I'm about to crash into as I back out of my driveway. It doesn't do it every time I back out, but enough times that I'm always stressed out it may happen. As you all know it's not a plesant experience. I get a sudden jolt and loud grinding sound that really upsets my kids (and me.) I've found how to disable it in the MMI, but who really wants to do that every time I jump in the car?
I finally have had enough and called the dealership service dept. My first call the service advisor blew me off and told me to call the 1-800 Audi number. I tried back for the service manager who listened to me and even told me a dealership employee with an RS5 has the same issue. They say they can't do anything at the dealership level. It seems to me if the system can be shut off manually then it could be coded to default to shut-off. I suppose there's a liability issue with that. I suggested that this was a defect, if the safety system stops my car when no threat is present then it doesn't work as designed....that to me is a defective system. The service manager scoffed at this. Anyway, I got the sense that they've heard this many times and nothing can be done about it at the dealership, and nothing will be done about it by Audi. I could raise a stink and try to get into a different car, but it sounds like all Audi's have pre-sense so a different car may have same results.
I'll keep updating here as the service manager is supposed to talk to me again tomorrow.
Anyone attempt to bring this up with Audi USA? (Not dealership)
Thanks
I finally have had enough and called the dealership service dept. My first call the service advisor blew me off and told me to call the 1-800 Audi number. I tried back for the service manager who listened to me and even told me a dealership employee with an RS5 has the same issue. They say they can't do anything at the dealership level. It seems to me if the system can be shut off manually then it could be coded to default to shut-off. I suppose there's a liability issue with that. I suggested that this was a defect, if the safety system stops my car when no threat is present then it doesn't work as designed....that to me is a defective system. The service manager scoffed at this. Anyway, I got the sense that they've heard this many times and nothing can be done about it at the dealership, and nothing will be done about it by Audi. I could raise a stink and try to get into a different car, but it sounds like all Audi's have pre-sense so a different car may have same results.
I'll keep updating here as the service manager is supposed to talk to me again tomorrow.
Anyone attempt to bring this up with Audi USA? (Not dealership)
Thanks
Every single false positive just further conditions the driver to ignore the stop and keep going next time. One of these days a real kid will be behind you and you will be conditioned to just keep going, running over the kid, thus defeating the system.
I doubt Audi USA will do anything, as they are after the interest of the company, and they are well aware of the inherited flaw of the system.
I suggest everyone experiencing this issue to report it to NHTSA and maybe if enough of us report it they will open an investigation and force Audi to do a recall to fix the system or issue a software update to allow users to disable the system completely.
https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/VehicleComplaint/
Last edited by luder888; 03-27-2019 at 08:34 PM.
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A6Virgin (08-14-2021)
03-27-2019, 10:31 PM
#62
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Annoying, Damaging & Risky
Audi's collision avoidance technology is clearly imperfect. Sadly we might all inadvertently be innocent guinea pigs testing their immature system out in the real world. My Q5 had numerous false alarms and all those sudden braking cannot be good for the calipers, pads, rotors or our neck/spine. Recently the dealer did some work related to errors with the Pre-Sense sensors which somewhat reduced but did not eliminate the problem. It seems the only workable solution is using the MMI to manually turn off Pre-Sense. Has anyone tried experimenting by taping off the front sensors? A fellow forum member posted this suggestion last year as a possible fix. Does not appear that the factory is actively trying to address this issue. Let's hope Audi is more proactive than Boeing and not wait for a sharp drop in orders before reacting.
03-28-2019, 06:04 AM
#63
Ludder88, having taken apart the front end, you could very well have made the functionality of the system worse than it would be if you hadn't. ****ty lesson learned but I would pay for a working system having seen your video. I am NOT a fan of the Pre-Sense system but I now keep it on Late and have no issues at this time. In my Murano, it works perfect, even warning me that a car two cars in front of me is braking hard... it's really great.
Audi's system isn't great and needs an update. Late works best and I haven't had any false positives since.
Audi's system isn't great and needs an update. Late works best and I haven't had any false positives since.
04-10-2019, 03:25 PM
#64
And another false positive today. Stopped in the middle of an intersection turn lane, waited for the oncoming traffic to fully clear, then proceeded forward only to have the brakes slammed on, causing the guy behind me who was also attempting to clear the intersection, slam on his brakes to avoid hitting me.
Gosh, this must have been the 8th time in 16 months? Ugh. I feel so unsafe in my 2018 SQ5.
Gosh, this must have been the 8th time in 16 months? Ugh. I feel so unsafe in my 2018 SQ5.
04-10-2019, 04:08 PM
#65
AudiWorld Super User
If it's truly been 8 times in 16 months, you'd probably take this up with your dealer if it's that false positive in the forward direction. Otherwise your post is a complete BS troll comment.
04-10-2019, 04:14 PM
#66
I made another appointment for Monday and expressed my serious concern for my family’s safety with the issue recurring so frequently. I’ll probably get the same response from the daft service manager.
Last edited by Alex Blair; 04-10-2019 at 05:39 PM.
04-10-2019, 05:56 PM
#67
I have had this happen on my Jeep Trailhawk when driving into the strong sun with a less that perfectly clean sensor. The sun flare gets read as an object. I suspect that’s what happened to you. Took me a few of those white knuckle events to figure this out. Now I make sure it’s clean. I keep waterless wash and a microfiber in the car for bird poop anyway. Now I clean the sensors lenses more often in addition to having them ceramic coated with IGL window. This makes the. Very self chewing in any kind of rain or wash. No more issues sine.
04-12-2019, 07:10 PM
#68
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And another false positive today. Stopped in the middle of an intersection turn lane, waited for the oncoming traffic to fully clear, then proceeded forward only to have the brakes slammed on, causing the guy behind me who was also attempting to clear the intersection, slam on his brakes to avoid hitting me.
Gosh, this must have been the 8th time in 16 months? Ugh. I feel so unsafe in my 2018 SQ5.
Gosh, this must have been the 8th time in 16 months? Ugh. I feel so unsafe in my 2018 SQ5.
Really weird...glad I am not crazy and see that other people are dealing with this.
04-12-2019, 08:55 PM
#69
AudiWorld Member
Not a false but a positive story here. Yesterday was this vehicle parked on the road in a traffic lane, as I go to go around, the driver comes running towards the vehicle, from a house, into the road. Just as he goes around his vehicle to get inside the door, my brakes slam on. Don't know who got the biggest fright, him as the Q5 pulled up to a halt or me, not knowing what just happened.
He obviously knew he wasn't going to run out in front of me but the Q5 didn't and went into defensive mode just in case.
He obviously knew he wasn't going to run out in front of me but the Q5 didn't and went into defensive mode just in case.
10-02-2019, 08:45 PM
#70
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Pre sense whiplash
I’ve had my 2018 Q5 for 6 weeks and the brakes have slammed on me in reverse 3 times. The first two times I was backing out of my driveway and it did turn out a car was coming down the street, still considerably far away but I may not have seen them. One of these times I ended up with lower back pain for about a week. However the 3rd time there was no immediate danger but while backing out of a spot in a parking lot, a car was coming down an adjacent alley - not anywhere near where I would have backed up. My car braked so hard and suddenly that I sit here now with intensely painful whiplash, going on 5 days of debilitating neck pain and I will be seeing a chiropractor tomorrow. I am a healthy 51 year old and I should not be seeing a dr every time my car pre sense goes off, whether it’s false or real — it’s terrifying and it’s too harsh.
