2019-2024 Audi SOS Emergency Assist System Complaints

Symptoms

Owners of various 2019-2024 Audi models, including those experiencing issues with the Audi e-tron SOS Emergency Assist system, may report the following:

• The vehicle slows down due to the emergency assist system activating in situations where the driver believes it is unjustified.
• The emergency assist system causes the seat belt to tug multiple times.
• The instrument cluster displays the message: "SOS Emergency assist: activated. Please take over", as shown in Figure 1 of the bulletin.
• After the emergency assist system is cancelled, the instrument cluster may show: "SOS Emergency assist: cancelled", as seen in Figure 2.

Technical Background

The emergency assist system is designed to detect driver incapacitation by monitoring activity such as steering wheel input (torque), brake pedal use, and accelerator pedal input. If inactivity is detected for a certain period, the system initiates a series of warnings and actions to regain the driver's attention. These include visual and acoustic alerts, haptic feedback, speed reduction, driver messages, lowering infotainment system volume, a warning tone, seatbelt jerks, and brake jolts. If the driver remains inactive despite these warnings, the system will keep the vehicle in its current driving lane and gradually bring it to a full stop. The time until activation varies, with higher speeds leading to earlier warnings.

For models like the A6, A7, A8, Q7 PI, Q8, e-tron quattro, Q8 e-tron, and e-tron GT, a newly designed emergency assist system is featured, with different functions depending on whether the vehicle is in manual or assisted driving mode.

Manual Driving Mode

In manual driving mode, the emergency assist system engages if the adaptive cruise assist and lane departure warning are deactivated, and the vehicle speed is above 40 mph. If driver inactivity is detected, the system may slow the vehicle if the distance to a vehicle in front becomes too low or if the vehicle leaves its lane without signaling.

Assisted Driving Mode

In assisted driving mode, the emergency assist engages if the adaptive cruise assist or lane departure warning is activated and detects driver inactivity.

Overriding Emergency Assist

Drivers can override an emergency assist intervention at any time by:

• Moving the steering wheel (requires active steering with detectable torque or firmly touching a capacitive steering wheel).
• Pressing the brake pedal.
• Pressing the accelerator pedal suddenly and significantly.

When the vehicle is stationary, the emergency assist can be ended by shifting out of Park (P) or releasing the parking brake.

Service Information and Repair Procedure Summary

Audi Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 90 24 94 2074059/1, titled '90 SOS Emergency Assist - complaints/general information', provides guidance for addressing complaints regarding the SOS Emergency Assist system. The primary solution involves a software update to the driver assist systems control unit.

Technicians are instructed to check the software version of the driver assist systems control unit -J1121- (diagnostic address 00A5). If the software version is lower than SW0352, a software update is available. This update is detailed in a separate bulletin, TSB 2063497, which addresses various malfunctions related to driver assist systems, including issues like aLDW performance and CC inop when towing, and is associated with fault codes B200FF9, B200FF3, and C123FB. The update aims to enhance the robustness of the emergency assist system's driver inactivity detection, which can affect the Audi e-tron SOS Emergency Assist and other models.

If the software version of the -J1121- control unit is already SW0352 or higher, the specified TSB 2063497 will not be visible in the diagnostic system, and no further measures are necessary under this bulletin.

Alternative Measure

If an owner prefers not to use the emergency assist system, it can be deactivated through the MMI (Multi Media Interface). To do this, the driver needs to press the button for driver assist systems E617, located in the switch module in the center console. This action opens the profile master for the driver assist systems, where the 'Individual' profile can be selected to deactivate the emergency assist. It is crucial to note that this adjustment must be made for every user profile (Profile 1 to 6) to ensure the system remains deactivated for all drivers.

Important Warnings

Owners and technicians should be aware of several key points regarding the emergency assist system:

• Driver Activity Detection: If the accelerator pedal is pressed hesitantly or very slowly, the system will not detect this as driver activity, potentially leading to an unintended emergency assist engagement.
• Software Update Visibility: If the driver assist systems control unit -J1121- already has software version SW0352 or above, the related software update TSB 2063497 will not be displayed as available, and no further actions are required from this bulletin.
• MMI Deactivation Notification: After deactivating the emergency assist via the MMI, a white icon indicating the system is deactivated will be displayed on the instrument cluster. Additionally, the message "Emergency assist: off" may be shown.

Warranty Information

This Technical Service Bulletin 90 24 94 2074059/1 is provided for informational purposes only and is not applicable to any Audi Warranty claims.

Additional Information

For more comprehensive details on the emergency assist system, Audi recommends consulting the vehicle's Owner's Manual. Technicians can find further resources in the Audi Knowledge Tank (AKT), including an SoST video (Function sequence for emergency assist, SoST_0049) that demonstrates how the emergency assist operates in assisted driving mode. Additional technical information is available through Elsa, under Systems >> Campaigns/Actions >> Campaign, and in Self-Study Program (SSP) 668, titled “Audi A8 (type 4N) Driver assist systems”.

NHTSA ID: 11002156