2021-2023 Audi e-tron External Sound Warning TSB

Symptoms of the External Sound Warning

Owners of certain 2021-2023 Audi e-tron vehicles, including the e-tron Sportback, A7 e quattro, Q5 e quattro, A8 e quattro, e-tron GT, RS e-tron GT, Q4 e-tron quattro, Q4 e-tron Sportback, and e-tron S quattro, may observe a specific warning message appearing in their instrument cluster. The message states, "Vehicle sound: Malfunction! Pedestrians cannot hear vehicle. Please contact Service." This warning indicates a perceived issue with the vehicle's external sound system, which is designed to alert pedestrians to the presence of the quiet electric vehicle.

The Audi e-tron external sound warning may appear sporadically, meaning it does not occur every time the vehicle is operated. Drivers have reported seeing this message when starting the vehicle or when the vehicle's speed is either exceeding or dropping below approximately 40 mph. Despite this intermittent warning, it's important to note that the external sound system itself continues to function as intended, meaning pedestrians can still hear the vehicle. This ensures that the primary safety function remains active.

Diagnosis and Trigger Conditions

When this warning message appears, technicians performing diagnostics will typically find that no relevant Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) are stored in the vehicle's system. This absence of fault codes suggests that the issue is not a traditional component failure that would register an error. Furthermore, workshop findings consistently confirm that the external sound system is indeed working correctly, emitting the necessary sounds for pedestrian safety. The discrepancy between the warning message and the actual operational status of the external sound system is the core of this known issue.

The presence of the "Vehicle sound: Malfunction!" message, even when the system is fully functional, strongly suggests a software-related anomaly rather than a hardware malfunction. This Audi e-tron external sound warning is a known condition that Audi is actively investigating to determine the precise cause and develop a permanent resolution.

Important Warnings for Owners

Audi has issued specific guidance within Technical Service Bulletin 93 23 20 2071352/1 regarding this particular issue. It is crucial for owners to understand the following directives from the manufacturer:

• "Do not replace any components for this condition since this will not resolve the customer's concern." This instruction explicitly states that attempting to replace parts of the external sound system or any related components will not fix the warning message. Such actions would be an unnecessary expense and would not address the underlying cause of the warning.
• The concern is currently "in analysis," indicating that Audi engineers are diligently working to understand and resolve the root cause of the warning. This means a definitive fix is still under development.

Technical Background and Current Status

According to Audi's Technical Service Bulletin 93 23 20 2071352/1, the technical background confirms that the warning message appears despite the external sound working correctly. This situation is currently under analysis by Audi's engineering teams. As of the bulletin's publication date, August 29, 2023, there is no production solution or specific repair procedure available for this condition. The bulletin serves to inform technicians and customers about the known issue and to prevent unnecessary repairs.

What Owners Should Do

If you experience the "Vehicle sound: Malfunction! Pedestrians cannot hear vehicle. Please contact Service" message in your 2021-2023 Audi e-tron or other affected model, you should contact your authorized Audi service center. While no immediate repair is available, the service center can document the issue by creating a PSS (Pending Service Solutions) record in their system. This process helps Audi track the prevalence and specific conditions under which the problem occurs, providing valuable data for their ongoing analysis and development of a solution.

It is important to remember that this TSB is informational and clarifies that the external sound system continues to function despite the warning. Therefore, there is no immediate safety risk associated with the Audi e-tron external sound warning itself, as the primary function of alerting pedestrians remains active. Owners should monitor for any updates from Audi regarding a future resolution.

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Source: NHTSA ID: 10241483