2024 Audi Q5 Lemon Law Case Study — Washington
A 2024 Audi Q5 e Plug-In Hybrid Whose Wireless CarPlay and MMI Infotainment Defect Survived Two Audi TSBs, an MMI Software Update, and an Engineering Android Update
Our client purchased a brand-new 2024 Audi Q5 e plug-in hybrid from an authorized Audi dealership in the Seattle area on April 10, 2024. From the very first months of ownership, the wireless Apple CarPlay connection would drop intermittently, the MMI infotainment screen would go dark and randomly disconnect, and the wireless charging pad would heat up to the point of concern. None of these were edge-case software glitches — they were chronic defects that returned after every dealer visit, every technical service bulletin, and every software flash.
Across four documented warranty repair events spanning the first 18 months of ownership, the dealer applied two manufacturer-issued Audi technical service bulletins (TSB#2062466/5 covering wireless CarPlay phone-pairing procedures and TSB#2064681/5 covering wireless charging pad heating), performed Audi recall 93R3, and ultimately rolled out a full MMI software update together with a red engineering update for Android. The defect kept returning. With the customer worn out by repeat trips to Audi Seattle and Audi Bellevue, and with Audi’s own field engineers unable to engineer the infotainment fault out of the car, a Washington Lemon Law and federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act claim was the cleanest path to a buyback.
What Went Wrong
- Recurring wireless Apple CarPlay disconnects: The connection would drop intermittently while driving and the customer could not maintain stable hands-free use of navigation, communications, or media — a chronic infotainment nonconformity that returned after every dealer visit
- MMI infotainment screen randomly going dark: The Audi MMI display would blank during normal operation, taking out navigation, climate visibility, drive-mode telltales, and CarPlay together — a substantial impairment of the vehicle’s primary user interface
- Wireless charging pad overheating: The console-mounted phone-charging pad would get hot to the touch during use, a separate thermal-safety concern that prompted Audi to issue TSB#2064681/5
- Two Audi technical service bulletins applied without success: TSB#2062466/5 (wireless CarPlay pairing/connection procedures) and TSB#2064681/5 (charging pad thermal behavior) were both performed during the second visit — both manufacturer admissions of a known systemic issue, and neither resolved the defect
- Audi Recall 93R3 performed at the first visit — defect persisted: A factory-issued recall completed at the first warranty visit was a manufacturer admission of a separate confirmed nonconformity
- MMI software update + red engineering Android update at the fourth visit: By the fourth visit, the dealer escalated to a full MMI re-flash plus an Audi engineering-level Android update — the most aggressive software remedy available short of hardware replacement — and the infotainment screen was still going blank and disconnecting from CarPlay
- 4 documented repair attempts for the same nonconformity: Washington’s “reasonable number of attempts” threshold (RCW 19.118) was met on the same chronic infotainment defect, all inside the statutory warranty window
Four Visits, Two Audi TSBs, One Persistent Infotainment Defect
Visit 1 — September 18–19, 2024
- Customer reported the wireless CarPlay connection dropping intermittently during use — mileage at first repair: 6,254
- Audi recall 93R3 was open on the vehicle and was performed during this visit — a factory-issued correction unrelated to but performed alongside the CarPlay complaint
- The wireless CarPlay disconnect issue was reported but no cause or correction was documented for it — the dealer was unable to produce a permanent fix at this visit
Visit 2 — October 30, 2024
- Customer returned with the wireless CarPlay still failing and the MMI infotainment screen now reportedly going dark randomly during driving
- The wireless charging pad was reported to overheat during normal use — a separate thermal concern
- Technicians attached Audi TSB#2062466/5 (manufacturer guidance on wireless CarPlay phone-pairing procedures) addressing the connectivity defect
- Technicians attached Audi TSB#2064681/5 (manufacturer guidance on wireless charging pad thermal behavior) addressing the overheating concern, characterized as “normal” by the bulletin
- Both TSBs were applied per Audi’s factory guidance — the defects continued
Visit 3 — November 1, 2024
- Customer returned within 48 hours of Visit 2 reporting the same wireless CarPlay connectivity failure and the same overheating wireless charging pad
- The TSBs from the prior visit had not resolved either issue — the customer was now back at the dealer for the same defects for the third time in roughly six weeks
Visit 4 — December 31, 2025 to January 2, 2026
- The infotainment screen was still reportedly going blank and disconnecting due to the ongoing CarPlay issue
- Technicians escalated to a full MMI software update — a complete re-flash of the head-unit firmware
- Technicians also performed a red engineering update for Android — an Audi-level engineering-grade software remedy applied above the standard MMI re-flash
- This was the most aggressive non-hardware remedy Audi had available for the infotainment defect — and it was performed nearly 16 months into a defect timeline that began in the very first months of ownership
Why This Audi Q5 e Qualified for a Vehicle Buyback Under Washington Law
Washington’s Motor Vehicle Lemon Law — codified at Rev. Code of Washington §§ 19.118.005 through 19.118.904 — protects new-vehicle buyers and lessees in Washington state. A vehicle qualifies as a lemon if, within the statutory eligibility period (generally 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first), the manufacturer or its authorized dealer cannot conform the vehicle to its express warranty after a reasonable number of attempts — defined as four or more repair attempts for the same nonconformity, or a cumulative total of thirty or more calendar days out of service for one or more nonconformities. The repair-attempt prong and the cumulative-days prong are independent. Once either threshold is met on a substantial nonconformity, the manufacturer must refund the full purchase price (less a statutory mileage offset) or provide a comparable replacement vehicle — at the consumer’s election.
This case presented several compelling legal factors:
- Washington Lemon Law eligibility (RCW 19.118): Four documented warranty repair attempts for the same chronic wireless CarPlay / MMI infotainment defect, all within the statutory eligibility window after April 10, 2024 delivery. Mileage at the first repair was only 6,254 — well inside the 24-month / 24,000-mile statutory eligibility period.
- Same nonconformity, repeated unsuccessful repair attempts: Visits 1, 2, 3, and 4 all centered on the same defect — the wireless Apple CarPlay disconnects and MMI infotainment screen blanking. Audi’s own service bulletins and software updates could not engineer it out of the car.
- Two manufacturer-issued TSBs confirm the defect existed: Audi’s issuance of TSB#2062466/5 (wireless CarPlay pairing) and TSB#2064681/5 (wireless charging pad) is itself an admission that these are known, factory-recognized defects in this generation of Audi MMI infotainment systems.
- Substantial impairment of use, value, and (arguably) safety: A chronically failing MMI infotainment system on a modern Audi is more than a convenience concern. The MMI controls navigation, hands-free communications, climate adjustments, drive-mode selection, and certain safety telltales. A blanking screen that takes those controls out at random impairs the use, value, and (in the right facts) safety of the vehicle — the substantial-impairment standard.
- Federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act: Repeated unsuccessful warranty repairs on a written-warranty nonconformity also triggered a federal claim against Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. with attorney-fee shifting — allowing our client to keep the full settlement separate from legal fees.
How Easy Lemon Secured the Buyback
Free Case Evaluation
We reviewed the complete repair history and confirmed four documented warranty repair events on the same chronic wireless CarPlay / MMI infotainment defect, all inside Washington’s statutory eligibility window for new-vehicle lemon law claims under RCW 19.118.
Documentation & Case Building
Our team compiled every Audi repair order, every applied technical service bulletin (TSB#2062466/5, TSB#2064681/5), the Recall 93R3 work order, the MMI software-update record, and the engineering Android-update record into an airtight timeline showing Audi’s inability to permanently repair the infotainment defect.
Demand to Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
We filed a formal demand against Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (the corporate manufacturer of Audi vehicles in the United States) citing Washington’s Lemon Law (RCW 19.118) and the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act — documenting four repair attempts for the same nonconformity, two manufacturer-issued TSBs, an OTA-grade engineering Android update, and an MMI software re-flash that all failed to permanently resolve the defect.
$69,025 Vehicle Buyback Settlement
Easy Lemon successfully negotiated a $69,025 Vehicle Buyback — Audi repurchased the Q5 e from our client at the statutory refund amount (purchase price plus collateral and incidental damages, less a statutory mileage offset). Our client paid nothing out of pocket for legal representation; Audi paid all attorney fees separately under the federal Magnuson-Moss fee-shifting provision.
$69,025 Vehicle Buyback Recovered
Key Case Facts
- Vehicle: 2024 Audi Q5 e (Plug-In Hybrid)
- Purchased in: Washington (authorized Audi dealership, April 10, 2024)
- Status at purchase: Brand new (purchased new)
- Mileage at first repair: 6,254 miles (current 11,500)
- Primary defects: Recurring wireless Apple CarPlay disconnects, MMI infotainment screen blanking, and wireless charging pad overheating that survived two Audi technical service bulletins (TSB#2062466/5, TSB#2064681/5), Audi Recall 93R3, an MMI software update, and a red engineering update for Android
- Repair attempts: 4 documented warranty repair events at authorized Audi dealerships
- Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. / Audi of America, Inc.
- Settlement type: Vehicle Buyback — manufacturer repurchase under RCW 19.118.005 through 19.118.904
- Settlement amount: $69,025 (Buyback)
Results may vary. Prior outcomes do not guarantee a similar result. Each case is unique and depends on its specific facts and applicable law. Attorney advertising. Easy Lemon® by RockPoint Law P.C.
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Attorney on Record
Steven Nassi, Esq.
Managing Partner — Easy Lemon by RockPoint Law P.C.
Licensed attorney specializing exclusively in lemon law across all 50 states. Steven leads the Easy Lemon legal team and has overseen thousands of successful lemon law claims against major manufacturers including Audi, Volkswagen Group of America, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Kia, and more.
Having Infotainment or CarPlay Problems With Your Audi Q5?
Recurring wireless CarPlay disconnects, MMI screens going dark, or any infotainment defect on a 2024 or 2025 Audi Q5 in Washington that has already been to the dealer multiple times is unacceptable — and you may already qualify for a buyback under RCW 19.118. Free case evaluation — 30 seconds.
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