Faithback

This method worked and I was able to confirm that the fault is with the steering lock module. There was no need for headlights in the A6 C7. Brake pedal and emergency flashers/hazard lights was sufficient. 🙏🏾

Ada_hk

It just happened to my 2013 A6 2.8 Quarttro this morning when I drove it to work. The 'Steering Defective: Do Not Drive' lights came up all of a sudden when I was reversing into a carpark space which is on a ramp up inside the office block The steering wheel became very stiff but I managed to have it parked and rushed to work. When I got out from work and started the car, the light was still on and the steer was locked. I called the dealership and told me to try starting with the brake pedal pressed down and see if the light goes off. No, it did not work. Then they told do that again but this time switch the gear to D and see if the light if the light goes off. No, it did not work either. At the end, they told me to have it tow to their workshop for a scan.

So, it is now with the workshop and I am still waiting for their report.

I checked the owner's manual and from the posts here, it seems that when this warning light is on, you would not be able to start the engine. But I have no problem starting the engine. Actually, the tow truck driver was able to drive it down (because of the tight turns) but it lost all the power steering. I am wondering if any of has such experience, if so, what was the problem? And how did you fix it?

mv916

Could be something different. or could be the same issue but in later years the car behaved differently. How to fix the problem is above in the notes. If you are doing at the dealership, I think they replace the whole steering wheel column and not just the steering lock module. new module also means new coding. When you get it fixed, be sure to post back what they fixed and what it cost. I'm guessing 2k+ if they have to replace the whole steering column. I did get some extended warranty paperwork on something that sounded liked this issue. you might check on that.

Ada_hk

Thanks. I am only asking the dealership to run checks and would see what is causing that first. Then see what they propose before asking them to repair. I am hoping it is just a fault that can be reset or some sensor problem…if it costs me more than $1k to repair, I would rather scrap it…It is worth less than $10k and yet it does not where I live,

mv916

A scan is usually $200 /hr or so where I live in California. You should invest in an obdeleven so you can scan/troubleshoot yourself. If you have android phone you can get the old version (white one) for like 65.00 or so. I just bought one for my sister off amazon. I have the pro version but you might be able to get by with basic. It isn't s fancy as the cable but you can do all of the same stuff from your phone and don't need a separate computer. If you scrap the car, someone is going to get a deal because this isn't too hard to fix, I think. Maybe you'll get lucky and it will be no charge. I wish i had a copy of the extended warranty on the steering they sent me a while back (it was 10 years or like 110k or something for electromechanical steering unit) You can see what i'm talking about at the link below. Make sure you ask if it is covered. I think your car is but i don't know exactly what failure they are covering. Be sure to reply back with the outcome.

https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...-Steering-Unit

Ada_hk

Oh! I don’t remember receiving anything about this extended warranty. And I suspect this applies to those sold in North America only? as I could read car owners in the States and Canada have received this extended warranty.
I live in Hong Kong and I am not aware of this happening here. But yes, it would be fantastic if this is covered.

jb51214

May I know the update here please? I ran into same issue for my 2016 A5. Car runs fine otherwise, but can not drive it due to the power steering defect.

Was it just a sensor or connector or did they suggest replacing the whole steering column? Costs and error codes details will help too.

Ada_hk

It was the complete failure of the electromechanical steering system. They only suggested replacing the whole thing. It would cost around us$8500 to replace and I decided not to go ahead. If I had it fixed, I might be able to use it for another year and sell it for us$10000. But I run the risk of other systems failure. I decided to scrap it and I got about
us$1000 back.

mnsmtrsurs6

Hi there MV916, my 2012 A7 just had the exact same problem, Steering Failure, No start - However I have an added problem. I tried to use VCDS to pull the codes and nothing, even when trying the 'wake up' procedure, I don't get any connectivity to the diagnostics port.... So I start looking at the pinout of the OBD2 connector and discover there is no wire in the # 7 slot ! but there is one in the #6 slot, so I'm assuming it was assembled incorrectly from the factory. So Could do a big favor for me and take a look at the wire colors in the back of your OBD port ? and tell me which wire colors are where in your OBD2 port, please ?

mv916

First, I think there might have been a recall on this module and extended warranty. I remember getting a paper on that so you might check into that. My sister has my A7 right now so I can't check the OBD port wire colors but I wouldn't worry about that; I doubt it is wired wrong. VCDS won't really help you in this situation. I don't recall using my vcds equivalent. I had to buy a vas 5054 clone in order to get the module coded to the car. . . but that was only after I replaced the part. Hopefully someone can respond with wire colors, or you can check the manual; I'll include a link to the ones I downloaded and I bet you can find the wiring info for the obd port in there. Be sure to select the A7 zip not the A4 B7 zip.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...1F?usp=sharing