Epicurus88

So I recently received my Q5 2.0. I've noticed another potential concern. After I take my foot off the gas and let the car cruise to a stop, after a little while I notice a sudden stopping sensation--as if the brakes were applied and it almost feels like the car has come to stop unnaturally early. Why does it do this? Is it shifting gears? If so, why is the shift this jerky and cause the car to feel like it's braking?

Has anyone else noticed this?

Thanks.

gat821

Though I have a 3.2, this seems like the same tranny jerk/clunk I have experienced as well. It happened rarely and did go away after 3k miles or so. It looks like this is normal for Audi transmissions.

Epicurus88

Thanks for your reply. It's a bit reassuring to hear that you've experienced the same thing. However, you said you rarely feel this jerk. Granted my car is just a few days old, but I feel this jerk almost constantly whenever I try to let the car glide to a stop. Should I be worried?

roofus

I bought my wife a 2.0T Q5 and get lucky enough to drive it once in a while. I don't experience this issue when I get to drive it.
To address you concerns - How long are you letting the car drift? If drifting long enough to allow the car to work throught the gears...it's going to downshift. Traditionally, an Audi is going to shift hard from 2nd to first. I learned this with my 2004 A4 and playing with the tiptronic. I also really like the way my car "over-downshifts" to slow me down. So my guess is that the car is drifting beyond normal limits. Just use the brake.

mirekmal

Do you have Auto Hold feature? If so and enabled, car might think you're rolling down and stop on its own. I noticed this type of behavior with my old VW passat when AH was on and I was rolling slowly to stop it was engaging parking brake to stop the car.

palumbo3284

Gat, you think it is really the tranny lurch/downshift? I've felt the lurch/downshift myself in my '11 2.0, but it certainly wouldn't have brought the vehicle to a complete dead stop...just noticeably slowed it down. My other thought might be around the 'Hold' feature mirekmal brought up.

Epicurus88, if you are coming to even the slightest hill when you are rolling to a stop and really creeping along on the hill, the car will notice that it is about ready to roll back and auto engage the emergency break to prevent the roll back...its a safety feature.

I don't have the drive assist features (what the package is called) with the radar sensors on the front and back, but I have experienced in my sister's Lexus that it has a feature that if the car notices you are still rolling and getting very very close to something in front/behind/or to the edges of the bumpers, it will apply the breaks to prevent hitting it (i.e. pulling into a garage and hitting a toy/bike/trash). Do the Audi's that are equipped with those sensors do something similar possibly?

njbiker

this is normal. your transmission is downshifting from 2nd to 1st gear. since your car is new your transmission is still learning your driving style so it may feel like a sudden jerking sensation at first. i'm assuming you didn't come to a complete stop, right? my transmission did that and got buttery smooth after about 1,000 miles.

nelson

Epicurus88

Thanks everyone for the responses. I feel more assured now.

chavez

Mine does it too but at about 5,600 miles now it still does it.

gat821

At least in my case, that lurch on the 2-1 downshift occurred right before the car comes to a stop, but yes, the lurch itself wasn't enough to stop the car. Depending on the slope of the road, it could indeed have been the hold feature.