Audi Q7 Parking Assist Failure: Sensors Gone Silent

Having moderate experience with these systems, I faced a similar issue with my 2017 Audi Q5. The parking sensors and obstacle detection system suddenly stopped working, showing error messages on the display. After some troubleshooting, my workshop found that the problem was a loose connection in the wiring harness connecting the ultrasonic sensors to the parking assist control module. The repair involved checking all cable connections and replacing a damaged plug connector. The total repair cost was 95 Euro, and the work took about 2 hours. The parking assist system is quite complex, integrating multiple components like the control module, rearview camera, and various sensors. Before suggesting specific solutions, it would help to know: Have you noticed any water damage or recent car washing incidents? Does the error message appear immediately when starting the car? Are all parking sensors unresponsive, or just specific ones? Have you recently had any body work done near the sensor areas? This information would help determine if your issue is similar to what I experienced or if it might be a different problem with the system.

Last service was at 95312 KM. Thanks for the detailed response. No water damage or recent bodywork to report. The error message appears immediately upon startup, and all parking sensors are completely unresponsive. The system worked flawlessly until it suddenly failed. Based on your experience, I will have the faulty wiring connections checked first since this seems like a cost-effective starting point. The radar sensors and proximity sensors are visually clean and undamaged, so a wiring issue makes sense. Will request the workshop to inspect the connections to the control module before considering more expensive component replacements.

Thanks for providing those details. Since we share similar Audi models, I can confirm that wiring connections should be the first check point. In my case, having all sensors fail simultaneously also pointed to a central connection issue rather than individual sensor failures. When the blind spot sensors and proximity sensors stop working altogether, its often traced back to either the main harness or control module connections. After my repair, I learned that vibration and temperature changes can gradually loosen these connections, leading to sudden system failures. A thorough diagnostic scan of the parking assist module will quickly reveal if your issue matches the faulty wiring pattern I encountered. If the workshop finds corroded or loose connections like in my case, you might be looking at a similar repair cost around 100 Euro. One additional tip from my experience: have them check the waterproof seals around the connector plugs. In some cases, moisture intrusion through degraded seals can cause intermittent connection issues with the obstacle detection system even when everything looks visually fine. Let us know what the workshop discovers. Your symptoms sound nearly identical to what I experienced, so hopefully its just a connection issue rather than a more complex sensor replacement.

Thank you everyone for the feedback. I wanted to provide an update after visiting the workshop today. You were right about checking the wiring first, they found that moisture had affected the main connector to the parking assist control module, causing all proximity sensors to fail. The repair involved cleaning the connections, replacing the damaged connector and resealing it properly. Total cost was 120 Euro including diagnostic time, and the obstacle detection system is now working perfectly again. The radar sensors and rearview camera are all functioning as they should. Much cheaper than I feared, and definitely worth checking the simple solutions first. Really appreciate the advice about investigating the wiring before jumping to sensor replacement, it saved me both time and money.