[InnyAudi]

Hi all. I'm reposting this since I originally posted this issue on a year-old thread for a similar but not identical issue. I've had my Q3 for only four days and have encountered my first problem. :crying: I'm hoping this is just user error and not a problem with the car. The power tailgate does not seem to be closing by pushing the close buttons inside the tailgate. I can open the tailgate using the handle. I can open and close the tailgate with the key fob and with the driver side door button but I am unable to close the tailgate with the buttons in the tailgate. This issue seems to come and go. I first noticed it last night, and this evening the issue resolved spontaneously. Unfortunately, it has returned. I cannot find anything in the owner's manual that addresses this problem. I have searched the web and tried a couple things but nothing has worked so far. The salesman did set the height of the tailgate lift to accommodate me and I tried resetting that but that did not work to resolve the issue either.

And my doing something wrong? The buttons seemed to work fine over the weekend so I don't think I'm doing anything different now. I do notice that the buttons light up when I press it but there's no sound or any other response. Is there a setting that I'm unaware of?

Has anyone had a similar issue? I plan on calling my dealership tomorrow if I still haven't resolved it.

Thanks.

 

[liy]

You have not left your key inside the vehicle, perchance?

LIY

 

[Ohio Joe]

Did you try pressing and holding the button? or maybe try it closer to the rear of the car? the signal may be blocked ...???

 

[rnlabas]

I'm with LIY on this one. Are you possibly holding your purse with the key inside on your arm or just enough 'inside' the proximity zone so the car thinks the key may be inside? Otherwise you may have a real fault ...

 

[InnyAudi]

I'm with LIY on this one. Are you possibly holding your purse with the key inside on your arm or just enough 'inside' the proximity zone so the car thinks the key may be inside? Otherwise you may have a real fault ...

This has happened twice now and once the key was in my jeans pocket and the other time the key was in my purse on my shoulder. I'm not sure if the purse was dangling in a manner that the car registered the key as inside the vehicle. It's certainly a possibility but I don't think so. I had just loaded up some plants from home depot and went to close the tailgate door but it did not respond.
@Ohio Joe, the 2 times it didn't work, I tried pressing and holding the buttons for a few seconds without any noticeable response.

Today, it is working without a problem. I tried to replicate the issue standing in every possible position but it stubbornly worked. I even went halfway into the trunk and the tailgate button still worked to close. I noticed that the buttons were lit (lighted?) tonight when they were working. I remember when they were not working last night that the buttons were not lit but a dim red light was came one every time I pressed the button.

This is a reach but is there a child safety feature or anything of the sort for the tailgate? I was wondering if possibly the car was registering my person as a child (I'm 5'0" tall and about 100 lbs) and stopped the tailgate due to my size (like the passenger airbag). I read the owners manual and MMI manual from cover to cover last night and didn't see anything to this effect.

I have to go back to the dealership to pick up my real tags in 2 weeks. I will take note if it happens again and any circumstances surrounding the issue. Regardless, I'll ask them to do a once-over on the car. I picked up the car only 2 days after it arrived and noticed there were bar code stickers still on the seat belts so maybe the dealership hadn't done their final check on it before I took possession of the car.

Thanks, everyone, for taking the time to respond. The good news is that the car is totally perfect in every other way and I love it.

 

[InnyAudi]

It wasn't me

I wanted to share the resolution to this issue in case anyone else encounters it in the future. The tailgate buttons continued to be unresponsive intermittently and eventually, stopped working about 80% of the time. I brought her in and Audi had her for about a week trying to figure out the cause. They found no faults when they ran the GFF but the buttons were not working for the technician. They switched out the trunk lid switch, did not resolve problem. They switched out the lid control module, still did not resolve the problem. They replaced something called a "J533" and still did not work. Called "TAC" and got some instructions for further diagnostics. In the end, they finally found a faulty ground on the switch coming from the rear trunk lid control module, replaced the ground wire and now the buttons work. So there you have it.

On a side-note, I got a Q5 loaner and found out I like the Q3 a million times more.

 

[DampDuffer]

On a side-note, I got a Q5 loaner and found out I like the Q3 a million times more.

Oh, for sure!

We too borrowed a Q5 for a few days and found it boring to drive....more like an old station wagon than the responsive and fun Q3.

As "our" Q3 is actually my wife's to drive, I am really looking forward to the totally new 2018 Q5 that will be made in Mexico and available in the US in less than a year.

It will be lighter in weight, tighter and more fun to drive, and it will apparently have a look closer to the Q3 or Q7.

I can't confirm this is what the 2018 will look like, but one website say it is...it's also one of the colors I am strongly considering:

 

[rnlabas]

I wanted to share the resolution to this issue in case anyone else encounters it in the future. The tailgate buttons continued to be unresponsive intermittently and eventually, stopped working about 80% of the time. I brought her in and Audi had her for about a week trying to figure out the cause. They found no faults when they ran the GFF but the buttons were not working for the technician. They switched out the trunk lid switch, did not resolve problem. They switched out the lid control module, still did not resolve the problem. They replaced something called a "J533" and still did not work. Called "TAC" and got some instructions for further diagnostics. In the end, they finally found a faulty ground on the switch coming from the rear trunk lid control module, replaced the ground wire and now the buttons work. So there you have it.

On a side-note, I got a Q5 loaner and found out I like the Q3 a million times more.

The J533 is your main Data Bus On Board Diagnostic Interface and is available in 2 versions depending on infotainment system options. This is a big Mama of communications for the car, but in the end the ground fault seems to be a common problem with many doo-dads to make everything work. Do glad you got it straightened out...

 

[InnyAudi]

Oh, for sure!

We too borrowed a Q5 for a few days and found it boring to drive....more like an old station wagon than the responsive and fun Q3.

As "our" Q3 is actually my wife's to drive, I am really looking forward to the totally new 2018 Q5 that will be made in Mexico and available in the US in less than a year.

It will be lighter in weight, tighter and more fun to drive, and it will apparently have a look closer to the Q3 or Q7.

I can't confirm this is what the 2018 will look like, but one website say it is...it's also one of the colors I am strongly considering:

The new Q5 sounds (and looks) pretty awesome. The Q5 I drove was just so big. The side mirrors were ginormous like they were made for a Ford F-150 -- for me, they took up half the window that they actually impeded my view going around corners. Also, I felt very suburban housewife driving it (no offense to suburban housewives).

 

[InnyAudi]

The J533 is your main Data Bus On Board Diagnostic Interface and is available in 2 versions depending on infotainment system options. This is a big Mama of communications for the car, but in the end the ground fault seems to be a common problem with many doo-dads to make everything work. Do glad you got it straightened out...

Thanks, Roger. I am glad too! Still working fine.