The red light on the SOS button and the emergency call fault message do not mean the control unit is scrap: almost always the module can be saved and comes back with its own coding, ready to refit with no adaptations to redo. But the cause has to be found on the bench, not guessed.
If you recognise one of these, the module is almost certainly recoverable.
The red or yellow LED on the SOS button in the roof console stays on with the ignition on. It is the way the system declares it is not in a position to make the call.
"Emergency call: fault", "Emergency call system not available" or similar, at start-up or after a few minutes of driving.
On the diagnostic tool the control unit does not show up, or it responds but with a permanent fault that will not clear.
You clear it with the diagnostic tool and it comes back at the next start-up. It is the sign that the cause is physical and not a passing fault.
The call goes through but nothing can be heard, at one end or the other: the audio branch dedicated to the emergency call is separate from the radio's.
We Connect, Audi connect, Škoda Connect or SEAT Connect no longer connect: the vehicle's connectivity runs through the same module.
The module is paired to the vehicle. Changing it means re-adapting it, and the operation does not always succeed without going through the manufacturer: repairing the original one sidesteps the problem from the start.
Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda, SEAT and Cupra from 2018 onwards, when the emergency call became mandatory on new cars registered in the European Union. Including the electric cars on the MEB platform — ID.3, ID.4, ID.5, ID.7, ID. Buzz, Audi Q4 e-tron, Škoda Enyaq, Cupra Born — where the same module also carries the connected services.
The part number is printed on the module label. Send it to us and we confirm straight away whether it is covered.
The emergency call system is a safety device: it is there to call for help when the people on board cannot. An active fault on that system gets repaired, not cleared. We do not carry out work whose only purpose is to switch off the warning light leaving the module faulty, and at the quote stage we always say what is genuinely not working.
The light says one thing only: the system has declared it is not in a position to make the emergency call. The reason varies from case to case and cannot be worked out from the outside — it shows up on the bench. The commonest mistake is to take it for granted: the fault is almost always blamed on the backup battery, which in 90% of cases has nothing to do with it, and people end up replacing it without solving anything. Send us the message you read on the dashboard and we start from there.
No, and it is not worth trying. It is a static fault: as long as the cause is there, it comes back as soon as the car is restarted. Clearing it without repairing only means switching off the warning light of a safety system that does not work.
No. Second-hand control units cannot be installed: they hold the data of the eSIM housed inside them, and the manufacturer does not approve moving one to another car. If the module does have to be replaced, a new part is needed — one more reason to have your own checked first to see whether it can be saved.
Yes: the aim of the work is to get the module working again, not to switch off the light. Before it goes back it is tested on the bench, and the absence of the fault is verified with a diagnostic tool once the module has been refitted.
The module is enough, and it can be shipped. If you would rather not remove it, everything can be done at our workshop in Francavilla Fontana (BR) or in Turin, by appointment.
With that and the car model we can already tell you what to expect, how much it costs and how to proceed. Free and with no obligation.
