AUDI Complaints

Vehicle is a new 2026 Audi Q3 S Line quattro with recurring electronic system failures affecting safety-related functions, beginning on or about April 11, 2026. The vehicle has repeatedly displayed “Driver assistance systems are limited” and related driver-assist warnings with no environmental cause (clear weather, clean windshield), indicating intermittent dropout of camera/radar-based safety systems including collision avoidance and lane assist. The digital instrument cluster — the sole speedometer display — intermittently cuts out and shows grey static, temporarily depriving the driver of speed and warning information while driving. The infotainment/compute system exhibits broader instability: navigation hangs indefinitely at “Initializing navigation” (documented on video, which also shows two system clocks displaying different times simultaneously), random audio pops with no media playing, embedded cellular connectivity repeatedly dropping, and Bluetooth/CarPlay phone connections failing when answering or placing calls, which encourages handheld phone use while driving. Failures are intermittent and have recurred across drive cycles for several months. I believe these represent a software defect in the vehicle’s electronic platform affecting FMVSS-relevant systems, consistent with owner reports on other Audi models sharing this software generation. Video and photo documentation available.

Sunday morning, XXX, at 07:25 CST, while driving west on [XXX] outside of [XXX], the moonroof of the 2025 Audi Q7 spontaneously exploded with what sounded like a gunshot in the car. The sunscreen was closed at the time, so very little glass entered the vehicle. There were no other vehicles around us at the time. There was no rock hit. We took the next exit and examined the moonroof and found it to be completely gone with a thin rim of remaining glass. We drove to [XXX] and covered the entire moonroof with a well secured contractor bag and continued our remaining trip. I contacted the Glenwood Springs, Audi dealership, and took the vehicle for a dealer examination/inspection on 08/18/26. They told me that this was not covered under the warranty, and that it was probabpy caused by a rock striking the glass. We were very fortunate that the sunscreen was closed at the time or we would have been showered with glass. There were no premonitory signs that this was about to occur. While at the dealership we were shown a copy of recently released TSB from Audi (XXX) acknowledging the potential for glass moonroof spontaneously shattering. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

THE REAR COOLANT BOTTLE FOR THE DRIVE MOTOR IS COMPLETELY FULL, HV FAULTS ARE STORED. BATTERY IS IN "WARNING" CONDITION, J840 STORES INTERNAL MALFUNCTION FAULTS. ADDITIONAL DIAGNOSIS IS NECESSARY FOR THE HV SYSTEM, AND THE REAR DRIVE MOTOR WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED. FOUND CELL IMBALANCE FAULTS STORED, FOUND J840 BATTERY MODULE IS FAULTY AND MUST BE REPLACED. FURTHER DIAG IS NECESSARY, MULTIPLE FAULTS ARE PREVENTING THE VEHICLE FROM MOVING, FAULTS SET ON 06/22/26. HV AND DRIVE MOTOR FAULTS ARE NOT LIKELY TO BE RELATED TO ANY IMPACTS OR DAMAGE, MALFUNCTIONS ARE ELECTRICAL AND INTERNAL.

Ive experienced multiple unexpected braking events while driving on essentially open road using adaptive cruise control. When this first happened it scared me significantly and caused a car behind me to run up on me. Upon further investigation I found that this braking occurs every time I go by these two specific places on [XXX]. When this occurs, the dash display shows an intersection/crossroads icon as if it thinks Im approaching a 4 way stop. There is no 4 way intersection at the points where it happens. There are side roads entering the highway which are marked by signs. I can override the braking with accelerator pedal but the braking resumes if I release the pedal. If I dont do anything, the car decelerates to about 10-15mph and then reaccelerates back to cruise speed. I reported this to the dealer and they say no issue found and wont do anything unless they can replicate and they wont come the 50 miles to my home area to witness it. My concern is that this behavior could result in a road rage event as the driver behind may interpret the deceleration as a brake check. It could also result in me being rear ended by a driver not expecting a brake application on open road. I can provide a video file of the event if you like. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The 2017 Audi Q7 Prestige was purchased on November 7,2016. Since the purchase, all service was provided by one or the other of two Audi dealerships. During this period, the Audi recommended 10K, 20K,30K, 40K, 50K, 60K, 70K, and 80K mile services had all been performed. In the almost ten years that I owned the car, the oil and oil filter were changed 11 times at one or the other of the two dealerships. The mileage interval between oil changes was 6,383 miles on average with a maximum interval on 8,177 miles; the time interval between oil changes was 320 days on average with a maximum of 399 days. The engine oil cooler valve had shorted out internally and was replaced in April 2025 at 58,225 miles. By the end of August 2026, the car had travelled 71,375 miles. From 60,000 miles on, oil consumption has gradually increased to alarming levels:1-quart every 700 miles. On August 22, while driving at highway speed on the Pennsylvania turnpike near Pittsburgh, I experienced a sudden loss of power, rapid deceleration, rough running of the engine, and a “Drive System Malfunction “indicator. Fortunately, I was able to slow the vehicle and safely move off the highway. The car was towed ($396) to an Audi dealership. The technician reported that the diagnostic scan showed a misfire code for cylinder #2; and, upon inspection, the #2 spark plug was found to be excessively oil-fouled. When the technician swapped the coils and spark plugs from cylinders #2 and #3, the misfire remained on cylinder #2. A compression test on cylinder #2 showed 120 psi – below normal, but not low enough by itself to definitively condemn the engine. The cost for this analysis was $500. I declined to invest in further teardown of the engine. Audi purchased the vehicle for $4,000. My experience appears similar to others with the 2017 Audi Q7 with the 3.0 engine. Exceptionally poor engineering and total lack of customer care!

I own a 2019 Audi Q8 3.0 TFSI that has been regularly maintained and serviced through authorized Audi dealerships. The abnormal engine ticking/knocking did not suddenly begin at 91,000 miles. A similar noise could be heard earlier, but it was not identified by Audi service as an internal engine/piston problem. Because the vehicle continued to be serviced by Audi, I believed the sound was related to the fuel injectors or normal engine operation. At approximately 91,000 miles, the noise became noticeably worse. At 91,623 miles, Audi San Jose diagnosed the knocking as related to the engine pistons, classified it as requiring “IMMEDIATE ATTENTION,” opened Audi TAC case SF-1690700, and confirmed that all six pistons require replacement. Audi provided a repair estimate of $22,466.21. I have since learned that Audi has acknowledged a piston-skirt issue through an 8-year/80,000-mile limited warranty extension, and I have found numerous owners reporting similar piston knocking/piston-slap and major engine repairs. My vehicle is now beyond the 80,000-mile limit, but the noise existed earlier and was not recognized as a piston problem. Given the vehicle's Audi maintenance history and the failure of all six pistons, I am concerned this represents a premature engine defect rather than normal wear. I am reporting this so NHTSA can investigate similar failures, including those diagnosed after Audi's extended-coverage mileage limit, and the potential risk of major engine damage or loss of propulsion.

VIN number: [XXX]. Audi Q5 Prestige 2021 Mileage 48,540 I have contacted Audi Corporate regarding a catastrophic Transmission Failure while driving. The dealership investigation discovered that bolts had loosened and the fluid was not getting to the transmission and it stopped dead while I was driving. I was on surface streets going to pick up my baby granddaughter from daycare. I heard what sounded like a "slip" in the gears, a yellow notification appeared stating that the car is safe to drive. A few minutes later it happened again and the same warning appeared. I continued to the daycare and in the driveway the car stopped dead with a Red warning that it is a transmission malfunction. I luckily was not in a busy intersection or the freeway as that would have been catastrophic for my life and the life of my young granddaughter. I have contacted Audi via telephone at [XXX]. They took my statement and gave me a case number: XXX. I have worked with my Audi dealership and they are giving a "goodwill" discount that requires me to pay $800 for the defective bolt replacement. I purchased the vehicle as a certified pre-owned from the Audi dealership on [XXX]. I purchased an extended warranty they refused to cover the repair as it was a manufacturing issue. I have taken the vehicle in for all maintenance. This transmission failure is nothing that I did and not the result of neglect. This failure of the bolts is a manufacturing error. The bolts are supposed to stay bolted. I want Audi to pay in full for the repair, to include replacement of the entire transmission, in addition to replacing the defective volts. I also want a letter stating that this is a permanent fix and will not happen again. I trusted the Audi name and reputation to build a safe vehicle. The abrupt stop of the transmission could have been the death of me and my young granddaughter had it happened on the freeway or a busy intersection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

the water pump failed on my 2020 Audi SQ 8 at approximately 42K miles. before diagnosis the engine temperate gauge repeatedly fluctuated while driving. An Audi specialist shop diagnosed the issue as a failed water pump. A failure at this mileage is premature and presents a safety concern as this could result in a catastrophic engine failure. I am requesting that NTHSA evaluate whether similar failures involving the 4.0 liter twin-turbo Audi SQ8 cooling system.

Description of Incident and Safety Defect:Failed Component & Inspection Availability: The gateway control module, located in an unsealed floor compartment under the rear seat, failed due to liquid/moisture intrusion. The damaged module and vehicle are fully available for inspection upon request.Safety Risk: The sudden short-circuit of this module forced the vehicle into an immediate emergency "limp mode" and partial drivetrain shutdown while actively driving on the road. Unexpectedly losing engine power and throttle responsiveness in active traffic put my safety and the safety of surrounding drivers at an immediate, severe risk of a collision.Dealer / Independent Confirmation: The failure has been officially confirmed by an authorized Audi dealership service center. However, the dealer refused to perform a free safety repair because Audi has excluded my specific VIN from the active recall list.Prior Inspections: Outside of the diagnosing Audi dealership service center, the vehicle and failed component have not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives.Warning Lamps & Prior Symptoms: Immediately prior to the drivetrain failure, the dashboard lit up with sudden error messages and warning lamps regarding a critical system malfunction. There were no gradual symptoms or warning signs leading up to this incident; the catastrophic module failure occurred suddenly due to moisture contacting the unsealed component.Summary Assessment:This vehicle has suffered the identical engineering defect and hazardous failure mode detailed in NHTSA Recall Campaign 21V-947 (Audi Recall Code 90S9). Audi’s current recall window is too narrow. It must be expanded to include all 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles experiencing this exact, catastrophic safety failure, regardless of their production date cut-offs. To date the car has 89924 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q7. The contact stated that the instrument cluster display had become blank and failed to operate as intended. The failure prevented the contact from viewing critical vehicle information, including the speedometer, fuel gauge, and turn signal indicators. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the instrument cluster failed and needed to be replaced. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V201000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.