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Audi · NHTSA safety record

2018 Audi Q7

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

141

Complaints

3

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2018 Audi Q7 have filed 141 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2018 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 37 of them (26%). The typical failure was reported at 15,800 miles, the median across the 33 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

20V658000 · October 27, 2020

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Audi Q7 vehicles. The padding on the vehicle's C-pillar may not absorb enough impact in the event of a crash.
The risk
In the event of a crash, an unbelted occupant's head may impact the vehicle's C-pillar padding, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the deformation element on the C-pillars, free of charge. The recall began November 17, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 70H8.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 94,144 vehicles across all model years covered

STEERING

20V149000 · March 16, 2020

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q8 and 2017-2019 Audi Q7 vehicles. The bolt connecting the steering shaft to the steering gear may loosen, possibly resulting in a loss of steering control.
The risk
A sudden loss of loss of steering control may increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the steering shaft bolt, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 36A1.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 229 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:FUEL RAIL

19V035000 · January 16, 2019

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Q7, A6 and A7 vehicles, and 2015-2018 Audi A8 vehicles. The left and right fuel rails may leak fuel.
The risk
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase risk of a fire.
The remedy
Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the left and right fuel rail, free of charge. The recall began February 28, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 24DP.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 74,881 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 141.

ENGINE 37 26%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 23 16%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 19 13%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 11%
SUSPENSION 16 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 12 9%
POWER TRAIN 7 5%
STEERING 7 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 4%
WHEELS 6 4%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 4%
SEAT BELTS 4 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 34.

2018 2024 2026
2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 injured

I WENT TO PICK MY 3 YO TWINS AT SCHOOL. OPENED MY DOOR, GOT OFF THE CAR AND CLOSED IT, WITH KEYS INSIDE MY PURSE AT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT (MY USUAL ROUTINE). WAS ABLE TO OPEN PASSENGER'S BACK DOOR, BUCKLED MY SON TO CAR SEAT AND CLOSED HIS DOOR. WHEN TURNED TO OTHER SIDE TO OPEN THE DOOR FOR MY GIRL, NOTED CAR WAS LOCKED AND IGNITION TURNED OFF WITH MY 3YO SON INSIDE. ALL DOORS WERE LOCKED DESPITE KEYS BEING INSIDE CAR AND IGNITION OFF. REMOTE CONTROL WAS OPERABLE WITH BATTERIES FUNCTIONING WELL. SCHOOL DIRECTOR CALLED 911 AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WENT TO ASSIST. THEY WERE UNABLE TO OPEN DOOR AND AFTER ~20MINUTES OF MY SON BEING INSIDE, BUCKLED AND IN FLORIDA HEAT, EMT AND FIRE FIGHTERS HAD TO

NHTSA complaint 11363538, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · 27,500 miles

IN MAY OF 2020 I SEVERELY HIT MY HEAD (LEFT SIDE OF FOREHEAD) ON THE C-PILLAR WHILE EXITING THE LEFT-REAR SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT THE TIME AT THE TIME OF MY HEAD INJURY. THE INJURY WAS CAUSED BECAUSE THE C-PILLAR IS VERY CLOSE TO THE REAR HEADREST, AND TO EXIT THE VEHICLE ONE GENERALLY HAS TO LOOK DOWN AT THE GROUND WHERE ONE IS ABOUT TO STEP. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THERE IS CURRENTLY A SAFETY RECALL (70H8 NHTSA: 20V658) FOR THIS VEHICLE, A 2018 AUDI Q7. (THE C-PILLAR IS THE THIRD VERTICAL BEAM FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE.) THE RECALL STATES "AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY IF AN UNBELTED PASSENGER'S HEAD CONTACTS THE C-PILLAR IN A CRASH." MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT THERE IS ALSO AN

NHTSA complaint 11384568, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured

My 8-year-old's finger was in the door frame and the door came close enough to engage the soft close feature and she tried to pull her finger out as we watched the door slowly continue closing on it. After 4 x-rays the doctor determined it was not fractured, but it is badly bruised, swollen, and was cut. This should not be possible that it doesn't sense her finger. On a car not equipped with soft closing, this incident wouldn't have occurred.

NHTSA complaint 11610620. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 12,000 miles

I WAS TAKING A U-TURN UNDER A FREEWAY IN MY 10 MONTH OLD AUDI Q7. AS I WAS FINISHING THE U-TURN A STABILIZATION ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED AND MY BRAKES WENT OUT. I WAS FINISHING MY UTURN AND COULDN'T SLOW DOWN SOI ENDED UP RUNNING INTO THE CEMENT BARRIER WITH MY RIGHT BACK WHEEL AND WENT ONTO THE FEEDER. LUCKILY IT WAS AT 5AM SO NO OTHER CARS WERE ON THE ROAD. HITTING THE BARRIER SLOWED BY CAR DOWN TO 5 MPH. AS I STRAIGHTENED OUT MY CAR, THE BRAKES STARTED WORKING AGAIN. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP SAID AUDI OF AMERICA HAD TO LOOK AT IT. THE ENGINEER FINALLY CAME TO LOOK AT IT ON JAN 3RD (3 WEEKS AFTER THE ACCIDENT). HE SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T TEST DRIVE THE CAR

NHTSA complaint 11170252, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Start/stop malfunction failed; yes it is available for inspection. Driving down highway vehicle stopped with 2 adult passengers and 2 children. Yes 3 mechanics completed a diagnostic. Vehicle has not been inspected by insurance, manufacturer or police but by VW dealer, and two registered mechanics. No other warnings or symptoms.

NHTSA complaint 11752232. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SEATS
The right rear passenger heated seat in my 2018 Audi Q7 overheated and burned through the leather and foam. Fortunately, my disabled [XXX] daughter, who normally sits in that seat, was not in the vehicle at the time. The failure occurred without warning and during normal use. This defect presents a serious safety risk and could have caused injury or fire. Request: Please investigate this issue in the 2018 Audi Q7 rear heated seats and determine whether a recall or repair campaign is necessary. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11750098. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
My 2018 Audi Q7 3.0T Quattro is experiencing extreme oil consumption — dropping from full to minimum level in approximately 230 miles. This is approximately 14x beyond Audi's own threshold for excessive oil consumption of 0.5 quarts per 1,000 miles. Documented timeline: May 2026 (88,692 miles): Oil change required 2.2 extra quarts beyond standard 7.2qt fill. Low oil light triggered during highway travel. June 27, 2026 (90,200 miles): Authorized Audi dealer formally documented "oil consumption is very high" in their service system and scheduled an official oil consumption test. June 28, 2026 (90,351 miles): Audi MMI system showed oil near minimum after only 151 miles. June 30, 2026 (90,397

NHTSA complaint 11747856, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I AM GETTING FRONT LEFT SIDE MARKER LIGHT FAULTY PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THIS IS VERY COMMON FOR 2018 AUDI Q7. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE AND SEE IF I AM QUALIFIED TO GET THIS REPLACED BY AUDI. APPARENTLY, THE REPLACING THE LAMP ISN'T EASY BUT WOUDL REQUIRE TO REPLACE THE WHOLE LIGHTING FIXTURE WHICH COULD COST OVER $2K. THANK YOU.

NHTSA complaint 11739746. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Parking light defective message on dash board. Looked at the light and all lights present. Talked to a dealer and the headlight assembly to replace is 6K plus. For a small yellow side light inside of headlight that is still on, but the message on dashboard says otherwise. Was told that it isn't outputting enough light power.

NHTSA complaint 11738684. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I am reporting suspected odometer fraud on my 2018 Audi Q7 3.0T Prestige (VIN: [XXX] ). Between May 8 and June 13, 2025, while I was the sole driver of the vehicle, Audi dealership service records show an odometer increase of 5,282 miles (from 78,260 to 83,542). However, independently verified GPS trip data from the Audi Connect system confirms I drove only approximately 2,103 miles during this period — a discrepancy of approximately 3,178 miles. The vehicle was serviced at two Penske-owned dealerships: Audi of Arlington (3200 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA 22204) and Audi of Chantilly (14839 Stonecroft Center Ct, Chantilly, VA 20151). Only authorized dealer diagnostic equipment can alter

NHTSA complaint 11730885, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Audi Q7

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 14 2 —
2023 16 3 —
2022 18 3 —
2021 69 9 —
2020 26 5 —
2019 61 4 —
2017 317 7 —
2015 44 2 —
2014 45 2 —
2013 41 3 —
2012 29 4 —
2011 23 4 —
2010 29 3 —

Other 2018 Audi models

Q5 198 A4 44 A5 36 A3 33 Q3 26 S5 26 SQ5 24 RS 3 13

Every Audi on this site — 147 vehicles, 216 recall campaigns and 0 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst