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Audi · NHTSA safety record

2019 Audi Q7

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

Owners have filed 62 safety complaints about the 2019 Audi Q7 with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the steering, named in 10 complaints, 16% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 12,700 miles, the median across the 18 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers March 2019 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

62 complaints on file

62

Complaints

5

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

0

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints fell 46% year on year: 7 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 13 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
STEERING 10 · 16%
SUSPENSION 10 · 16%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9 · 15%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8 · 13%
ENGINE 6 · 10%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 · 8%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 8%
POWER TRAIN 4 · 6%
SERVICE BRAKES 4 · 6%
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 3 · 5%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 5%
WHEELS 3 · 5%
0 8 15

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 62.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 15.

16 12 8 4
19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2019 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2019 Audi Q7, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 15.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

4 on file

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

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

20V093000 · February 19, 2020

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q7 vehicles. In the event of a crash, the side curtain air bags may not properly inflate.
The risk
An air bag that does not properly inflate in the event of a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will replace the side curtain air bags, free of charge. The recall began March 19, 2020. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69AJ.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 383 vehicles across all model years covered

SUSPENSION:FRONT:SHOCK ABSORBER

19V114000 · February 20, 2019

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019 Q7, Q8, S5 Cabriolet, and S5 Sportback vehicles. The front shock absorber forks may develop cracks allowing the shock absorbers to loosen.
The risk
Loose shock absorbers may impair vehicle steering, increasing the risk of crash.
The remedy
Audi has notified owners, and dealers will replace the shock absorber forks, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 40O4.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 34 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

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

STEERING

crash · towed

WHILE TURNING ONTO AN EXIT RAMP FROM THE HIGHWAY AT A LOW SPEED, MY SON SAID THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY LOCKED UP (IT STIFFENED TO THE POINT OF NO MOVEMENT) AND HE COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL AND CRASHED INTO A GUARD RAIL.*DT CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO DISREGARD THE REPORT.*JB

NHTSA complaint 11363850. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

crash · towed · 13,500 miles

MY SON DRIVING AT LOW SPEED COULD NOT MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE TO AVOID HITTING THE GUARD RAIL COMING OFF A HIGHWAY. IT WAS LIKE HE HYDROPLANED WITHOUT A PUDDLE IN EXISTENCE.

NHTSA complaint 11363852. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

crash · towed

On [XXX] we were parking the car in the lot at [XXX] , when the car suddenly accelerated despite my foot being on the brake and crashed into a storefront. The fireman said the airbags deploy code was issues but the airbag never deployed, and the automatic emergency braking did not stop the car. It seemed as though the transmission was switched, but we had not touched the gas. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11577307. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

crash · 33,000 miles

VEHICLE STABILITY WHILE DRIVING ON AUTOMATIC DRIVING /LANE KEEPING SYSTEM FAILED 3 TIMES ALMOST CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOOSE CONTROL AND CRASH. ON 4 OTHER OCCASIONS THE VEHICLES LANE KEEPING FAILED TO KEEP BETWEEN LANES AND INSTEAD VEAR VEHICLE IN DIFFERENT STEERING DIRECTIONS, FORCING ME TO PULL AGAINST THE STEARING WHEEL TO GO BACK STRAIGHT. AUDI AMERICA AND LOCAL DEALER CONTINUE TO SAY EVERYTHING IS OK BUT ON ALL THREE OCCASIONS I HAD WITNESSES IN MY CAR.

NHTSA complaint 11349631. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
During summer 2026 the check-engine light on our 2019 Audi Q7 came on BEFORE its first August service/oil-change visit. The light remained on when the dealer returned the vehicle. Within days, the driver found cruise control no longer worked; it had worked before that visit. She called the dealer in mid-August to arrange a return. At the second visit, the dealer reported intake-manifold runner controls for banks 1 and 2 stuck closed and recorded: "water pump has failed internally, causing a vacuum leak". The water pump was replaced. After the second visit, around August 28, 2026, a high-pitched whining/squealing noise began. It occurred while coasting or going downhill and generally when

NHTSA complaint 11765439, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA complaint 11743264. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
My car has experienced unintended automatic emergency braking while driving in active traffic with no obstruction present. This created a serious risk of a rear-end collision from vehicles behind. Prior to this, the car had ongoing alignment and steering issues beginning shortly after purchase. The car consistently pulls while driving and has required multiple repair attempts, including alignments and inspections of steering and suspension components. These repairs have not resolved the issue. The problem appears to be worsening. In addition to the unintended braking, the vehicle intermittently displays safety system warnings related to driver assistance features. The failure involves both

NHTSA complaint 11728044, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

BACK OVER PREVENTION

138,000 miles

The contact owns a 2019 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while in reverse, the back-over prevention intermittently displayed a black screen. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V900000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

NHTSA complaint 11724609. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The starter in my Audi Q7 2019 failed and the car would not start. I was parked in my garage and manually had to put the car in neutral using the tool provided in the trunk and push the car out of the garage until a flatbed tow truck was able to take my car to the shop. If this happened elsewhere, I could have been stranded without the ability to start my car. My car was towed to a certified shop where they confirmed the failure and made the repair by installing a new starter.

NHTSA complaint 11711657. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving, the vehicle’s infotainment system suddenly froze and then rebooted on its own. During the reboot, the display was unavailable for several minutes, causing loss of access to navigation, vehicle status information, and warning messages while the vehicle was in motion. This occurred without warning and distracted the driver while driving, creating a potential safety risk.

NHTSA complaint 11706777. 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 16 2 —
2023 16 3 —
2022 20 3 —
2021 75 9 —
2020 28 5 —
2018 143 3 —
2017 319 7 —
2015 44 2 —
2014 45 2 —
2013 43 3 —
2012 29 4 —
2011 23 4 —
2010 29 3 —

Other 2019 Audi models

Every Audi on this site — 155 vehicles.

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. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

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