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Audi · NHTSA safety record

2020 Audi Q7

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

Owners have filed 28 safety complaints about the 2020 Audi Q7 with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. 5 recall campaigns are open against it.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 10 complaints, 36% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 42,850 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers May 2020 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

28 complaints on file

28

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

2

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.

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
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 · 36%
ENGINE 7 · 25%
POWER TRAIN 3 · 11%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 11%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 · 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 7%
SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 7%
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 1 · 4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 1 · 4%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 1 · 4%
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 28.

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 8.

12 9 6 3
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 2020 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 2020 Audi Q7, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD
Overall Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated
Frontal, driver Not rated
Frontal, passenger Not rated
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

5 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

25V900000 · December 19, 2025

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 356,894 vehicles across all model years covered

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

23V212000 · March 29, 2023

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2020 Q7 vehicles. Incompatibility between the front camera control software and the heating element used for the front camera on the windshield may cause the heating element to overheat.
The risk
An overheated heating element can increase the risk of a fire.
The remedy
Dealers will update the control software and replace the heater element for the front camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90N7.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 19 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

22V516000 · July 20, 2022

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi Q8, and 2020-2021 Audi Q7 vehicles. A component inside the fuel pump may break, causing the fuel pump to fail.
The risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 20DR.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 49,443 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

21V078000 · February 17, 2021

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Audi Q7 vehicles. The air bag control module may deploy the second stage of the front passenger air bag too quickly after the first stage when the seat is occupied by an unbelted child. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
During a crash necessitating the deployment of the passenger air bag, the second stage may deploy too quickly when a child is in the front passenger seat, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began March 5, 2021. Owners can contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BV.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 26,967 vehicles across all model years covered

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

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.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

1 injured · crash · towed · 73,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly lost motive power and the brakes engaged without warning, causing the vehicle to rear-end another vehicle in front. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact sustained injuries to the lower back, neck, and head. Medical attention was provided. The contact received continued treatment for whiplash, migraine headaches, and chiropractic treatments. A Police report was filed, but the information was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.

NHTSA complaint 11764109. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

Panoramic sunroof imploded while traveling at freeway speeds (70mph) during normal conditions (no rain, hail, snow, etc. and 60* temp) causing a large amount of glass to be blown into the cab of vehicle, striking the driver and passenger. With this loud implosion and visibility obstructed by flying glass debris it put the driver in a unsafe environment. This also put the passenger and other drivers on the road at a huge risk of an accident. Throughout the automotive industry, this has been a known issue over the past several years and even at the local Audi dealership in Bellingham, WA. After conversation with dealership there was no known contributing factors to the implosion and was

NHTSA complaint 11622755, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

fire

I am filing a complaint concerning serious safety risks associated with my 2020 Audi Q7 (VIN: [XXX] ) purchased as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle from Audi Dominion San Antonio. It is currently under service at Audi Central Houston, where multiple concerning events occurred. Timeline and Issues: - Initial diagnosis identified a fire-damaged electrical harness, estimated at $1,400 for replacement. - After repair attempts, the vehicle began smoking, and the diagnosis expanded to include additional compromised electrical lines. The revised quote skyrocketed to $4,700 (later reduced to $3,100). - After nearly two months in service, I was informed that the AC compressor is now deemed "bad" due to

NHTSA complaint 11678646, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

towed · 6,200 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 AUDI Q7. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKING AN ABNORMAL NOISE FROM THE PASSENGER'S SIDE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO EXCEED 20 MPH. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AUDI INDIANAPOLIS LOCATED AT 4610-B E 96TH ST, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46240, WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL NEEDING TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED AS OF YET. THE MANUFACTURER HAD BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE, AND A CASE WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,200. *LN*JB

NHTSA complaint 11326470. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA complaint 11766131. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Dashboard leather is bubbling, separating, and delaminating near the center windshield vents. This is a known manufacturing defect, Audi has issued a warranty extension (bulletin AWA-23-11) for this identical issue on the Q8, e-tron quattro, and R8 models, but not the Q7, despite the dashboard part number (4M8857001S33A) being identical across the Q7 and Q8. This appears to be a widespread issue affecting multiple Audi models sharing this dashboard component

NHTSA complaint 11752459. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
the first indication of an issue was oil consumption. It was using more oil than usual around the 70K mile mark. Then it started misfiring, and soon after a knocking noise coming from the engine. There are no check engine light on, after bringing it in for diagnostics, it read that it was a spark plug, once they got into the engine they discovered the cylinder had been stripped from the piston. Yes the diagnostics came from our foreign car mechanic. no, it has not been inspected by the manufacturer or police. Just the symptoms. sometimes the light would come on, and then it would go off. At this point it is off. All of this started in the fall of 2025.

NHTSA complaint 11737769. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
While my vehicle was in for the Audi piston issue, they stated my water pump needed to be replaced and isn’t covered by a recall (yet). My vehicle had less than 42,000 mile on it. I was lead to believe that this problem is coming up more often and they believe a class action lawsuit will come about. I needed to pay over $1,700 out of pocket and was told I was saving so much money because they already had the engine apart because of the piston recall. This is unacceptable.

NHTSA complaint 11737715. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

70,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where the water pump, coolant pump, vacuum line, and vacuum reservoir were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA complaint 11724096. 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 —
2019 62 4 —
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 2020 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