CSR

Audi · NHTSA safety record

2024 Audi Q3

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

Owners have filed 18 safety complaints about the 2024 Audi Q3 with the US government. Of those, 2 describe a crash, 2 people were injured and no death is recorded. 2 recall campaigns are open against it, covering back-over prevention and the air bags.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 6 complaints, 33% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers February 2024 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

18 complaints on file

18

Complaints

2

Describe a crash

0

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 6 · 33%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 28%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 5 · 28%
POWER TRAIN 2 · 11%
STEERING 2 · 11%
AIR BAGS 1 · 6%
BACK OVER PREVENTION 1 · 6%
ENGINE 1 · 6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 · 6%
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES 1 · 6%
SEAT BELTS 1 · 6%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 18.

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 2025 at 12.

16 12 8 4
24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2024 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 2024 Audi Q3, 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 16.4%
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

2 on file

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

25V082000 · February 12, 2025

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2022-2024 Tiguan, 2023 Arteon, and 2024-2025 Audi Q3 vehicles. An error may occur in the camera control unit at vehicle startup, resulting in the rearview camera image not 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 camera that does not display an image can reduce the driver's rear view, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the camera control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed to Audi owners April 3, 2024, and Volkswagen owners November 18, 2025.Volkswagen owners will receive a second notice once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are (Volkswagen) 91NY and (Audi) 90AV.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 29,569 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

24V251000 · April 3, 2024

The defect
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2023 Audi S5 Cabriolet, A4 Allroad, Q5 Sportback, A3 Sedan, S5 Sportback, SQ7, TT Coupe, TT Roadster, RS5 Sportback, 2024 A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q8, RSQ8, 2023-2024 Q3, Q5, and Q7 vehicles. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the occupant detection system (ODS) control module may loosen and deactivate the front passenger air bag.
The risk
A deactivated front passenger air bag will not deploy during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the passenger seat occupant detection system control module, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 8, 2024. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69GU.

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. · up to 91 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.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed · 4,000 miles

The contact owns a 2024 Audi Q3. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH, a second vehicle T- Boned crashed into the driver's side of the vehicle. During the crash, no air bags deployed, and the collision avoidance system did not activate to alert the driver. The contact sustained back and neck injuries, which later required medical treatment. The contact also suffered from PTSD due to the incident. A police report was taken at the scene, and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the crash. Prior to the collision, the vehicle taken to the dealer due to the passenger side air bag was off

NHTSA complaint 11713710, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash

I am submitting this complaint because I have experienced serious safety-related concerns involving Audi vehicles, and I am extremely concerned that these issues could result in a serious accident, injury, or loss of life. My personal vehicle is a **2024 Audi Q3**, which has experienced safety-related problems involving the braking system, wheel/speed sensors, parking recognition system, and other related vehicle safety and driver-assistance systems. I also want to report a separate and extremely serious incident involving an **Audi loaner vehicle that was provided to me by the Audi dealership while my 2024 Audi Q3 was being repaired**. While I was driving the Audi loaner vehicle, **the

NHTSA complaint 11761418, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Lease Begin Date: May 1, 2024 Mileage at time of first incident: 16800 Current Mileage: 17,500 Incident Description: This vehicle has exhibited unintended rearward movement on two separate occasions following a "Drive System Malfunction" warning, each occurring immediately after shifting into Drive on an incline. The first incident occurred on February 20, 2025. Immediately after shifting into Drive, the vehicle displayed a "Drive System Malfunction" message and rolled backward before I was able to stop it. My [XXX] child was a passenger. The system reset after restarting the vehicle. The second incident occurred under nearly identical conditions on March 19, 2025, again resulting in

NHTSA complaint 11728450, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
The rear inner brake pads wore out much faster then the outer brake pads on the vehicle. On July 16, 2025, the car was taken in for service at an Audi dealership (Hoffman Audi in East Hartford, CT) and the inner brake pads were reported to be at 4mm. The car had 19,678 miles. On 12/18/2025 the car was serviced with 25,361 miles and the rear inner brake pads were replaced because they were at 1mm. Besides excessive and premature wear of inner brake pads, this is a safety issue since the brake pad sensors are typically on the outer pads. Disc brake pads should wear consistently between inner and outer pads. Many social media forums report similar problems with Audi Q3 model wearing rear inner

NHTSA complaint 11706441, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
THE FIRST WEEK OF BUYING THIS VECHILE THERE WAS A CHIP MALFUCTION ON THE AUDI Q3 2024. THE AUDI AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER TOLD ME IT WAS JUST A SENSOR. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE DIOS DONE AND EVERTHING COME BACK FINE. HOWEVER, WHEN WHEN THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECT THE START STOP SYSTEM HAD ISSUE THEN WENT AWAY. ALONG WITH AFTER MY PURCHASE OF THE Q3 THEIR WERE STRANGE STREAMING NOISES THAT WERE COMING OUT OF ONE THE SPEAKERS. IT SEEMS THE DEALERSHIP SOLD ME THIS Q3 KNOWING THERE WAS AFTER MARKET PRODUCTS PUT IN THE CAR TO DISTRACT ME WHILE DRIVING. i LIVE IN TOWN OF BOZEMAN, MT AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MIDIGATE THIS ISSUE WITH LITTLE HELP FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I WILL BE MAKING A NEW POLICE REPORT

NHTSA complaint 11705383, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
The vehicle’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system intermittently fails to detect vehicles directly ahead at lower speeds. When this occurs, the car maintains the set speed instead of slowing down, creating a potential collision risk. The issue has been present since the vehicle was new and has occurred repeatedly over a two-year period. Specifically, while driving in moderate or heavy traffic using ACC or Adaptive Cruise Assist, the system occasionally does not recognize a slower or stopped vehicle ahead. The car continues to accelerate or maintain speed until I manually apply the brakes. Once I brake and re-engage the ACC, the system immediately detects the vehicle ahead and resumes

NHTSA complaint 11697773, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Audi Q3

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 5 1 —
2022 33 5 —
2021 15 3 —
2020 65 3 —
2019 10 4 —
2018 26 1 —
2017 8 3 —
2016 28 3 —
2015 23 2 —

Other 2024 Audi models

Q8 23 Q4 E-Tron 22 Q5 20

Complaints on file, same model year.

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