Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,245,377 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA, including 140,173 crashes, 56,794 fires, and 8,580 deaths.
What is a NHTSA consumer complaint?
A consumer complaint is a free-form report filed by a vehicle owner directly to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describing a safety concern about their vehicle. NHTSA collects these reports through its Vehicle Owner Defect Report (VOQ) system and publishes them publicly. Each complaint includes the affected component, the date and circumstances of the incident, whether the failure caused a crash or fire, and any reported injuries or deaths. The owner's full narrative description is included verbatim, NHTSA does not edit or moderate the descriptions.
The database below contains over 2,245,377 individual complaints. NHTSA's investigators monitor it for clusters of similar reports, when enough owners describe the same failure mode on the same vehicle, NHTSA may open a Preliminary Evaluation that can lead to a recall. Many of the largest recalls in U.S. history, including the Takata airbag recall and the Hyundai/Kia engine fire recalls, started as patterns visible in this complaint database years before they became formal recalls.
How to interpret what you read
A few principles for reading consumer complaints usefully:
- One complaint is anecdote; a hundred similar complaints is data. NHTSA does not investigate the truthfulness of any individual report, that's the job of the Office of Defects Investigation, which looks at the full pattern. When evaluating a vehicle, look for whether multiple owners describe the same chain of events.
- Crash, fire, injury, and death flags are owner-set. They are not verified by NHTSA. They are still useful as a filter, because owners who tick those boxes are typically reporting more serious incidents than those who don't.
- Component categories are NHTSA-assigned, not owner-assigned. NHTSA standardizes the component field so that complaints can be aggregated. The owner narrative often goes into more detail than the component category captures.
- Complaint volume scales with sales volume. A best-selling model will accumulate more raw complaints than a niche model even at the same defect rate. To compare across vehicles, look at complaints per 100,000 units sold, not raw counts.
If you've experienced a defect
File a complaint. NHTSA's investigators rely on this database to detect emerging defects, and useful complaints, specific, concrete, with dates and mileage and clear descriptions of what happened, feed directly into the agency's pattern detection. The form takes about 10 minutes and is at nhtsa.gov/recalls under "Report a Safety Problem." Your complaint becomes part of the same public record that this page is built from. Owners filing detailed VOQs are how recalls get triggered.
Read more from our blog
Showing 16,369 complaints for AUDI
Incident date: May 23, 2022
Rear sunroof exploded. Sounded like a large rock or gunshot and then shattered glass from the rear sunroof. The interior shade caught the glass. Car was immediately dropped off at the Audi dealership in SLC, Ut. Dealership tried to say it was from a rock hitting the car but no one was around me. A simple search on the internet shows this gas occurred numerous times on all different Audi models.
Incident date: May 19, 2022
Gas is pouring out from the top of the gas tank
Incident date: May 20, 2022
During a routine inspection my mechanic noticed the subframe of my 2011 Audi Q5 was rusted through in numerous spots. It seemed odd that a vehicle bought new and garaged since it was purchased had such extensive rust. Pictures of the rusted subframe were taken and shown to the local Audi dealer. The dealer then asked to bring the vehicle in so they could take their own pictures. Contacted Audi NA ... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2022
My 2016 AUDI Q5 got a fault on the steering (Steering Defective! Do not drive vehicle!) after changing a lane on a 35 miles/h road and I had lose all power steering and was nearly un-drivable 6 month earlier on 35k service maintenance I was complaining about jerky steering that happened twice when I change the lane on a highway after 40-50 miles trips. That time Audi Palo Alto Dealer was not able... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Audi Q5. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary, he became aware of a coolant leak underneath the vehicle. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the water pump was be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact associated ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 5, 2022
The electronic system failed while we were driving 40 mphs. The vehicle completely stopped. A recall notice was generated but never sent even though Audi has email, phone, etc. for information. If this would have happened the prior day while driving 75 mphs this could have killed my entire family. I was without a car for 2 months and Audi did nothing to rectify the situation. My car was towed to a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 15, 2022
Intermittent failure of back-up camera. This can cause injury or fatality to a child behind the vehicle who cannot be seen when the camera is not working. This has been reported to the local Audi dealership but they say they cannot repair it unless they can reproduce the problem. I have photos of the failure notification that appears on the dashboard, what Audi calls the MMI. The front camera h... Read more
Incident date: May 14, 2022
I purchased car July 2nd 2021 with 74956 miles, I just had it towed to audi do to coolant level light coming on. I purchased extended warranty at time of purchase and though this would be covered but was told warranty only covers water pump not the thermostat. Now they are demanding over 2100 to fix. I have seen several other audi owners that have experienced similar issues and believe this could ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2022
I have recently purchased my 2014 Audi A6 in Honolulu at JN Autogroup. After just a couple days of driving the vehicle I have noticed that the car started to smell like gas in and out of the vehicle. The smell is very potent and very sensible throughout every second of driving and I am reporting this because this could be very hazardous and I may not know if it could catch on fire with the amount ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2022
I have recently purchased my 2014 Audi A6 in Honolulu at JN Autogroup. After just a couple days of driving the vehicle I have noticed that the car started to smell like gas in and out of the vehicle. The smell is very potent and very sensible throughout every second of driving and I am reporting this because this could be very hazardous and I may not know if it could catch on fire with the amount ... Read more
Incident date: May 17, 2022
Sun roof exploded for no reason. No rock hit it, driving on the highway with no other cars around
Incident date: May 16, 2022
The hood has opened 3 different times with no warning while driving down the road.
Incident date: Jan 17, 2022
Coolant leak from faulty water pump. This is a known issue from numerous models of Audis and has been the subject of recalls and extended warranty campaigns - but not on this particular model. I was forced to pay for the replacement of this known faulty part out of pocket.
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2016) - VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:THROTTLE
May 16, 2022
Incident date: May 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A4. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started shaking. The EPC warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and diagnosed with cylinder #4 failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
Incident date: May 12, 2022
The top of the fuel pump connected to the fuel tank shows hairline cracks and fuel is spraying out of the fuel pump into a well in the rear seat
Incident date: May 9, 2022
My car don’t get the full power & it whistles they say it’s the oil seperator .
Incident date: Apr 29, 2022
Car stalled in fast moving traffic, and then lurched forward. In the stall the car behind me almost ran into me. In the lurch, I almost rear ended someone. Fortunate that both times there was no collision. Took the vehicle to Audi and the car has been diagnosed with failed mechatronic - a $4,000 repair. It was shared that this is a known issue with Audi for my model year (faulty mechatronic), and... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2022
Car stalled in fast moving traffic, and then lurched forward. In the stall the car behind me almost ran into me. In the lurch, I almost rear ended someone. Fortunate that both times there was no collision. Took the vehicle to Audi and the car has been diagnosed with failed mechatronic - a $4,000 repair. It was shared that this is a known issue with Audi for my model year (faulty mechatronic), and... Read more
Incident date: May 13, 2022
The Emergency Call Module Control Unit has now failed for the second time. If the vehicle were to be involved in a crash, the system will not be able to automatically call for assistance. Vehicle is already subject to Audi service campaign 90T2 to reflash emergency call module control unit, however the unit in my vehicle could not be flashed due to it having intermittent errors. The local Audi de... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q3. The contact stated that while her daughter was reversing at an undisclosed speed, the horn inadvertently activated and the contact had to disconnect the clock spring fuse to deactivate the horn. Additionally, the steering wheel made clicking noises while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the clockspring needed to be replac... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the passenger’s side front marker light and then the front driver’s side marker light became inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in ... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the passenger’s side front marker light and then the front driver’s side marker light became inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in ... Read more
Incident date: May 12, 2022
Sunroof exploded. No trauma to the sunroof it just popped and glass shattered going down interstate
Incident date: Apr 26, 2022
When vehicle is in drive or reverse, it rolls forward and backwards when no throttle is applied (as if in neutral), vehicle hit a structure because it rolled back at a rapid pace due to an incline. Audi needs to implement a feature to prevent the vehicle from rolling when at a near stop and the vehicle is in drive or reverse.
Crash
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
Vehicle freely rolls forward and backwards in drive and reverse without any type of automatic brake hold function to prevent the vehicle from rolling the opposite direction of currently selected gear.
Incident date: Jul 24, 2019
Vehicle rolls freely in drive and reverse, very dangerous because it is difficult to control on hills and steep driveways. The vehicle will roll in either direction regardless of selected gear with no safety system to keep the vehicle in "hold".
Incident date: May 6, 2020
Vehicle dangerously rolls backwards on driveway when in drive, the vehicle does not brake hold when in drive or reverse, it will roll either direction freely as if in neutral. Audi needs to release a software update to hold vehicle when rolling opposite direction of selected gear.
Incident date: May 6, 2021
Vehicle brake hold does not function as expected, the car will roll in either direction regardless of what gear is selected. If you don't pay attention and are on an incline, the vehicle will roll freely backwards even though you are in drive! Audi does have a brake hold function but it only works when you fully depress the brake pedal and come to a stop. As soon as you press the accelerator to ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 25, 2022
The suv has an issue where when you are in drive or reverse, the vehicle can roll backwards of forwards when the accelerator is released and the vehicle is not at a complete stop. For example, coming up an inclined driveway, if you come to a near stop to wait for the garage door to open, but release the accelerator pedal the vehicle will roll backwards rapidly even though it is in drive. The same ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 4, 2019
Engine oil consumption between every 200miles and 300miles spends a quarter of complete engine oil
Incident date: Nov 12, 2021
Every time it rain water comes into the vehicle.So it happen from the overhead panel and it mess with the light and it stay on .So where the lights are the water comes out and falls on the phone charger, usb outlet and the gears parking, drive etc.I took the vehicle to the dealer and the results stated check and clear drains search for TSB found 2056944/8 check seal and sunroof glass and readjust.... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2017 Audi S3. The front passenger seat air bag warning light failed to illuminate whether there was a passenger seated in the seat or not. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags). The dealer was contacted and the contact was informed that the part was not available. Several months later an appointment was scheduled; however, later the con... Read more
Incident date: Apr 30, 2022
I have experienced two false activation of emergency brakes on my 2021 Q5 in the past 3 months. Both have been very scary incidents for my family - Feb 2022" Driving on a highway with no vehicle in front at 60mph, going through a shade under a bridge where emergency brakes false kicked in - 4/30/22 around 2pm: Driving on a street with no vehicle in front at 30mph where emergency brakes falsely ki... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
Tire size: 235/55 R 18 I bought my car on 10/2021. My car currently has 2,700 miles. My tires (all four tires) are suppose to be at 38 but every 3-4 days I have to add air because it keeps losing air. It’s gone down as low as 30. This issue started the end of March. I took my vehicle in for service mid April. The dealer stated that there are no wear and tears and no cracks but the tires keep los... Read more
Incident date: Mar 28, 2022
Tire size: 235/55 R 18 I bought my car on 10/2021. My car currently has 2,700 miles. My tires (all four tires) are suppose to be at 38 but every 3-4 days I have to add air because it keeps losing air. It’s gone down as low as 30. This issue started the end of March. I took my vehicle in for service mid April. The dealer stated that there are no wear and tears and no cracks but the tires keep los... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2016) - AIR BAGS
May 6, 2022
Incident date: Mar 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect... Read more
Incident date: May 4, 2022
I lost control over all the functions on my steering wheel, including the horn and the drivers air bag. My mechanic told me, that I needed a new "Clockspring". He called Audi to order the part but Audi confirmed that the part is on back order since last May and that they have no idea when it will be available. Over 4000 people are on the waiting list for that part. I contacted Audi several tim... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2017) - AIR BAGS
May 3, 2022
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 21, 2021
Recall for turbo internals, but nothing done to remedy problem . Second issue in leaking suspension parts, which the dealership let problem continue, until warranty up.
Incident date: Mar 21, 2021
Recall for turbo internals, but nothing done to remedy problem . Second issue in leaking suspension parts, which the dealership let problem continue, until warranty up.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
1. Vehicle airbag indicator has illumated. I haven't received a recall letter from manufacturer. Have concerns about driving with airbag light on. 2. There is a recall for electrical wiring. 3. Fuel system/ fuel rail is being recalled.
Incident date: Apr 28, 2022
1. Vehicle airbag indicator has illumated. I haven't received a recall letter from manufacturer. Have concerns about driving with airbag light on. 2. There is a recall for electrical wiring. 3. Fuel system/ fuel rail is being recalled.
Incident date: Mar 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer and Biener Audi (795 Northern Blvd, Great Neck, NY 11021) were made aware of the issue and confirmed that... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2022
I am reporting Audi Side Assist System fault. Audi assist among other things provides blind spot warning and is major safety feature in the car. Basically when I am switching lanes on, I get existance of car in blind spot. When driving in January I received warning message that said Audi Side Assist System fault. I scheduled service for Feb 3 and the car was repaired by Feb 4. Originally they su... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2017) - AIR BAGS
May 2, 2022
Incident date: Apr 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated and the warning message "Air Bag Off" would illuminate though there was a passenger in the front passenger's seat. Additionally, the cont... Read more
Incident date: Apr 27, 2022
Steering wheel will forcefully and suddenly jerk to the left at random times on at least 6 occasions.
Incident date: Apr 12, 2022
There was a fuel odor permeating in the vehicle, and the further I drove, the more intense was the gasoline smell. I pulled into a strip mall and turned off the engine for fear of a fire or explosion. I immediately called and requested the car be towed to my mechanic. My mechanic diagnosed the problem the next day as a cracked fuel pump housing. There were no warning lights at all. Given the lo... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2022
All of a sudden around 75,000 miles oil consumption is extreme. We have to add 1 quart of oil every 3 weeks or ~700 miles. Dealer is asking for oil consumption test which costs $500 to determine the issue. There was a lawsuit for same issue against Audi, 126,000 were affeceted. We are facing exact same issue described in lawsuit. This was not an issue when car was newer. We bought the car brand ne... Read more