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: Jan 25, 2022
My car had gas in the vehicle and as I was stopped to take a turn the car shut down on me and would not go into drive. I had the car towed to the dealership and was told that the car had no gas in the vehicle, but the fuel gauge was reporting that I did have gas in the tank.
Incident date: Jun 10, 2021
My vehicle [XXX] has a few symptoms that no Audi dealer or European repair shop can tell me the issue first the EPG blinks on then the vehicle won’t start Then once it finally starts up in the parking gear it’s revving up as if I pressing on the gas it does this on its own my check engine light comes on even when the necessary maintenance have been done. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2021
My vehicle [XXX] has a few symptoms that no Audi dealer or European repair shop can tell me the issue first the EPG blinks on then the vehicle won’t start Then once it finally starts up in the parking gear it’s revving up as if I pressing on the gas it does this on its own my check engine light comes on even when the necessary maintenance have been done. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2021
My vehicle [XXX] has a few symptoms that no Audi dealer or European repair shop can tell me the issue first the EPG blinks on then the vehicle won’t start Then once it finally starts up in the parking gear it’s revving up as if I pressing on the gas it does this on its own my check engine light comes on even when the necessary maintenance have been done. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE ... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2020
There has been previous recall for the passenger seat occupation sensor in 2019, asking for a connector to be replaced. Approximately 3 months after the connector was replaced in late 2019, the airbag warning light in the dashboard turned on. That was approximately in March or April of 2020. The car was only lightly used during 2020 and the latest recall had not been issued. In early 2021, a lett... Read more
Incident date: Mar 1, 2020
There has been previous recall for the passenger seat occupation sensor in 2019, asking for a connector to be replaced. Approximately 3 months after the connector was replaced in late 2019, the airbag warning light in the dashboard turned on. That was approximately in March or April of 2020. The car was only lightly used during 2020 and the latest recall had not been issued. In early 2021, a lett... Read more
Incident date: Jan 27, 2022
Recall 69bt was not accomplished at McDaniels Audi of Charleston dealer. They indicated they had replaced airbag with 8D0898201A kit.
Incident date: Jan 5, 2022
I have been receiving a marker light warning for both the left and the right marker lights. These warnings are intermittent but fairly persistent. The marker lights appear to be operating correctly. After a review of online forums this issue appears to epidemic in the 2017 Audi Q7. Audi has indicated the only way to fix the problem is a complete headlight replacement running between $4,000 to $... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2022
I recently purchased a CPO 2018 Audi Q7, and shortly after purchase, I encountered the problem indicated in this TSB about break squeal (https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10153128-9999.pdf) I contacted the dealer (Audi North Austin, located at 12971 Pond Springs Road, Austin, TX 78729) to fix this problem, but was refused because my car does not meet the criteria specified in the TSB, nam... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
According to TSB 401548, car dealership/manufacture will not provide extended warranty to repair premature wheel bearing due to vehicle VIN not in their system as an affected vehicle. The 2016 A4 has premature wheel bearing as described in the TSB 401548. Covered vehicles are 2016 Audi A4. Faulty wheel bearing may result in loss of control of vehicle and will not pass Pennsylvania State Inspect... Read more
Incident date: Dec 20, 2021
According to TSB 401548, car dealership/manufacture will not provide extended warranty to repair premature wheel bearing due to vehicle VIN not in their system as an affected vehicle. The 2016 A4 has premature wheel bearing as described in the TSB 401548. Covered vehicles are 2016 Audi A4. Faulty wheel bearing may result in loss of control of vehicle and will not pass Pennsylvania State Inspect... Read more
Incident date: Jan 22, 2022
I have a 2014 Audi Q5 Premium Plus with 3.0 liter engine. I was in Wolfeboro NH this past weekend and it was very cold, -15 at night. My vehicle has 123000 miles on it and has run with no issues to this point. Luckily , I parked the car to go into store and when I came out DSC red warning light came on , could not budge the steering wheel. Looked up issue in manual and said do not drive. I am from... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2015) - AIR BAGS
Jan 25, 2022
Incident date: Jan 1, 2020
The contact owns a 2015 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 airbag warning light was illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The ve... Read more
Incident date: Jan 25, 2022
When this steering problem is occurring no communication between the steering and driver and accident happened and its very dangerous!!! DTC 00456 (Access/start control module -J518- no communication) is found in several control modules or the access/start authorization control module, J518 (address word 05), identifies itself with implausible data can be found through guided fault finding (GFF). ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
The Auxiliary PTC Electric Cabin Heater fails and causes an overheat/fire condition. We own a 2015 Audi A3 TDI Premium Plus sedan. This vehicle has a diesel engine. Audi fitted A3 models that have a diesel engine with an auxiliary electric cabin air heater. This heater helps to warm the cabin and provide defrost capabilities on days when the temperature is below 7 degrees C. This heater in ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2022
The sliding sunroof exploded out of nowhere with no impact while on the Interstate. The glass rained down on us as we were traveling around 65 mph.
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2015) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:INTERLOCK/LOCKOUT
Jan 21, 2022
Incident date: Dec 7, 2021
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact stated that she was able to remove the key from the ignition switch even though the gear selector was not in the PARK position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer installed a microswitch. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall for the failure because it ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 21, 2022
Rearview backup camera is intermittently inoperative. Cannot use camera to see what is behind the car. Dealer inspected, duplicated and confirmed problem. Dealer at first ignored. Once out of warranty, dealer duplicated problem. It is a known problem. Manufacturer issued Technical Service Bulletin: 91 16 87 2045730/1 November 7, 2016.
Incident date: Jan 21, 2022
Rearview backup camera is intermittently inoperative. Cannot use camera to see what is behind the car. Dealer inspected, duplicated and confirmed problem. Dealer at first ignored. Once out of warranty, dealer duplicated problem. It is a known problem. Manufacturer issued Technical Service Bulletin: 91 16 87 2045730/1 November 7, 2016.
Incident date: Jan 19, 2022
Yesterday I driving my AUDI Q5 2020 on the expressway , then with no warning multiple warning and error messages suddenly appeared on dashboard. The Entire car immediately shut down in middle of the expressway, no time for me to put on my hazard, no time for me to safely pull over ..With difficulty moving it to safety. The car wouldn't start and I was in the middle of the expressway which put ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
I received a yellow alert that the auto start/stop was malfunctioning. I continued to drive 8 miles until another message was displayed on the instrument panel that stated: "electrical system malfunction" with a yellow battery icon. A few seconds later the same "electrical system malfunction" with a red battery icon appeared. I then had numerous failure warnings on other car systems such as driver... Read more
Incident date: Nov 22, 2021
The passenger side airbag of the car does not detect passengers in the car. The problem was confirmed by the dealer and was notified to me before putting deposit on this vehicle. The deposit was placed in November of 2021 and as of today there is still no update on the fix. I saw on your website that if the manufacturer is not able to fix the issue in a timely manner then to notify. My main concer... Read more
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2017) - SEATS
Jan 18, 2022
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A4. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V874000 (Seats, Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was initially notified about the recall; and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was also notified of the recall and the contact was given the same information as the dealer. The c... Read more
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Jan 18, 2022
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A4. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V874000 (Seats, Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was initially notified about the recall; and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was also notified of the recall and the contact was given the same information as the dealer. The c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2021
My vehicle was completely shut down. After towing to dealer and had the problem checked out, dealer service department had identify that the problem was the damage of the control module caused by possible liquid reaching to the gateway. This is what the recall is. However, dealer cannot do any repair but rather than forcing me to pay for replacing module part. Dealer claims that they are not aware... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2021
My vehicle was completely shut down. After towing to dealer and had the problem checked out, dealer service department had identify that the problem was the damage of the control module caused by possible liquid reaching to the gateway. This is what the recall is. However, dealer cannot do any repair but rather than forcing me to pay for replacing module part. Dealer claims that they are not aware... Read more
Incident date: Dec 31, 2021
My vehicle was completely shut down. After towing to dealer and had the problem checked out, dealer service department had identify that the problem was the damage of the control module caused by possible liquid reaching to the gateway. This is what the recall is. However, dealer cannot do any repair but rather than forcing me to pay for replacing module part. Dealer claims that they are not aware... Read more
Incident date: Jan 15, 2022
2022 Audi Q 3 engine shuts off completely when stopped at light/stop sign. Has happened twice. Car will not move. Must be put back into park and re start engine. Terrifying when cars are veering away from the car to avoid rear ending disabled car.
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 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 stated the air bag warning light was illuminated. The appro... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2022
Had multiple instances as I approached intersection stops of the vehicle suddenly jerking and the drive train becoming disengaged. The car maintained electrical power and had working steering and braking as I coasted to a stop. This occurred 5 times over the course of 3 miles as I attempted to make my way home, and I would estimate that each occurrence happened at a speed under 10 mph. The car was... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2022
Had multiple instances as I approached intersection stops of the vehicle suddenly jerking and the drive train becoming disengaged. The car maintained electrical power and had working steering and braking as I coasted to a stop. This occurred 5 times over the course of 3 miles as I attempted to make my way home, and I would estimate that each occurrence happened at a speed under 10 mph. The car was... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2019) - AIR BAGS
Jan 13, 2022
Incident date: Mar 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2019 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 dealer confirmed that only five parts were received per week. The contact was informed that she could not be added to the waiting list. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reason... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2021
The engine failed while I was driving. The car did not show any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms, it just jumped and died. I had the car towed to my mechanic. The mechanic thought it was the starter, but then realized the chain had broken and it hit other parts of the engine, including the pistons catastrophically. The engine is not reparable. My safety was a risk as the car died on a bus... Read more
Incident date: Dec 25, 2021
The engine failed while I was driving. The car did not show any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms, it just jumped and died. I had the car towed to my mechanic. The mechanic thought it was the starter, but then realized the chain had broken and it hit other parts of the engine, including the pistons catastrophically. The engine is not reparable. My safety was a risk as the car died on a bus... Read more
Incident date: Jan 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Audi S8. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V415000 (Visibility). The contact stated that while driving at 85 MPH, the sunroof glass detached from the sunroof frame. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and the contact was awaiting a callback.... Read more
Incident date: Jan 9, 2022
I have seen at least three other complaints with NHTSA on this same item all with different headings. Check engine light comes on at high speeds while highway driving. Pull Engine code and comes back as P2753 - Valve for transmission fluid cooler circuit open. Had to replace coolant control valve for transmission as coolant was leaking into solenoid. Many other reports of this same problem on ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an intermittent warning message about the headlights would appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where she was informed that the only way to remove the warning message would be to replace the entire headlight housing. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Cam... Read more
Incident date: Oct 3, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an intermittent warning message about the headlights would appear on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where she was informed that the only way to remove the warning message would be to replace the entire headlight housing. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Cam... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
AUDI A8 HAS BEEN USING LARGE AMOUNT OF COOLANT. HOWEVER, ITS NOT RUNNING OUT THE CAR. YET IM STEADY BUYING COOLANT BECAUSE ITS SAYING ITS LOW. AND WHEN I GO TO PUT THE COOLANT IN MY CAR IT IS LOW. SO WHERE IS THE COOLANT GOING? IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE MY COOLANT WAS GOING OR WHY WAS IT CALLING FOR SO MUCH I DID SOME AUDI RESEARCH ON MY VEHICLE AND SAW THAT IT HAD A PRIOR RECALL. I PURCHASED ... Read more
Incident date: Jan 12, 2022
AUDI A8 HAS BEEN USING LARGE AMOUNT OF COOLANT. HOWEVER, ITS NOT RUNNING OUT THE CAR. YET IM STEADY BUYING COOLANT BECAUSE ITS SAYING ITS LOW. AND WHEN I GO TO PUT THE COOLANT IN MY CAR IT IS LOW. SO WHERE IS THE COOLANT GOING? IN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE MY COOLANT WAS GOING OR WHY WAS IT CALLING FOR SO MUCH I DID SOME AUDI RESEARCH ON MY VEHICLE AND SAW THAT IT HAD A PRIOR RECALL. I PURCHASED ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2021
Steering Rack Assist has a recall for my car because my steering locked up. Audi replaced the recall part two times. the first didnt work after the second time it works but now they cant reset the check engine lights, TPMS, Steering Fault do not drive it says, ECS Fualt, Stability Fault, Child Safety Lock Fault etc. Dealer told they did everything they could even flew in an Audi Engineer still can... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2021
Steering Rack Assist has a recall for my car because my steering locked up. Audi replaced the recall part two times. the first didnt work after the second time it works but now they cant reset the check engine lights, TPMS, Steering Fault do not drive it says, ECS Fualt, Stability Fault, Child Safety Lock Fault etc. Dealer told they did everything they could even flew in an Audi Engineer still can... Read more
Incident date: Jun 21, 2021
Steering Rack Assist has a recall for my car because my steering locked up. Audi replaced the recall part two times. the first didnt work after the second time it works but now they cant reset the check engine lights, TPMS, Steering Fault do not drive it says, ECS Fualt, Stability Fault, Child Safety Lock Fault etc. Dealer told they did everything they could even flew in an Audi Engineer still can... Read more
Incident date: Jan 6, 2022
No steering when car is being driven.
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
Recently learned that my car broke down on my spouse in an extremely unsafe location due to turbo failure(s) probably caused by the turbo oil inlet screen. She was on a busy street when the car shut off on her putting her in an extremely unsafe situation to move the car and wait for tow truck service. The car is still with the Audi dealership for repairs but has been confirmed that this is the l... Read more
Incident date: Jan 7, 2022
Recently learned that my car broke down on my spouse in an extremely unsafe location due to turbo failure(s) probably caused by the turbo oil inlet screen. She was on a busy street when the car shut off on her putting her in an extremely unsafe situation to move the car and wait for tow truck service. The car is still with the Audi dealership for repairs but has been confirmed that this is the l... Read more
Incident date: Jan 4, 2022
After driving on deep wet icy slush, the vehicle was on a straight section of road and suddenly vehicle inexplicably veered hard to the left causing it to run off the road and into a tree. Electrical component failure lights were illuminated on dash afterwards. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I believe that the stability control... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 4, 2022
After driving on deep wet icy slush, the vehicle was on a straight section of road and suddenly vehicle inexplicably veered hard to the left causing it to run off the road and into a tree. Electrical component failure lights were illuminated on dash afterwards. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I believe that the stability control... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 4, 2022
After driving on deep wet icy slush, the vehicle was on a straight section of road and suddenly vehicle inexplicably veered hard to the left causing it to run off the road and into a tree. Electrical component failure lights were illuminated on dash afterwards. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I believe that the stability control... Read more
Crash
Incident date: Jan 10, 2022
The car will randomly die without notice and then will not start. There's an EC fault but no other identifiers and the car won't start for quite some time. After sitting for a couple hours or more it will finally start. It happens at a minimum of 1-2 times per month.