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: Nov 5, 2021
Car is not blowing hot air. I have a transmission fault code related to this which is P2753. Coolant is leaking and has run through the control valve to the wiring and connector causing corrosion.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2021
Loss of power on highway, engine shaking, after that driving 20 mph with emergency lights because of no place to full stop.
Incident date: Dec 17, 2021
Loss of power on highway, engine shaking, after that driving 20 mph with emergency lights because of no place to full stop.
Incident date: Oct 25, 2021
During recent heavy rains, all of a sudden the car's transmission that had been working fine, after having been parked briefly pointing slightly down hill, no longer functioned properly, and had apparently gone into "LIMP Mode". after talking with Mechanics and doing research, we checked the carpet areas and determined and documented the car's interior was very wet, both in front and in the rear ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2021
During recent heavy rains, all of a sudden the car's transmission that had been working fine, after having been parked briefly pointing slightly down hill, no longer functioned properly, and had apparently gone into "LIMP Mode". after talking with Mechanics and doing research, we checked the carpet areas and determined and documented the car's interior was very wet, both in front and in the rear ... Read more
Incident date: Oct 25, 2021
During recent heavy rains, all of a sudden the car's transmission that had been working fine, after having been parked briefly pointing slightly down hill, no longer functioned properly, and had apparently gone into "LIMP Mode". after talking with Mechanics and doing research, we checked the carpet areas and determined and documented the car's interior was very wet, both in front and in the rear ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
Vehicle traveling when electrical systems malfunction message came on. Said pull over safely and call for service. After car was slowed to a stop, the vehicle was disabled with no forward or reverse drive possible. The car was stranded close to the middle right of the street. Car had to be towed to the nearest dealership around midnight. Problem has been confirmed with the dealer and they are ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
Vehicle traveling when electrical systems malfunction message came on. Said pull over safely and call for service. After car was slowed to a stop, the vehicle was disabled with no forward or reverse drive possible. The car was stranded close to the middle right of the street. Car had to be towed to the nearest dealership around midnight. Problem has been confirmed with the dealer and they are ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 11, 2021
Vehicle traveling when electrical systems malfunction message came on. Said pull over safely and call for service. After car was slowed to a stop, the vehicle was disabled with no forward or reverse drive possible. The car was stranded close to the middle right of the street. Car had to be towed to the nearest dealership around midnight. Problem has been confirmed with the dealer and they are ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 14, 2021
The Pre-Sense Front System does not work. Tested with low and medium speeds. Dealer tested with diagnostics and said it pasts tests. It is set correctly inside. Tested it again using "dummy" cardboard boxes. Does not warn me or apply brakes.
Incident date: Dec 14, 2021
The Pre-Sense Front System does not work. Tested with low and medium speeds. Dealer tested with diagnostics and said it pasts tests. It is set correctly inside. Tested it again using "dummy" cardboard boxes. Does not warn me or apply brakes.
Incident date: Jan 4, 2021
Coolant leakage and pump problem for engine cooling. Unit was replaced.
Incident date: Oct 13, 2021
The contact owns a 2020 Audi A3. The contact stated while driving approximately 65-70 MPH with a passenger seated in the passenger’s seat, the "Air bag Off", "Malfunction, air bag off" warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring while driving and the warning light remained illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the ... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
Loss of power on freeway, due to known turbo issue on these cars. Filter for turbo oil clogs, and burns the turbo's without warning causing loss of power. Not to mention it often sends metal into your engines oil and the repair for that is more than the car is worth.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
Loss of power on freeway, due to known turbo issue on these cars. Filter for turbo oil clogs, and burns the turbo's without warning causing loss of power. Not to mention it often sends metal into your engines oil and the repair for that is more than the car is worth.
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
Loss of power on freeway, due to known turbo issue on these cars. Filter for turbo oil clogs, and burns the turbo's without warning causing loss of power. Not to mention it often sends metal into your engines oil and the repair for that is more than the car is worth.
Incident date: Dec 8, 2021
On intermittent and at unpredictable times while the car is in motion, the vehicle will show a series of two warnings while it appears to turn the steering wheel in the absence of any input from the driver. The first warning light indicates an electromechanical steering failure (indicator light flashes red for approximately one second) and the second states, "Distance warning: currently unavailab... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Dec 8, 2021
Incident date: Jun 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A3. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. There was an abnormal buzzing sound detected. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact called the local dealer who stated that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manu... Read more
Incident date: Aug 24, 2021
August of 2021. It was raining out and I drove through a puddle and my electric steering shut down. This has been a known defect for at least 10 years with Audi and NHTSA has done NOTHING about it.
Incident date: Nov 13, 2021
While traveling on Interstate 65 through Nashville, TN my 2013 Audi A8L showed an EPC light alert then <5 miles later while traveling through interstate split going 20mph the car without alert shut down and I lost power steering, brake control, accelerator control, electric control and was forced to navigate hazardously across 3 lanes of traffic to a modified left side median. I had large vehicle... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
While operating the vehicle the air conditioning system failed. The vehicle was brought to dealer for diagnosis which confirmed the failure and was out of service for 30 days due to parts availability being SOP. The dealer provided a loaner and fuel reimbursement due my car being electric but refused to reimburse the lease payment for the 30 days out of service. The parts replaced were 4M0-959-609... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
While operating the vehicle the air conditioning system failed. The vehicle was brought to dealer for diagnosis which confirmed the failure and was out of service for 30 days due to parts availability being SOP. The dealer provided a loaner and fuel reimbursement due my car being electric but refused to reimburse the lease payment for the 30 days out of service. The parts replaced were 4M0-959-609... Read more
Incident date: Dec 5, 2021
Autonomous Emergency Services Notification Feature: Audi has informed its owners of vehicles made from 2018 and earlier that a safety feature provided as standard equipment in the vehicle will no longer be available because of the inevitable shut down of 3G wireless systems across North America. However, features that are not free (which require a subscription) are supported by a 4G radio in the c... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
On Wednesday, December 1, 2021 I filled my car up with gas. Shortly after I noticed a fuel smell from the outside and on the inside of the car. On Thursday, December 2, 2021 I drove to Jupiter fl approx a two hour car drive it smelled like gas the whole entire drive there on the inside of the car and even worse on the outside. When I got home on Friday night December 3, 2021 it was still just as b... Read more
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
On Wednesday, December 1, 2021 I filled my car up with gas. Shortly after I noticed a fuel smell from the outside and on the inside of the car. On Thursday, December 2, 2021 I drove to Jupiter fl approx a two hour car drive it smelled like gas the whole entire drive there on the inside of the car and even worse on the outside. When I got home on Friday night December 3, 2021 it was still just as b... Read more
Incident date: Nov 28, 2021
I was driving down a slight hill in 1/2 inch of snow at 5MPH and when I tired to gently brake as I descended the hill, the brake pedal had no resistance and went flat to the floor. I had no brakes. I then tried to steer towards the side of the road and the steering wheel completely locked up and I was not able to steer. I slid 150 feet down the hill and into a ditch. No brakes and no steering. The... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 28, 2021
I was driving down a slight hill in 1/2 inch of snow at 5MPH and when I tired to gently brake as I descended the hill, the brake pedal had no resistance and went flat to the floor. I had no brakes. I then tried to steer towards the side of the road and the steering wheel completely locked up and I was not able to steer. I slid 150 feet down the hill and into a ditch. No brakes and no steering. The... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Nov 30, 2021
Good day, I took the car for the oil change and was advised by auto repairman that there is a fuel leak underneath the rear passenger side seat and the issue has a recall by Audi. Repairman stated he was unable to fix it due to the recall and instructed me to contact Audi direct to have the issue fixed. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 25, 2021
Low coolant, and found coolant leaking from waterpump
Incident date: Nov 17, 2021
The failed component is the gateway module that sits underneath the rear seats below the cup holders. In my case approximately 5 oz of water seeped out of my briefcase via a leaky water bottle and it shut down the gateway module and rendered the car inoperable.. losing all power and engine on the highway at approximately 60 mph. Fortunately I was successful in navigating the car to the side of the... Read more
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2017) - SEATS
Nov 30, 2021
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V874000 (Seats, Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. VIN tool confirms parts no... Read more
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Nov 30, 2021
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A4. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V874000 (Seats, Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. VIN tool confirms parts no... Read more
Incident date: Jul 26, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle was hesitating while driving. The vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The add oil indicator light was illuminated. The contact purchased 4 to 5 additional quarts of oil. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was working as desig... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2021
Gateway control modular failure. At dealer currently. We took pictures. Multiple reports of the exact same thing on Audi forums online. Audi confirmed same issue. While driving car it suddenly stopped and the emergency brake was automatically applied. No warning, no way to Live the car to safety, all the warning lights began to flash, windows started to rolling up and down. Then the car just ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2021
Gateway control modular failure. At dealer currently. We took pictures. Multiple reports of the exact same thing on Audi forums online. Audi confirmed same issue. While driving car it suddenly stopped and the emergency brake was automatically applied. No warning, no way to Live the car to safety, all the warning lights began to flash, windows started to rolling up and down. Then the car just ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 24, 2021
Gateway control modular failure. At dealer currently. We took pictures. Multiple reports of the exact same thing on Audi forums online. Audi confirmed same issue. While driving car it suddenly stopped and the emergency brake was automatically applied. No warning, no way to Live the car to safety, all the warning lights began to flash, windows started to rolling up and down. Then the car just ... Read more
Incident date: Nov 26, 2021
Driving down the road, my sunroof "exploded" today. Only damage was to the sunroof itself but very scary. Felt like an explosion, fortunately did no have any accident associated with this. Less likely anything dropped from above. Weather was good today.
Incident date: Nov 24, 2021
The vehicle automatic emergency braking has engaged over 6 times when no vehicle or other object was in front of the vehicle. The aggressive hard braking has nearly caused rear ending accidents and has also caused a neck injury. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership to address. The dealership indicated they reduced the sensitivity/distance of the system. This has not resolved the problem, a... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Sep 9, 2021
The contact owns a 2010 Audi Q7. The contact stated that after having the car washed, the radio was operating on and off independently. The contact mentioned that every time that it rained the failure recurred and the heated seat was operating on and off independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the amplifier needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The... Read more
Incident date: Jan 14, 2021
During cold ambient temperature when the engine is cold the vehicle activates an axillary cabin heater which fills the cabin with smoke and burning odor due to the heating element burning the housing and wiring inside the dash. This is a serious danger risking vehicle fire and health hazard for the operator and occupants of the vehicle. It appears multiple other Audi vehicles have a similar/same h... Read more
Incident date: Nov 20, 2021
While driving the emergency parking brake engaged itself without warning or cause. This caused the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop. Luckily I was in a parking lot but if I had been in a high traffic area or intersection, it could’ve caused a collision. I had 2 passengers who witnessed this sudden bizarre event. There was nothing that could’ve caused this to happen. It scares me & now I’m w... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2018
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A6. The contact stated while the vehicle was stationary at a stop sign, after lifting her foot off the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to slow the vehicle by depressing on the brake pedal. The contact was able to drive to her destination. The contact took the vehicle to the lo... Read more
Incident date: Mar 22, 2021
My vehicle has the Audi recall 69BY that came out on March 22, 2021. There is currently still no remedy and its November 19th, 2021. Its been nearly 8 months. The pre-sense warning light and the airbag light are glaring on the dash at all times. Nobody can sit in the passenger seat as the airbag would not deploy in the event of a crash. I have to keep the passenger seatbelt fastened at all times... Read more
Incident date: Nov 10, 2021
ABS sensor failed. Caused the warning lights to come on showing failure. The rear brakes locked up in an intersection as a result of sensor failure and I narrowly avoided a serious accident. This has happened twice. Each time when a sensor failed.
Incident date: Nov 17, 2021
Nothing has happened (Yet), but Audi has still not come up with a fix for this problem since March 2021. This is real safety concern for front passengers in the 2020 Audi A3 autos.
Incident date: Oct 21, 2021
The front-passenger airbag deactivated while my father was riding in the car and the corresponding warning light came on. The error first occurred prior to the Mar 2021 Recall. I notified Audi multiple times that my vehicle had this problem, but Audi has not repaired it or offered me an alternative option.
Incident date: Oct 21, 2021
The front-passenger airbag deactivated while my father was riding in the car and the corresponding warning light came on. The error first occurred prior to the Mar 2021 Recall. I notified Audi multiple times that my vehicle had this problem, but Audi has not repaired it or offered me an alternative option.
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2018) - AIR BAGS
Nov 16, 2021
Incident date: Nov 16, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Audi A3. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer informed the contact that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not e... Read more
Incident date: Oct 22, 2021
The contact leased a 2021 Audi A4. The contact stated that the dealer had provided her with the vehicle rental while her vehicle was being repaired. The contact stated that while driving at 4 MPH and turning into a parking pace on the 4th floor of a parking garage, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated on its own at 100 MPH. The contact depressed the brake pedal several times but it failed to resp... Read more
Crash
1 injured