Consumer Safety Complaints
Search 2,192,899 safety complaints filed by vehicle owners with NHTSA — including 137,559 crashes, 55,854 fires, and 8,555 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 2,192,899 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 15,678 complaints for AUDI
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
MMI continously shuts off then back on automatically for the duration of my drives. since it is random, it has occured while on the highway where my collision warning does not intervene because the MMI is off. it puts me and others at risk since without warning it shuts off and takes 20-30sec to come back on but only for a few mins until it happens again. I have called the Audi experience who told... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
MMI continously shuts off then back on automatically for the duration of my drives. since it is random, it has occured while on the highway where my collision warning does not intervene because the MMI is off. it puts me and others at risk since without warning it shuts off and takes 20-30sec to come back on but only for a few mins until it happens again. I have called the Audi experience who told... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
I’ve had the Audi MMI computer replacement car twice and electrical replaced once and the Audi MMI screen keeps turning on and off when it turns off the charging to my phone shuts off and the backup camera shuts off.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The warning ‘drive system failure’ appears while driving and tells you to stop the car immediately. This happens randomly while driving on a highway. The engine now makes a higher pitched noise and then the transmission will no go into drive it immediately goes into neutral, the car slows down and you must pull over as you have no control over the car. The gas doesn’t work. There are so many... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The warning ‘drive system failure’ appears while driving and tells you to stop the car immediately. This happens randomly while driving on a highway. The engine now makes a higher pitched noise and then the transmission will no go into drive it immediately goes into neutral, the car slows down and you must pull over as you have no control over the car. The gas doesn’t work. There are so many... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The warning ‘drive system failure’ appears while driving and tells you to stop the car immediately. This happens randomly while driving on a highway. The engine now makes a higher pitched noise and then the transmission will no go into drive it immediately goes into neutral, the car slows down and you must pull over as you have no control over the car. The gas doesn’t work. There are so many... Read more
AUDI
A4 ALLROAD
(2020) — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 16, 2025
Incident date: Apr 23, 2025
Audi mmi/infotainment reboots repeatedly while driving. It removes my attention from driving and is extremely distracting. Also fails when backing up and back up camera goes black. I have not taken to a dealer as this has been a frequent problem among other 2020 Audi owners.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
MMI system is restarting on a near constant basis, both while parked and driving. Aside from being inconvenient, as you can not use media/navigation/etc while it’s rebooting, it also causes many safety features like drive assist/collision/obstacle detection to malfunction and not work, and is therefore simply outright dangerous.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
MMI system is restarting on a near constant basis, both while parked and driving. Aside from being inconvenient, as you can not use media/navigation/etc while it’s rebooting, it also causes many safety features like drive assist/collision/obstacle detection to malfunction and not work, and is therefore simply outright dangerous.
Incident date: Jul 16, 2025
MMI system is restarting on a near constant basis, both while parked and driving. Aside from being inconvenient, as you can not use media/navigation/etc while it’s rebooting, it also causes many safety features like drive assist/collision/obstacle detection to malfunction and not work, and is therefore simply outright dangerous.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
MMI/infotainment system randomly shuts down every 30 seconds or even less. The entire screen goes black, it even happened when i was backing up the car while looking through the backup camera, which was extremely dangerous. I have tried all kinds of methods to fix but it doesn’t seem to be working, and it getting worse as we speak with more frequent shutdowns
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Audi A4 2020 B9 model MMI "info-system" constantly restarts itself during the drive, regardless of it being connected via Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, or radio. MMI constantly restarts without reason, usually within 1 to 3 minutes. When MMI restarts, the rebooting process takes about another 1 to 3 minutes and prevents access to features such as the back-up camera and prevents safe reversal of the ve... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Audi MMI (screen) keep rebooting. I can't use my backup camera. This issue also block the back collision sensor
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Audi MMI (screen) keep rebooting. I can't use my backup camera. This issue also block the back collision sensor
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Audi MMI (screen) keep rebooting. I can't use my backup camera. This issue also block the back collision sensor
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The audi MMI keep rebooting for every 1 minute while driving.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
while driving, including backing up with the camera, the computer restarts itself. Navigation, warnings, and backup camera all restart for about 30 seconds. it has happened while depending on the backup camera. just goes black then restarts.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
while driving, including backing up with the camera, the computer restarts itself. Navigation, warnings, and backup camera all restart for about 30 seconds. it has happened while depending on the backup camera. just goes black then restarts.
Incident date: Jul 1, 2025
while driving, including backing up with the camera, the computer restarts itself. Navigation, warnings, and backup camera all restart for about 30 seconds. it has happened while depending on the backup camera. just goes black then restarts.
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
The MMI reboots 3-4 times while driving, a big distraction. It starts by checking remote access rights, then has a few other messages. It takes nearly 2 minutes to reset and often this occurs several times. If you select certain options, the MMI starts to change seat and other settings while vehicle is in operation. The dealer has no software updates/upgrades to resolve this potentially serious is... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2025
Audi MMI (Muti Media Interface) constantly resets while driving the vehicle. The problem began about 4 months ago. The MMI would reboot very infrequently- about once every couple weeks. However, I took the vehicle in for a routine oil change yesterday and when I received the vehicle back, it now constantly resets as soon as it reboots. If I attempt to click a button (like accepting my user profile... Read more
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
Carvana sold me a 2016 Audi S7 (VIN [XXX] ) with what was later discovered to be an odometer discrepancy. I submitted a formal complaint to the Ohio Attorney General, and Carvana subsequently issued a refund. However, after refunding me, I learned that Carvana resold the vehicle at auction without disclosing the odometer issue or branding the title as required under federal law. Play also did di... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
Carvana sold me a 2016 Audi S7 (VIN [XXX] ) with what was later discovered to be an odometer discrepancy. I submitted a formal complaint to the Ohio Attorney General, and Carvana subsequently issued a refund. However, after refunding me, I learned that Carvana resold the vehicle at auction without disclosing the odometer issue or branding the title as required under federal law. Play also did di... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Mar 19, 2023
Carvana sold me a 2016 Audi S7 (VIN [XXX] ) with what was later discovered to be an odometer discrepancy. I submitted a formal complaint to the Ohio Attorney General, and Carvana subsequently issued a refund. However, after refunding me, I learned that Carvana resold the vehicle at auction without disclosing the odometer issue or branding the title as required under federal law. Play also did di... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 15, 2025
Audi MMI system is failing repeatedly while driving, turning off all screens and requesting login info during driving to reestablish the the MMI user screens. This is a known issue in 2020 Audi A4 models in the US. Maps, speed, engine info all disappear while driving repeatedly every 2-3 minutes. Dealer replaced SOS module in the past to remedy related issues, but some months later this is still h... Read more
Incident date: May 1, 2025
The MMI or the entire system reboots wile driving, including times when backing up. Making the rearview camera to go blank and led to possible accident. I also rely on Navigation system to drive as there are numerous exits and turns for commute, but the system randomly reboots and turns the whole system off. This is causing major safety issues.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
I leased a 2023 Audi A4 with 0 miles. At ~10,000 miles my car automatically shut down electronically I have photo evidence of this. This happened again recently at ~45,000 miles, I almost got into a severe car accident and possibly died. This happened on the highway driving in the left lane. I tried to remedy this situation before and was ignored by Aud's service center. I am scared I can die on t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
I leased a 2023 Audi A4 with 0 miles. At ~10,000 miles my car automatically shut down electronically I have photo evidence of this. This happened again recently at ~45,000 miles, I almost got into a severe car accident and possibly died. This happened on the highway driving in the left lane. I tried to remedy this situation before and was ignored by Aud's service center. I am scared I can die on t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
I leased a 2023 Audi A4 with 0 miles. At ~10,000 miles my car automatically shut down electronically I have photo evidence of this. This happened again recently at ~45,000 miles, I almost got into a severe car accident and possibly died. This happened on the highway driving in the left lane. I tried to remedy this situation before and was ignored by Aud's service center. I am scared I can die on t... Read more
Incident date: Jul 5, 2025
Audi has made it impossible for owners to disable the automatic unlocking of all doors when the vehicle is shifted into Park. This behavior creates a significant personal safety risk in several common situations—such as stopping to refuel, entering parking garages, transporting children, or when elderly or disabled passengers are inside. By automatically unlocking the vehicle in any location wh... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
The air conditioning system is faulty. At random times, the back unit will stop working and at the same time, a vent in the front will begin to blow warm air with a burning smell.
Incident date: Jul 12, 2025
The air conditioning system is faulty. At random times, the back unit will stop working and at the same time, a vent in the front will begin to blow warm air with a burning smell.
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The MMI (Multi Media Interface) system is the component that failed. It began repeatedly rebooting, making critical features like Apple CarPlay, navigation, audio controls, and the rear-view camera inoperable. The failure became progressively worse after two separate repair attempts, including a software update. The 5F module, which governs infotainment, has been identified by the dealership as th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The MMI (Multi Media Interface) system is the component that failed. It began repeatedly rebooting, making critical features like Apple CarPlay, navigation, audio controls, and the rear-view camera inoperable. The failure became progressively worse after two separate repair attempts, including a software update. The 5F module, which governs infotainment, has been identified by the dealership as th... Read more
Incident date: Jun 5, 2025
The MMI (Multi Media Interface) system is the component that failed. It began repeatedly rebooting, making critical features like Apple CarPlay, navigation, audio controls, and the rear-view camera inoperable. The failure became progressively worse after two separate repair attempts, including a software update. The 5F module, which governs infotainment, has been identified by the dealership as th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
Communication system: The telephone microphone works intermittently and fails while the seat belt is fastened. The car is equipped with telephone microphones in the driver's seatbelt and on the roof, under the rearview mirror. The microphone system works when the seatbelt is NOT fastened. If the belt is buckled correctly and the mobile phone answers a call, the driver must manually disconnect the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
Communication system: The telephone microphone works intermittently and fails while the seat belt is fastened. The car is equipped with telephone microphones in the driver's seatbelt and on the roof, under the rearview mirror. The microphone system works when the seatbelt is NOT fastened. If the belt is buckled correctly and the mobile phone answers a call, the driver must manually disconnect the ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2025
Communication system: The telephone microphone works intermittently and fails while the seat belt is fastened. The car is equipped with telephone microphones in the driver's seatbelt and on the roof, under the rearview mirror. The microphone system works when the seatbelt is NOT fastened. If the belt is buckled correctly and the mobile phone answers a call, the driver must manually disconnect the ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 28, 2025
The MMI/ radio shuts off and reboots at least 4-5 times within a 30 minute drive. When it comes back up, I get the error “user hasn’t been detected for some time” or "A technical error has occurred. The user could not be loaded". I have had it go out while in reverse which is a safety concern. Every time it shuts off it is 30 seconds to a minute where nothing in my MMI is accessible. This be... Read more
Incident date: Jun 24, 2025
The MMI/ radio shuts off and reboots at least every 5-6 minutes. When it comes back up, I get the error “user hasn’t been detected for some time”. Every time it shuts off it is 30 seconds to a minute where nothing in my MMI is accessible. This began around late June of 2025. No warning lights or error codes have been found. I have not taken it in for diagnosis, as it seems to be software re... Read more
Incident date: Apr 1, 2025
MMI system in the radio. It turns off about every 20 mins and restarts on its own. Maps and directions disappear, causing me to enter the information again. It ends phone calls. It is extremely distracting, especially when I lose my location/directions. I have often times missed my turns. This has been going on for approximately 3 months. I will not let my son or daughter drive this vehicle due to... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The MMI (infotainment) system in my 2020 Audi A4 start to have intermittent reboot issue during normal driving starting earlier this year. It was working expected without reboot until that time. The MMI system reboot creates harzards and danger for drivers because during rebooting, the whole navigation system is not working neither did Carplay. What's even worse is that the back up camera and rada... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The MMI (infotainment) system in my 2020 Audi A4 start to have intermittent reboot issue during normal driving starting earlier this year. It was working expected without reboot until that time. The MMI system reboot creates harzards and danger for drivers because during rebooting, the whole navigation system is not working neither did Carplay. What's even worse is that the back up camera and rada... Read more
Incident date: Mar 10, 2025
The MMI (infotainment) system in my 2020 Audi A4 start to have intermittent reboot issue during normal driving starting earlier this year. It was working expected without reboot until that time. The MMI system reboot creates harzards and danger for drivers because during rebooting, the whole navigation system is not working neither did Carplay. What's even worse is that the back up camera and rada... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
The MMI (system that displays the rear safety camera, navigation, radio, etc.) reboots frequently during operation. When it reboots while in reverse, the rear camera display disappears.
Incident date: Jul 10, 2025
To Whom It May Concern, I am submitting this complaint to report a mechanical issue with my 2018 Audi S5 Sportback. Around 57,000 miles, the engine began making a noticeable ticking noise, which I have been advised is due to failing rocker arms. This issue has raised serious concerns, as it can lead to engine misfires, reduced performance, and potentially catastrophic engine damage if left unreso... Read more
Incident date: Mar 20, 2025
#1 CYLINDER LOST COMPRESSION CAUSING CAR TO ALMOST IMMEDIATELY STOP WHILE DRIVING 78MPH ON THE INTERSTATE. CAR WAS TOWED BACK TO MANUFACTURER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR. THE CAR 2018 AUDI Q7 HAS 68,000 MILES, ALL SERVICING OF VEHICLE WAS DONE AT DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR. NEVER ANY PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE EXCEPT THE OCCASIONAL NEED FOR ENGINE OIL REQUIRING BEING TOPPED OFF.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
Purchased my car used from Volkswagen of west islip. After a few months I was doing regular maintenance when I noticed that the brake sensor was missing and the harness was tampered with. The brake wear sensor was removed from the front driver side and a small price of wire/ conductive material was inserted into the harness to trick the cars system into on seeing the sensor in a safe and working m... Read more
Incident date: Jul 9, 2025
2014 Audi Q5 TDI with 115000 miles. Rear subframe inspected individually, by independent shop, and by Audi dealership. Found to have severe rust with perforation underneath where plastic debris covers are mounted. It is currently installed on vehicle at time of complaint. The failure of the subframe can disable the vehicle while driving, disconnect the axle and surrounding components, and cause an... Read more
Incident date: Jul 2, 2025
About two years ago I was driving down my recently paved street, and a loud bang shocked me. I thought something had hit my car. It ended up both of my rear suspension coil springs failed. I do not have a boat or trailer and have not put undue stress on it. Last week, while driving down a smooth street there was another loud bang, and my wife though I hit something, but no, I knew the noise. ... Read more