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 18, 2022
Passenger air bag light intermittently comes on after starts. Car has been showing exact symptoms from the PODS recall since I bought it in May, and I’ve tried to have this fixed by 3 separate Audi dealerships, and none of them have been able to fix it. At this point, this recall has now been active for over a year and a half, and I think it is absolutely ridiculous to have a non-functioning pa... Read more
Incident date: May 18, 2022
Passenger air bag light intermittently comes on after starts. Car has been showing exact symptoms from the PODS recall since I bought it in May, and I’ve tried to have this fixed by 3 separate Audi dealerships, and none of them have been able to fix it. At this point, this recall has now been active for over a year and a half, and I think it is absolutely ridiculous to have a non-functioning pa... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2022
Have been receiving an intermittent warning: Safety malfunction for the passenger airbag. The light comes on intermittently. Comes on most often when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. If I place a small bag (handbag, purse etc.) on the seat sometimes the light goes off sometimes it does not. If someone is sitting in the seat the malfunction light is not present. The dealer confi... Read more
Incident date: Feb 2, 2022
Have been receiving an intermittent warning: Safety malfunction for the passenger airbag. The light comes on intermittently. Comes on most often when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. If I place a small bag (handbag, purse etc.) on the seat sometimes the light goes off sometimes it does not. If someone is sitting in the seat the malfunction light is not present. The dealer confi... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
Consumer bought this car at 30,040 miles. The car currently sits with 89,000 miles. I have had 18 recommended service visits totaling $19,240 and then on July 15, 2022 with no pre indicators or warnings the engine dies after a 95k full multipoint inspection that consumer had 3 weeks prior. The car has an impeccable Maintenace record. I did everything the dealer told me; and I still almost died o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
Consumer bought this car at 30,040 miles. The car currently sits with 89,000 miles. I have had 18 recommended service visits totaling $19,240 and then on July 15, 2022 with no pre indicators or warnings the engine dies after a 95k full multipoint inspection that consumer had 3 weeks prior. The car has an impeccable Maintenace record. I did everything the dealer told me; and I still almost died o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 15, 2022
Consumer bought this car at 30,040 miles. The car currently sits with 89,000 miles. I have had 18 recommended service visits totaling $19,240 and then on July 15, 2022 with no pre indicators or warnings the engine dies after a 95k full multipoint inspection that consumer had 3 weeks prior. The car has an impeccable Maintenace record. I did everything the dealer told me; and I still almost died o... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V515000 (Seat Belts) and 22V652000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that the front and rear seat belts had malfunctioned. The seat belts wou... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V515000 (Seat Belts) and 22V652000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that the front and rear seat belts had malfunctioned. The seat belts wou... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2022
On the same day the 5 year warranty expired, the car stopped working. The car was towed to the dealer, and diagnose was gas pump failure. 3 months after, the same problem. After 1 month waiting for the car to be fixed, again the same problem. Now the dealer is saying they just figure there was a problem with a computer part that was associated to the gas pump. The car could have failed while i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 30, 2022
Whenever the ambient temperature outside goes above 95F degrees or I sit in traffic for long periods of time the shuts off. Other times it stalls. There are no warning lamps that turn on to warn of impending shut off. When the car was scanned for codes My scanner shows a “low fuel pressure” code or “steam bubble formation” code.
Incident date: Sep 12, 2021
I experienced issues putting fuel in my vehicle. The pump would shut off as if the tank were full after putting only a few dollars in the tank. At one point gas backed up and spalshed onto my hand and cloths, down the side of my vehicle onto the ground. Prior to this I noticed my vehicle hesitating when accelerating at times. I took it to the Audi dealership explaining something was preventing fue... Read more
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
I have this car and it "drinks" about 300mL of coolant between 800-1000 miles. I have to add coolant once a while, but not much... Went to the dealership and they did an inspection and pressure test and came back all normal. They told me the car will use coolant during summer?! I see many other people having similar issues on the Audi Forum. Please investigate as VW tends to make poor-quality wate... Read more
Incident date: Jul 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q8. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V516000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confi... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 AUDI S3. The contact received recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V515000 (Seat Belts) and 22V652000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 made aware of the issue b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 AUDI S3. The contact received recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V515000 (Seat Belts) and 22V652000 (Air Bags) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 made aware of the issue b... Read more
Incident date: Sep 5, 2022
I'm writing you today with a MAJOR CONCERN related to the safety of the current model Audi Q7. The problem is with the left and right 2nd row belt buckles. Both are attached to a plastic fixture, sit a few inches in front of the back seat, and cannot be moved beyond a forward 45 degree angle. The position and orientation prevent you from safely/correctly installing ANY child seat using the belt... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2022
Today, car showed electrical problem then leading to steering problem, transmission problem, all sensors shutting off, all thro flashing one by one alarms and messages on dash and then coming to a complete halt. It would not allow me to come out and locked me in. I could see that the locks were kicking in so took a micro second gap between unlock and auto lock to get out of the car forcefully. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2022
Today, car showed electrical problem then leading to steering problem, transmission problem, all sensors shutting off, all thro flashing one by one alarms and messages on dash and then coming to a complete halt. It would not allow me to come out and locked me in. I could see that the locks were kicking in so took a micro second gap between unlock and auto lock to get out of the car forcefully. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 26, 2022
Today, car showed electrical problem then leading to steering problem, transmission problem, all sensors shutting off, all thro flashing one by one alarms and messages on dash and then coming to a complete halt. It would not allow me to come out and locked me in. I could see that the locks were kicking in so took a micro second gap between unlock and auto lock to get out of the car forcefully. ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 23, 2022
The second (not movable) glass pane of the "panoramic sunroof" spontaneously shattered. That happened three days ago, because of the potential for water damage I need to have this repaired as soon as possible. However, until I get it repaired it is available for inspection. Apparently many Audi owners have experienced a similar phenomenon, commonly called "exploding sunroof", and other people ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
There is an open recall: 16V619000 Which applies to a set of VIN numbers. This same issue happened on my vehicle and my VIN is not part of the recall. Other VIN numbers should be included in this recall like mine. I had to get the repaired on my own for $2500 because this recall isn’t showing up for my vin number
Incident date: Sep 9, 2022
There is an open recall: 16V619000 Which applies to a set of VIN numbers. This same issue happened on my vehicle and my VIN is not part of the recall. Other VIN numbers should be included in this recall like mine. I had to get the repaired on my own for $2500 because this recall isn’t showing up for my vin number
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
Was driving around 30 MPH. Audi Q7started showing malfunctions on the dashboard, stabilization control malfunction, transmission malfunction, startup system malfunction, backup system malfunction, drivers assist malfunction, tire pressure malfunction, drive system malfunction. The vehicle started to brake on it own, fishtailed and then started to accelerate on its own
Crash
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
Was driving around 30 MPH. Audi Q7started showing malfunctions on the dashboard, stabilization control malfunction, transmission malfunction, startup system malfunction, backup system malfunction, drivers assist malfunction, tire pressure malfunction, drive system malfunction. The vehicle started to brake on it own, fishtailed and then started to accelerate on its own
Crash
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
Was driving around 30 MPH. Audi Q7started showing malfunctions on the dashboard, stabilization control malfunction, transmission malfunction, startup system malfunction, backup system malfunction, drivers assist malfunction, tire pressure malfunction, drive system malfunction. The vehicle started to brake on it own, fishtailed and then started to accelerate on its own
Crash
Incident date: Feb 19, 2022
On February 19, 2022, I drove from my home in San Francisco to the Home Depot in Colma/Daly City. This is a 7 Mile drive one way on the freeway. When I was leaving the parking lot at the Home Depot, I put the car in reverse and all of a sudden it would not move. The car stopped. I turned the ignition off. Then on. There were NO warning lights. I put the car in reverse again, and now it was bu... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2022
I own an Audi 2015 S5 Cabriolet. I bought this new from Strong Audi in Salt Lake City. On September 2, 2022, I was driving it on I 15 south of Provo UT. I was in the middle of 5 lanes of traffic all driving approximately 80/miles per hour. Suddenly, the engine shut down. Thank God the drivers around me were able to avoid me as I had to coast to the right lane at very slow speed. As explained... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2022
I own an Audi 2015 S5 Cabriolet. I bought this new from Strong Audi in Salt Lake City. On September 2, 2022, I was driving it on I 15 south of Provo UT. I was in the middle of 5 lanes of traffic all driving approximately 80/miles per hour. Suddenly, the engine shut down. Thank God the drivers around me were able to avoid me as I had to coast to the right lane at very slow speed. As explained... Read more
Incident date: Sep 2, 2022
I own an Audi 2015 S5 Cabriolet. I bought this new from Strong Audi in Salt Lake City. On September 2, 2022, I was driving it on I 15 south of Provo UT. I was in the middle of 5 lanes of traffic all driving approximately 80/miles per hour. Suddenly, the engine shut down. Thank God the drivers around me were able to avoid me as I had to coast to the right lane at very slow speed. As explained... Read more
Incident date: Sep 22, 2022
I took the vehicle to west Covina Audi to get the recall repaired. Inv # 793279. They claimed the recall was repaired. I request photos of the work performed and old parts. I was told that since it was a recall they have to ship the parts to Audi. When i was notified that my car was done. I asked for pictures. they send me pictures of another car. I checked all the hose clamps and markings from t... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Sep 23, 2022
Incident date: Mar 21, 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag off warning light was illuminated with a passenger seated in ... Read more
Incident date: Sep 19, 2022
2012 Audi a5 quattro burns oil every 100miles 5qt and does not allow a quick acceleration if trying to avoid an accident. The car misfires and shuts off while driving. No check engine light was on when it first did this. Mechanic was able to reproduce the same problem. Turbo is bad. O2 sensor is bad. Air intake leak. Running rich at bank 1. The oil meter on the display does not display actual a... Read more
Incident date: Sep 20, 2022
Sunroof spontaneously shattered while driving. No other cars around when this occurred. Caused a very loud BANG. Was driving on the freeway when this occurred. Dealer would not confirm issue was spontaneous - felt something must have hit the car to cause this. No defined impact location on roof. Also, roof glass was pushed up in the middle instead of down like would be expected if something ... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2015) - AIR BAGS
Sep 21, 2022
Incident date: Sep 21, 2022
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 manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experience... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2022
My vehicle has 13,090 miles on it. I have had two electrical issues that affected the A/C button not working on the panel display, which were both fixed by the dealership. Last week, after dropping my children off at school, a warning sign came on my display that said "Electrical system malfunction - Safely Stop the Vehicle." I wasn't in a spot to stop the vehicle safely so I started to drive to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 16, 2022
My vehicle has 13,090 miles on it. I have had two electrical issues that affected the A/C button not working on the panel display, which were both fixed by the dealership. Last week, after dropping my children off at school, a warning sign came on my display that said "Electrical system malfunction - Safely Stop the Vehicle." I wasn't in a spot to stop the vehicle safely so I started to drive to... Read more
Incident date: Sep 21, 2022
Both rear coil springs observed to have failed (broken) upon bringing car to mechanic for brake job. Less than 60k miles.
Incident date: May 1, 2022
My 2013 Audi rs5 has a well known transmission issue. There was a class action lawsuit that justs settled for earlier years of the S4 & S5 models. My tranmission error has occurred several times when reversing, especially reversing up an incline or stop start reverses. The gear changes have become very jerky, both upshifts and downshifts, especially noticable at low speeds. The mechatronic unit o... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
1. The brakes all of a sudden failed. We were at an elementary school in carpool line - near children- the brake pedal did not work at all, nothing. Warning message to stop driving brake failure. The Audi-Sense alert did at least put on the emergency parking brake before hitting a car ahead of us. Turned off and on, checking if computer vs actual brake issue (see below, computer issues as well). T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
1. The brakes all of a sudden failed. We were at an elementary school in carpool line - near children- the brake pedal did not work at all, nothing. Warning message to stop driving brake failure. The Audi-Sense alert did at least put on the emergency parking brake before hitting a car ahead of us. Turned off and on, checking if computer vs actual brake issue (see below, computer issues as well). T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 14, 2022
1. The brakes all of a sudden failed. We were at an elementary school in carpool line - near children- the brake pedal did not work at all, nothing. Warning message to stop driving brake failure. The Audi-Sense alert did at least put on the emergency parking brake before hitting a car ahead of us. Turned off and on, checking if computer vs actual brake issue (see below, computer issues as well). T... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2018
Adaptive cruise and speed control were intermittently operating eventually resulting in a defective system. No resolution at this time
Incident date: Sep 1, 2018
Adaptive cruise and speed control were intermittently operating eventually resulting in a defective system. No resolution at this time
Incident date: Sep 1, 2018
Adaptive cruise and speed control were intermittently operating eventually resulting in a defective system. No resolution at this time
Incident date: Aug 10, 2022
First thing is fuel smell in cabin very dangerous for me as well as any passengers Next is transmission there is no way telling how much fluid is in the vehicle that should be monitored by the consumer they have a right to know Front & rear axles seem to get worn quickly must be a problem in the drivetrain somewhere
Incident date: Aug 10, 2022
First thing is fuel smell in cabin very dangerous for me as well as any passengers Next is transmission there is no way telling how much fluid is in the vehicle that should be monitored by the consumer they have a right to know Front & rear axles seem to get worn quickly must be a problem in the drivetrain somewhere
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
This took place about a week ago. The car was parked in our driveway when the fire started. My husband had returned home just 15 minutes prior to the fire starting. I noticed there was smoke coming in our living room window. Then I looked at our security camas. And saw smoke pouring out from underneath the hood of my car. We tried to put the fire out with our two hose system set up and it wouldn't... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Sep 7, 2022
This took place about a week ago. The car was parked in our driveway when the fire started. My husband had returned home just 15 minutes prior to the fire starting. I noticed there was smoke coming in our living room window. Then I looked at our security camas. And saw smoke pouring out from underneath the hood of my car. We tried to put the fire out with our two hose system set up and it wouldn't... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Feb 4, 2019
The contact owns a 2015 Audi A3. The contact stated that when he started his vehicle, the passenger occupant detection system and the passenger air bag off warning signs illuminated. The contact stated that both warning lights illuminated periodically when turning on the vehicle or while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a local dealer for an unknown recal... Read more