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: Aug 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Audi S6. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start-up after multiple attempts. The “Depress Brake Pedal and Press START button” messages appeared on the instrument panel even though the contact was following the instructions. The contact called an independent mechanic where the vehicle was purchased and was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. Neither the dea... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Audi S6. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start-up after multiple attempts. The “Depress Brake Pedal and Press START button” messages appeared on the instrument panel even though the contact was following the instructions. The contact called an independent mechanic where the vehicle was purchased and was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. Neither the dea... Read more
Incident date: Aug 18, 2022
unkown. the start of engine not cut on.
Incident date: Aug 19, 2022
UNKNOWN, THE VEHICLE DID NOT START.. I WOULD LIKE IT RESENT AND FIX
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2015) - AIR BAGS
Aug 19, 2022
Incident date: Mar 22, 2021
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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminate... Read more
Incident date: Jul 12, 2022
Two months into owning the car, my turbo failed. Car was towed to dealership and are trying to charge me 11,000$. 2 weeks into owning vehicle. Noticed oil level at minimum. Call dealer and was advised to add oil. Never was told to come into service to have it checked. Upon further investigation, I had found out first week of august about recall. While and prior to purchasing. Dealership never inf... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
At approx 56,600 miles I received a low engine coolant error on my vehicle. Upon inspection, all engine coolant was gone from the tank. Engine coolant was refilled by me at home. The next day, I received a low oil error on my vehicle. Upon inspection, the oil was below the minimum level. 1 quart of oil was added to my vehicle and we promptly took the vehicle in for inspection as this did not seem ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2008 Audi Q7. The contact stated that fuel was leaking from the fuel tank onto the ground. There was an abnormal odor of fuel detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V660000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was... Read more
Incident date: Jul 16, 2022
The component failing seems to be the fuel system. It is unsafe because the vehicle shoots out fuel all over the place (which is a fire hazard) when I attempt to add fuel to the car. Even though this problem (for our vehicle) is listed on an Audi Technical Service Bulletin, they said that they have nothing to do with the problem. Audi won't inspect the problem just said I have to pay for any repai... Read more
Incident date: Apr 29, 2022
Manufacturer Recall Number21H7 NHTSA Recall Number22V178 This recall was issued in May 2022. I emailed Audi USA, who advised me that they do not have a repair they can implement to address this recall. This is surprising because, according to an Audi enthusiast website, repairs under this recall are being made in the United Kingdom. See pdf attached. Why is Audi telling me they cannot repair... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2021
I have an issue with my vehicle where when the car is in reverse gear, the video from the camera sometimes is shaky, and sometimes instead of showing a rear camera, it shows a front camera, and sometimes the rear cross-traffic warning doesn't work even when in reverse gear when this video malfunction happens. It happened a few times and took me to the dealership for service. When they try to repro... Read more
Incident date: Oct 5, 2021
I have an issue with my vehicle where when the car is in reverse gear, the video from the camera sometimes is shaky, and sometimes instead of showing a rear camera, it shows a front camera, and sometimes the rear cross-traffic warning doesn't work even when in reverse gear when this video malfunction happens. It happened a few times and took me to the dealership for service. When they try to repro... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2022
Fault water pump/thermostat causing overheating and breakdowns. Known issue in other models with the same motor, yet no recall issued for the A3/S3 models with the 2.0 motor
Incident date: Aug 2, 2022
A plastic guide piece which holds the passenger side of the panoramic sunroof (rear, above backseat) retractable sunshade continuously breaks on its own with limited infrequent use by control switch. I had it replaced by the dealer, which is expensive. Its my opinion this is a design flaw, or cheap plastic oem issue.
Incident date: Feb 1, 2018
SIMILAR PROBLEM TO ANOTHER FILED COMPLAINT, MODIFIED FOR THE MILEAGE AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT....2014 AUDI A5 WITH APPROX 56K MILES. THE STEERING SYSTEM HAS BEGUN TO OFFER INCONSISTENT RESISTANCE TO DRIVER INPUT, WHICH IMPACTS DRIVER'S ABILITY TO JUDGE THE AMOUNT OF FORCE NEEDED TO TURN THE WHEEL TO THE DESIRED POSITION.
Incident date: Jan 2, 2019
FUEL INJECTOR FAILED WHILE DRIVING, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CEASE OPERATIONS ON THE ROAD. PRIOR TO FAILURE, ENGINE STUTTERED AND THE CABIN SMELLED SMOKEY.
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
i have a 2018 audi a5 premium plus cabriolet 2D. At 13000 miles all tires were determined to be worn to the point of being unsafe by the audi dealer.they were at 2/32, 3/32.My complaint is against audi for putting a failed type of tire on this new car. This has caused a dangerous condition for this car.This can be verified at the audi in sarasota florida.
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2017) - AIR BAGS
Aug 15, 2022
Incident date: May 20, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A3. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light was illuminated and the message "Air Bag Malfunction. Please Seek Audi Dealer" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring intermittently. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags). However, the parts to do the ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
i was in a pretty bad car accident, the car was totaled but the air bags didn’t deploy and i slammed my head on my steering wheel, i got side swiped and the driver door wasn’t able to be opened i had to kick it open and the front of the car hit a concrete pole going roughly 35 mph or more.
Crash
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
- Problem: Locking system malfunctions leaving at least one door in an unlocked state. The door(s) can be opened while the ignition is on and the car is not in park or when the car is parked with the ignition off. - Safety risks: Carjacking, bodily harm, death, theft of vehicle or its contents. - Problem has been confirmed by a dealer and manufacturer. - Vehicle has been serviced multiple times b... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2016) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:FUEL GAUGE
Aug 12, 2022
Incident date: Aug 12, 2022
2016 AUDI A3. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DEFECTIVE GAS GAUGE. THE CONSUMER REFERENCED AUDI SAFETY RECALL 20Y5. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE EXHIBTED THE SAME FAILURE BUT, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER HAD THE VEHICLE REPAIRED AT A LOCAL MECHANICS SHOP. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO BE INCLUDED IN AND REIMBURSED FOR THE RECALL REPAIR
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2016) - AIR BAGS
Aug 12, 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 repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer 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. Parts distribution disconnect.
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A6. The contact stated that the vehicle had shuddered and failed to accelerate on several occasions. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle emitted an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs and the fuel rails needed ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Audi A6. The contact stated that the vehicle had shuddered and failed to accelerate on several occasions. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle emitted an abnormal sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plugs and the fuel rails needed ... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Engine light on Dealership found a rodent nest in the engine space in the car. Dealership considers that fluids used to coat Audi engine wiring attract rodents. Dealership considers this to be a health and safety issue. Dealership considers it essential to replace the Audi air filter. Dealership is checking wires to assess any gnawed damage. I need the engine to be power-washed and the nest area... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Engine light on Dealership found a rodent nest in the engine space in the car. Dealership considers that fluids used to coat Audi engine wiring attract rodents. Dealership considers this to be a health and safety issue. Dealership considers it essential to replace the Audi air filter. Dealership is checking wires to assess any gnawed damage. I need the engine to be power-washed and the nest area... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Engine light on Dealership found a rodent nest in the engine space in the car. Dealership considers that fluids used to coat Audi engine wiring attract rodents. Dealership considers this to be a health and safety issue. Dealership considers it essential to replace the Audi air filter. Dealership is checking wires to assess any gnawed damage. I need the engine to be power-washed and the nest area... Read more
Incident date: Jul 30, 2022
anti-freeze started coming out from the bottom of my vehicle... seems like that is a water pump issue, also I seen that I'm not the only person with this same issue with Audi A4... this should be a recall to resolve this problem.... thank you
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe when driven at night due to the right side marker being defected and as a result, she was unable to view the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the side marker needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V642000 (Electrical S... Read more
Incident date: Jun 15, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe when driven at night due to the right side marker being defected and as a result, she was unable to view the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the side marker needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V642000 (Electrical S... Read more
Incident date: Sep 3, 2019
The contact owns a 2013 Audi S6. The contact stated upon test driving the vehicle after an oil change, the independent mechanic diagnosed that the oil strainer was clogged and the turbine wheel was desegregated. The oil strainer and gasket, the PCV head gasket, and two turbochargers were replaced. Additionally, three consecutive oil changes were completed in order to flush the metal fragments from... Read more
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2022) - TRAILER HITCHES
Aug 10, 2022
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
Factory installed hitch receiver became very loose after only one use. A trailer weighing less than 3500 pounds was towed less than 200 miles. When I removed the hitch from the receiver, I notice the receiver was very loose. I could move it very easily with one hand. This seems to me to be a very serious safety issue. On a longer trip the receiver could have completely detached from the vehic... Read more
Incident date: Aug 1, 2022
Headlights flickering. Must turn off the headlights and turn them back on for this issue to go away. All headlight components were replaced including the bulb and this issue still is there. The Audi dealerships seem to not know how to fix this issue. This issue is only on the left side/driver side. The dealer could not duplicate this issue on the right side/passenger side. All new parts were ... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
The power steering on my A4 went out randomly with only 52k miles on the odometer. Thankfully it went out while the car was parked, but if it went out while I was driving it could've caused an accident. I towed it to a shop to diagnose the issue and they confirmed that the power steering rack went bad. While doing research I found that Audi extended the warranty on the steering racks for 2013-201... Read more
Incident date: May 19, 2022
Car has constant pedal sensor issue. Audi is refusing to look at the car because the car keeps stating it has fixed the issue. This has become quite a problem for my family the car will abruptly stopped while driving and stay stuck in 2nd gear. Once the car sits it will resets, it will then drive normal but after a certain amount of miles it will do the same thing again.
Incident date: Jul 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2001 Audi TT. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle crashed into a deer causing significant damage to the front end. During the crash, neither the front driver side nor passenger side air bags were deployed. The driver sustained an injured neck and lower back which required medical treatment. The front seat passenger was not injured. The vehicle... Read more
Crash
1 injured
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
While I was driving, my car started to slow down and eventually stopped in the middle of the road. There were no warning sensors or indicators on the car. II then started to see smoke coming from my hood and decided to turn off the car and get out to inspect. On the right front side, I saw a fire under the car. The fire department was called and they put out the fire. They suspected an electrical ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
While I was driving, my car started to slow down and eventually stopped in the middle of the road. There were no warning sensors or indicators on the car. II then started to see smoke coming from my hood and decided to turn off the car and get out to inspect. On the right front side, I saw a fire under the car. The fire department was called and they put out the fire. They suspected an electrical ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Jul 27, 2022
While I was driving, my car started to slow down and eventually stopped in the middle of the road. There were no warning sensors or indicators on the car. II then started to see smoke coming from my hood and decided to turn off the car and get out to inspect. On the right front side, I saw a fire under the car. The fire department was called and they put out the fire. They suspected an electrical ... Read more
Fire
Incident date: Aug 8, 2022
Around 36k miles the vehicle had some dried coolant residue and required coolant topups every 2-3k miles. Two different dealerships performed comprehensive inspections between then and now and did not notify me of any problems. The residue was explained away in a service bulletin stating that it was normal for the water pump to weep some coolant. Now at 44k miles, I brought the car in when I saw d... Read more
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Aug 7, 2022
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
1. When parked on a slight incline, vehicle rolls forward (downhill) AFTER shifting from Park to Reverse. Dealership says this is normal, says car will roll forward up to 10 feel even when transmission is in reverse. Appears to be due to a design defect in the electronic transmission. 2. Windows will not open when outside temps are below 20 degrees. Dealership says they have no solution. Th... Read more
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2022) - SERVICE BRAKES
Aug 7, 2022
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
1. When parked on a slight incline, vehicle rolls forward (downhill) AFTER shifting from Park to Reverse. Dealership says this is normal, says car will roll forward up to 10 feel even when transmission is in reverse. Appears to be due to a design defect in the electronic transmission. 2. Windows will not open when outside temps are below 20 degrees. Dealership says they have no solution. Th... Read more
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2022) - UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Aug 7, 2022
Incident date: Dec 1, 2021
1. When parked on a slight incline, vehicle rolls forward (downhill) AFTER shifting from Park to Reverse. Dealership says this is normal, says car will roll forward up to 10 feel even when transmission is in reverse. Appears to be due to a design defect in the electronic transmission. 2. Windows will not open when outside temps are below 20 degrees. Dealership says they have no solution. Th... Read more
Incident date: Jul 29, 2022
top of fuel pump has crack causing fuel to leaks when in use.
Incident date: Aug 6, 2022
My SUV has 40073 miles. During a dealer inspection it was found that its rear passenger side coil spring broken and damaged upper-lower spring mounts. It is going to cost about $2000. Also did some internet search that this has happened to others. The SUV being at lower mileage, I feel that this part is defective and safety issue, and Audi should correct the situation. http://x4con.xtime.com/medi... Read more
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
On Thursday August 4, 2022, after backing out of a space, I placed the vehicle in drive and the vehicle shifted uncommanded to neutral prior to being motion. My vehicle has shifted to neutral once and park twice previously. I reported this issue to Audi of Indianapolis in May 2022, but no technical remedy was provided.
Incident date: Apr 22, 2022
The passenger airbag sign switch on and off while the passenger was on the seat.
Incident date: Jul 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. The contact went forward and sustained a concussion, and blurred vision and medical attention was provided. The emergency brake malfunction message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was n... Read more
1 injured
Incident date: Aug 4, 2022
under 60k miles and have a coolant pump leak/failure due to a faulty bearing with excess movement.
Incident date: May 18, 2022
Audi Q5 is consuming oil and requiring it to be filled every 300 to 500 miles. It is unsafe for people to continually be pulling over over the side of the road. Audi will not fix, even if car fails oil consumption test. Price to fix is around 9K. The problem is also causing loss of power, which is not safe, especially while driving on the highway. Audi acknowledges the problem and states "th... Read more