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 1, 2021
The recalls were not completed and the dealership is charging for recall work.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2021
The recalls were not completed and the dealership is charging for recall work.
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2022) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 11, 2022
Incident date: May 7, 2022
Car jerks strongly when slightly accelerate on an incline. This jerking happened 2 more times. After 10 minutes driving on highway, car dashboard shown Electrical System: Malfunction and forced immediate exit off highway. We were on road trip and have to disable hybrid system and hoped no more car malfunction for the next 600 miles home. Took car to 2 service dealers and none could find error code... Read more
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2022) - ENGINE
Jul 11, 2022
Incident date: May 7, 2022
Car jerks strongly when slightly accelerate on an incline. This jerking happened 2 more times. After 10 minutes driving on highway, car dashboard shown Electrical System: Malfunction and forced immediate exit off highway. We were on road trip and have to disable hybrid system and hoped no more car malfunction for the next 600 miles home. Took car to 2 service dealers and none could find error code... Read more
AUDI
Q5 SPORTBACK
(2022) - POWER TRAIN
Jul 11, 2022
Incident date: May 7, 2022
Car jerks strongly when slightly accelerate on an incline. This jerking happened 2 more times. After 10 minutes driving on highway, car dashboard shown Electrical System: Malfunction and forced immediate exit off highway. We were on road trip and have to disable hybrid system and hoped no more car malfunction for the next 600 miles home. Took car to 2 service dealers and none could find error code... Read more
Incident date: Jan 31, 2022
fuel pump leak, dealer claimed the seal is broken from the manufacture, gave out strong gasoline smell
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
Delay in change gear especially from full stop, vehicle recoil, jump, jolt, sometimes with loud noise
Incident date: Jun 24, 2022
The vehicle has a squeaky noise on the break no matter what condition the noise is very loud. Dealer said to break hard from 0-60 mph to clean pads and issue has not been addressed. It’s getting worse.
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2016) - AIR BAGS
Jul 8, 2022
Incident date: Jul 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 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 local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to complete the recall repair. The contact stated that the warning message "System Failure - Replace Sensor... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
Rained. Got into my car and had water dripping down from the lights/dome of the car. Water was short circuiting the lights and they were turning on by themselves. Tried to turn them off but sensors wouldn’t respond. Water was dripping down to the console where the start engine and other controls including the charging ports/wireless charging pad. Water also leaked from the front passenger side ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
Rained. Got into my car and had water dripping down from the lights/dome of the car. Water was short circuiting the lights and they were turning on by themselves. Tried to turn them off but sensors wouldn’t respond. Water was dripping down to the console where the start engine and other controls including the charging ports/wireless charging pad. Water also leaked from the front passenger side ... Read more
Incident date: Jul 8, 2022
Rained. Got into my car and had water dripping down from the lights/dome of the car. Water was short circuiting the lights and they were turning on by themselves. Tried to turn them off but sensors wouldn’t respond. Water was dripping down to the console where the start engine and other controls including the charging ports/wireless charging pad. Water also leaked from the front passenger side ... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2022
Had service at 34999 - reported hard shifting between 1st/2nd then revved abnormally high at 32k. Dealer was unable to reproduce during service - appointments are a month out. Car has had propulsion/fuel system not responding at random at various severities and rough idle like the engine was struggling to get fuel. Also reported during last service. On one occasion vehicle shutoff at lower speed a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2022
Had service at 34999 - reported hard shifting between 1st/2nd then revved abnormally high at 32k. Dealer was unable to reproduce during service - appointments are a month out. Car has had propulsion/fuel system not responding at random at various severities and rough idle like the engine was struggling to get fuel. Also reported during last service. On one occasion vehicle shutoff at lower speed a... Read more
Incident date: Apr 18, 2022
Had service at 34999 - reported hard shifting between 1st/2nd then revved abnormally high at 32k. Dealer was unable to reproduce during service - appointments are a month out. Car has had propulsion/fuel system not responding at random at various severities and rough idle like the engine was struggling to get fuel. Also reported during last service. On one occasion vehicle shutoff at lower speed a... Read more
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2017) - FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE
Jul 7, 2022
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Audi A3. The contact stated while refueling the vehicle, fuel was spilling from the fuel filler neck. The contact drove back to her residence and placed the vehicle in park(P) and noticed the odor of gasoline entering the cabin. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact exited and checked the gas cap and noticed that fuel was pourin... Read more
Incident date: Jul 6, 2022
I have continued to notice increasing oil consumption on my 2012 AUDI A4. I have mentioned this to my dealership, however they kept dismissing it as an old car. I noticed that there have been numerous reports of this with AUDI vehicles. I requested for 2 part oil consumption test, which failed. Nonetheless, they keep suggesting that there is nothing to be done. Please advise, if this meets concern... Read more
AUDI
RS 6 AVANT
(2021) - ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Jul 6, 2022
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
The last few times I've started my car, the instrument cluster takes multiple minutes before it turns on, while the yellow check engine and red warning lights flash repeatedly.
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Audi A6. The contact received a notification from Carfax that informed him that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V155000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer had been notified of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer had been notified of the issue. The contac... Read more
Incident date: Jul 4, 2022
On 7/4 as I was merging onto the highway I was accelerating to merge onto the main lanes of traffic. I pressed on the accelerator to pickup speed, but when I let off the pedal the vehicle felt like it was continuing to accelerate similar to being on cruise control. I felt like I did not have control of the vehicle. I pressed on the brake pedal and let go to see if it would disengage the acceler... Read more
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
Had the car parked in the driveway for about a week and half. When turned it on for the first time after that period, noticed the airbag light in the odometer panel continue to be on. Checked for any airbag recalls but found none. Although no airbag recalls have been placed on this particular vehicle so far; I found an online source which states that vehicle of this year, make and model may be af... Read more
Incident date: Jun 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Audi S6. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the repair would not be covered due to aftermarket parts. No additional assi... Read more
Incident date: Jun 1, 2022
Center sliding armrest defective. Cover under the armrest that pops in the tubes came off maki g the armrest lose and exposing the metal tubes. Internet search mentions it’s a common issue and nothing has been resolved
AUDI
A3 CABRIOLET
(2018) - AIR BAGS
Jun 30, 2022
Incident date: Jun 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Audi A3. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V198000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part 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 i... Read more
Incident date: Sep 1, 2020
The Audi Pre-sense engaged on 3 occasions going 50+ mph bringing the car to a complete stop when there was nothing in front if it and a car right behind me. I was lucky the car behind me did not collide. If it had been a semi truck and just as close as the car trailing me, they would not have been able to stop in time causing damage or death. The problem could not be confirmed by the Audi dealer w... Read more
Incident date: Jun 27, 2022
While driving at a relatively low speed, approximately 30 mph, I approached a red light and proceeded to slow down. The brakes did not engage, so I continue to pump them but had to swerve into the right lane to avoid hitting the car in front of me. Fortunately, there wasn’t a car in the right lane. It was raining but not heavily, although earlier we did go through heavy rain on the freeway. Afte... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
The car was constantly smelling like smoke. It felt like it was going to catch fire. I got it serviced when it had to be serviced at 15k but Audi dealership did not warn of any recall and mentioned everything was great with the car. In the end I had to sell the car which was in April, 22 because I didn’t feel safe driving the car anymore. I would also constantly get airbag being deployed warning... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
The car was constantly smelling like smoke. It felt like it was going to catch fire. I got it serviced when it had to be serviced at 15k but Audi dealership did not warn of any recall and mentioned everything was great with the car. In the end I had to sell the car which was in April, 22 because I didn’t feel safe driving the car anymore. I would also constantly get airbag being deployed warning... Read more
Incident date: Jan 20, 2022
The car was constantly smelling like smoke. It felt like it was going to catch fire. I got it serviced when it had to be serviced at 15k but Audi dealership did not warn of any recall and mentioned everything was great with the car. In the end I had to sell the car which was in April, 22 because I didn’t feel safe driving the car anymore. I would also constantly get airbag being deployed warning... Read more
Incident date: Oct 28, 2021
When my car is placed in reverse, the parking assist system is activated. The cameras are supposed to turn on to give me visibility and warnings if cars or people are approaching. Instead, the screen will go out and start blinking with a white screen. This results in an inability to safely maneuver and no camera visibility. This happens often and have been able to record 2 instances on my phon... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
Upon parking in my garage, the vehicle leaked fuel from the rear-wheel on passenger side. There were no warning lights to indicate the fuel line or other component was compromised or malfunction. The vehicle was towed to the Audi service center for inspection. The inspection revealed fuel was in the charcoal canister, filter and leak diagnostic pump; replacements were needed. Please see video: h... Read more
Incident date: Jun 17, 2022
Upon parking in my garage, the vehicle leaked fuel from the rear-wheel on passenger side. There were no warning lights to indicate the fuel line or other component was compromised or malfunction. The vehicle was towed to the Audi service center for inspection. The inspection revealed fuel was in the charcoal canister, filter and leak diagnostic pump; replacements were needed. Please see video: h... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2018
The contact owns a 2007 Audi Q7. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH or slower, there was water coming into the vehicle on the driver's and passenger's side of the floorboard. The contact stated there was no rain, and the location of the leak was unknown. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Aug 16, 2018
The contact owns a 2007 Audi Q7. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH or slower, there was water coming into the vehicle on the driver's and passenger's side of the floorboard. The contact stated there was no rain, and the location of the leak was unknown. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the fail... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
The Sun Roof exploded with no signs on anything hitting it. I just exploded AS i was driving in the open. Seems like defective glass..
Incident date: Jun 21, 2022
Submitting an official complaint since there has been a lack of status update or repair resolution. I am concerned that I will have a failure resulting in injury or death since I cannot get this fixed.
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time f... Read more
Incident date: Jan 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2019 Audi A5. 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 made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time f... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
1.Interior color light bars: These light bars developed inconsistency. Audi repaired the inconsistency however now the light bars only display pink (not white) during start up. The dealership tried telling me it’s not pink, then claims to be color blind. I have artiest friends who maintain the color is pink. 2.Engine start-stop: Dealership confirms the Q7 will shut down as part of the st... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
1.Interior color light bars: These light bars developed inconsistency. Audi repaired the inconsistency however now the light bars only display pink (not white) during start up. The dealership tried telling me it’s not pink, then claims to be color blind. I have artiest friends who maintain the color is pink. 2.Engine start-stop: Dealership confirms the Q7 will shut down as part of the st... Read more
Incident date: Jun 20, 2022
1.Interior color light bars: These light bars developed inconsistency. Audi repaired the inconsistency however now the light bars only display pink (not white) during start up. The dealership tried telling me it’s not pink, then claims to be color blind. I have artiest friends who maintain the color is pink. 2.Engine start-stop: Dealership confirms the Q7 will shut down as part of the st... Read more
Incident date: May 23, 2022
My 2017 Audi A4 transmission started to fail as it frequently was not able to shift gears unless I came to a complete stop and restarted my car. This made it difficult to drive at a higher speed when I was on a major road or highway. I took it to a mechanic specializing in transmissions and he confirmed that the transmission was failing. The car would give me an indicator light of a transmission m... Read more
Incident date: Jun 10, 2022
I had the Fuel Filter flange crack and leak fuel into an area where an electronic plug exists. This leak was part of NHTSA recall #17V298 from 2017. I took my vehicle into the dealer and had it inspected per the letter sent to me. The dealers repair included placing a rubberized butyl tape over the flange that they claimed would prevent it from ever developing a leak of fuel. When I discovered... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2022
On Tuesday, June 7, 2022 my vehicle began having a hard time accelerating, then my vehicle started leaking out gas from the back of the vehicle located in front of the rear passenger tire. I then took the vehicle to Audi West Houston to have a diagnosis. After a day and a half, Audi misdiagnosed my vehicle with ethanal composition too high and recommended that the gas tank be drain. I then took m... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
Recall Number: 22V034 Audi has a current recall impacting the alignment of the rear axle. It is causing uneven and unsafe wear on the rear tires. Our tires are experiencing this greatly. We took the car into our Audi dealership. Audi, the manufacturer, rejected the request for tire replacement claiming alignment is within specification. However, if you take even a small glance at our tires, it is... Read more
Incident date: Jun 16, 2022
Recall Number: 22V034 Audi has a current recall impacting the alignment of the rear axle. It is causing uneven and unsafe wear on the rear tires. Our tires are experiencing this greatly. We took the car into our Audi dealership. Audi, the manufacturer, rejected the request for tire replacement claiming alignment is within specification. However, if you take even a small glance at our tires, it is... Read more
Incident date: May 28, 2022
Our vehicle was purchased new a year and four months before the tires were considered completely "dry rotted" out by the Audi technician. The vehicle has 35, 737 miles on it, but it was all highway commuting driving. The TMPS never sparked an issue until the tires got down to 10 PSI only 10 miles before we were on our way to the dealership for this routine 30k maintenance appointment. The tech sai... Read more
Incident date: May 27, 2022
The forward collision warning system (Audi PreSense) identified a shadow from an overpass as another car and alerted me to use the brakes. My car did figure out there was not another vehicle before performing an emergency brake. If the car had done an emergency brake I would have surly been rear ended on the highway. This is not the first time forward collision warning has activated due to a shado... Read more
Incident date: Jun 9, 2022
Car overheat. Engine light on. pulled over and then drove directly to local dealer 10min away who noted engine temp control actuator faulty- stuck. Needed to replace thermostat. Dealer noted problem was noted in earlier year Audi A6 models as well but thought 2017 year did not have similar. Could not leave/drive away from dealership since they noted too dangerous with faulty thermostat/coolant/... Read more
Incident date: Jul 14, 2021
The contact's cousin owns a 2013 Audi A5. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle began to overheat. The warning message "Pull Over and Check Coolant" was displayed. The contact veered to the side of the road and upon checking the coolant reservoir, the contact noticed that the coolant was leaking. The contact added coolant and was able to continue driving. However, t... Read more