AUDI Q3 Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

No steering when car is being driven.

AFTER A SMALL SNOW FALL BUT WIT SOME ICING OVERNIGHT I TURNED ON THE FRONT ANDBACK WARMERS FOR THE WINDOWS. AS I TRAVELLED ABOUT 1/2 A MILE I HEARD A "CREAKING NOISE" IN THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE, WHEN I LOOKED UP I NOTICED A CRACK IN THE GLASS BACKK WINDOW AND THEN CONTINUED TO GET BIGGER AND BIGGER UNTIL THE ENTIRE WINDOW WAS GONE. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT GLASS IS NOT COVERED BY THE MANU WARRANTY. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME I'D USED THE BACKWINDOW DEFROSTER, NEEDLESS TO SAY I'M NOT HAPP SINCE I'VE ONLY HAD MY VEHICCLE SINCE DECEMBER 26TH. I'VE ATTACHED TO PHOTOS. MY CAR IS KEPT IN MY FENCED IN BACKYARD.

I was driving down the highway, roughly 60mph, when my yellow tire pressure warning light came on. The car did not feel any different while driving. I drove for another 5-10 mins when suddenly my car jerked to the left. I let off the gas and slowed to a safe spot to park. That was when I started to smell burning rubber, after I parked I got out and that was when I noticed I was riding on the rim with no tire. Tire is 255/45/R19

While driving my brand new 4-day old 2025 Audi Q3 at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly lost engine power and shut off without warning. At the time of the incident the fuel gauge indicated approximately 1/4 tank remaining and there were no prior warnings. I was forced to pull over in traffic, creating a dangerous situation. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership. I was initially told the vehicle had "run out of gas", despite the fuel gauge showing fuel remaining. This same failure occurred a second time under similar conditions, again while driving at highway speeds with fuel indicated on the gauge. The vehicle stalled and shut off unexpectedly, requiring another tow. During the second repair visit, Audi technicians confirmed that the fuel tank's internal level sensor was defective and that the vehicle was inaccurately reporting fuel levels. Audi's Technical Assistance Center instructed the dealer to replace the entire fuel tank assembly on this brand-new vehicle. This defect caused repeated loss of engine power while driving, creating a serious safety risk to myself and other motorists. I no longer feel the vehicle is safe to operate due to the risk of sudden stalling without warning.

I purchased a new 2025 Audi Q3 8/18/25 and immediately experienced a potential safety issue with the driver’s seat. The seat structure did not provide stable or secure support, which affected my ability to maintain proper posture and full control of the vehicle while driving. This created concerns about safe operation, particularly during braking, steering, and longer periods of driving. I reported the issue promptly and requested a warranty inspection. However, Audi of America issued a formal denial on October 9, 2025 without performing any inspection of the vehicle or the driver’s seat. As a result, the vehicle was never examined by an Audi technician, manufacturer representative, or any third party. Because the manufacturer refused to inspect the component and I could not safely operate the vehicle, I was forced to exit the vehicle entirely. The lack of inspection prevented any determination of the root cause, potential defect, or safety risk. This procedural failure is the basis of this report.

Vehicle failed to start with many tries despite my own key fob. Initially displayed message with 'Theft' reference, then changed to "Checking remote access rights. Please wait..." on screen. Opening door triggered unexpected shocking alarm, which stopped after using fob to turn it off. Started to video record the situation after about a minute of failed start attempts. Vid lasts 41 secs until on.Two additional photos from myAudi app 'theft' & 'break-in', which was driver exiting vehicle triggering alarm. Prior issue with drivers seatbelt occurred with car in 'park' and ignition on, seat belt unexpectedly pulled occupant tight against seat. Seatbelt adjuster on seatbelt anchor point moved quickly up and down several times making whirring noises before abruptly stopping, releasing occupant after 10-15 seconds. As a 100% disabled veteran with severe neck damage this could paralyze me if happens while driving, and heart stopping shock. Vehicle in Brooklyn Service since 11th Sept. Mgr says today there are no faults in the system and no data to be collected. Even with video proof the service center lack resolution, and Mgr wanted me to pick up the car. I insisted they keep for further testing as it may need extended observation to replicate issue. I feel unsafe. My safety was put at risk due to the non-start incident happening late at night in a low lit area in Elizabeth/Newark not a good area potentially stranding me in an unsafe situation. A starting issue and an alarm malfunction, both of which are critical. This is the second safety issue in a brand new car, within 6 weeks of owning the car. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to failure. They first appeared after I unlocked with fob and sat inside. I caught a brief glimpse of a sentence containing the word "Theft", then unsuccessfully tried to start the car multiple times before I noticed the message telling me it was trying to check remote access rights.

Lease Begin Date: May 1, 2024 Mileage at time of first incident: 16800 Current Mileage: 17,500 Incident Description: This vehicle has exhibited unintended rearward movement on two separate occasions following a "Drive System Malfunction" warning, each occurring immediately after shifting into Drive on an incline. The first incident occurred on February 20, 2025. Immediately after shifting into Drive, the vehicle displayed a "Drive System Malfunction" message and rolled backward before I was able to stop it. My [XXX] child was a passenger. The system reset after restarting the vehicle. The second incident occurred under nearly identical conditions on March 19, 2025, again resulting in unintended rearward movement following the same warning message. My child was again in the vehicle. Time-stamped photographs documenting both events are available. The vehicle was brought to an authorized Audi dealership for inspection. The dealership was unable to replicate the concern. Low-voltage fault codes were identified, including a remote key and secure control module message, but no fault codes directly tied to the drive system were found. No corrective action was taken. I subsequently contacted Audi of America's customer support line and was assigned a Regional Case Manager. Audi's position has been that escalation to Audi Technical Assistance or engineering cannot proceed without dealership replication of the fault. No proactive diagnostic steps have been offered or taken. The concern remains unresolved. This complaint is being filed to document two occurrences of unintended vehicle movement associated with a drivetrain-related warning, and to request that Audi of America be required to investigate and address the root cause. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The rear inner brake pads wore out much faster then the outer brake pads on the vehicle. On July 16, 2025, the car was taken in for service at an Audi dealership (Hoffman Audi in East Hartford, CT) and the inner brake pads were reported to be at 4mm. The car had 19,678 miles. On 12/18/2025 the car was serviced with 25,361 miles and the rear inner brake pads were replaced because they were at 1mm. Besides excessive and premature wear of inner brake pads, this is a safety issue since the brake pad sensors are typically on the outer pads. Disc brake pads should wear consistently between inner and outer pads. Many social media forums report similar problems with Audi Q3 model wearing rear inner pads faster then the outer pads. 3mm wear on pads after only 5 months is excessive and dangerous, especially since the sensors cannot report pads are worn because they are on the outer pads.

THE FIRST WEEK OF BUYING THIS VECHILE THERE WAS A CHIP MALFUCTION ON THE AUDI Q3 2024. THE AUDI AUTHORIZED SERVICE CENTER TOLD ME IT WAS JUST A SENSOR. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE DIOS DONE AND EVERTHING COME BACK FINE. HOWEVER, WHEN WHEN THE BATTERY WAS DISCONNECT THE START STOP SYSTEM HAD ISSUE THEN WENT AWAY. ALONG WITH AFTER MY PURCHASE OF THE Q3 THEIR WERE STRANGE STREAMING NOISES THAT WERE COMING OUT OF ONE THE SPEAKERS. IT SEEMS THE DEALERSHIP SOLD ME THIS Q3 KNOWING THERE WAS AFTER MARKET PRODUCTS PUT IN THE CAR TO DISTRACT ME WHILE DRIVING. i LIVE IN TOWN OF BOZEMAN, MT AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO MIDIGATE THIS ISSUE WITH LITTLE HELP FROM THE DEALERSHIP. I WILL BE MAKING A NEW POLICE REPORT CONCERNING MY PERSONAL ISSUES. I ALSO CONTACTED THE AUDI DIGITAL HELP FOR HELP! I CAN PROVIDE DOCUMENTS ONCE I GET A CLEAR RESPONSE FROM YOU.

The vehicle’s Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system intermittently fails to detect vehicles directly ahead at lower speeds. When this occurs, the car maintains the set speed instead of slowing down, creating a potential collision risk. The issue has been present since the vehicle was new and has occurred repeatedly over a two-year period. Specifically, while driving in moderate or heavy traffic using ACC or Adaptive Cruise Assist, the system occasionally does not recognize a slower or stopped vehicle ahead. The car continues to accelerate or maintain speed until I manually apply the brakes. Once I brake and re-engage the ACC, the system immediately detects the vehicle ahead and resumes normal following behavior. This pattern strongly suggests a software or sensor logic fault rather than driver error. There are no visible warnings, messages, or malfunction indicators before or during the failure. The problem has been reproducible multiple times under similar conditions. The local Audi dealership has been informed, but as of now no official fix, recall, or service bulletin has been issued for this behavior on the 2024 Audi Q3. To my knowledge, the manufacturer has not publicly acknowledged the problem. This malfunction poses a significant safety hazard, as it can result in the vehicle failing to decelerate in time to avoid a rear-end collision if the driver does not intervene quickly. Component or system involved: Adaptive Cruise Control / Adaptive Cruise Assist (Radar-based driver assist system). Availability for inspection: The system remains installed and can be inspected upon request.

The dashboard screen which operates the radio, GPS and other programs will shut down and the screen will show: NOTE: SYSTEM RELAODING PLEASE WAIT. The radio will continue to play but you cannot operate it. Additionally, sometimes the screen goes completely blank and radio stops playing, usually comes back on in a couple minutes. I've had it to dealer three times but problem is still present.

Parking brake failure, contact service error message repeatedly pops up on digital screen behind steering wheel