Total Complaints
29 filings
AUDI Q3 · model year
29 NHTSA complaints, and 1 active recall for this specific cohort.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 2018AUDIQ3 carries 29 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and Not Rated/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.
Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2018 Q3 is unknown or other with 7 filings, followed by electrical system (6) and engine (6). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 1 active recall campaign, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.
NHTSA currently has 9 investigation files overlapping the 2018 Q3. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.
Total Complaints
29 filings
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 6 |
| ENGINE | 6 |
| AIR BAGS | 4 |
| WHEELS | 1 |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 1 |
| TIRES | 1 |
| STEERING | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN | 1 |
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Audi Q3 vehicles equipped with LED headlights. An inoperable front turn signal may not illuminate an indicator, failing to alert the driver to the issue. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a carbon build-up in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
Mileage: 42,000
Steering wheel clicking and accessories and functions not working along with airbag (malfunction) light illuminated on 2018 Audi Q3 with 66,000 miles.
The entire air conditioning system had to be replaced at the tune of $2422. The car is only 5 1/2 years old and it was not covered under warranty. I have researched this issue online and there are numerous people complaining about this very same issue. Why haven't a recall been campaigned? air /heat air compressor, condenser and A/C kit had to be replaced.
In 2020, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. extended the warranty on its transfer case for 2011 - 2018 Porsche Cayenne and Macan models. This was in response to what one article described as â[m]any Porsche Cayenne and Macan owners have experienced recurring problems with their 4wd transfer case. We have the issues and the symptoms, such as vibrations under acceleration, highlighted in our common problems section.â Porsche and Audi share vehicle architecture for SUV models. In an April 2017 press release, Porsche touted the fact that Audi and Porsche share architecture with respect to the two brandsâ SUVs noting âAudi, VW and Porsche have worked together successfully for many years in the area of SUVs, and with the new development cooperation, Porsche and Audi are positioning themselves for the next decade. In the coming months, joint teams will prepare the specific areas of cooperation and define the roadmap as far as 2025. The focus is on the joint development of shared vehic
Heard a loud exploding sound while driving down the street. Quickly realized that the sunroof exploded and shattered on it own. No impact and nothing fell on it. Just a random explosion. Called local Audi dealership and they have heard of this issue in Audis, but that there is no active recall.
My car stalled. I could not moved the car. Mobile Mechanic came saw the alternator belt was broke. He repaired the Belt and Alternator. When he started the car, smoke and loud squeal came from engine. He immediately shut it off. The car has less than 60k miles. I have not driven the car as much due to travel.
My car stalled. I could not moved the car. Mobile Mechanic came saw the alternator belt was broke. He repaired the Belt and Alternator. When he started the car, smoke and loud squeal came from engine. He immediately shut it off. The car has less than 60k miles. I have not driven the car as much due to travel.
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel hand activated controls ceased functioning. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to control of the vehicle however, the contact was unsure if the air bags would deploy in the event of a crash. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become constant with the air bag warning light remaining illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Mileage: 103,000
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the steering wheel hand activated controls ceased functioning. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to control of the vehicle however, the contact was unsure if the air bags would deploy in the event of a crash. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent at first but had become constant with the air bag warning light remaining illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 103,000.
Mileage: 103,000
My 2018 Audi Q3 had a defective clock spring which caused the buttons on the steering wheel to not work and the airbag to not work. This is apparently a known issue with certain volkswagen manufactured clock springs and there is a recall on the VW cars and not on the Audi.
My daughter was driving with her brother and a friend and stopped at an intersection on red signal. The car stopped and would not start. Definitely the safety of the passengers and the people behind were put at risk because of stalled car due to engine failure at a busy intersection. It is a 2018 model and followed the Audi's recommended maintenance schedule. Check engine light was on few days before and diagnosed to be a failure of a sensor by an independent service center and was waiting to get the part. After the incident the car was towed to the dealership and they have diagnosed to be low engine compression and needs engine replacement.
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated that on numerous occasions, the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The contact then stated that while driving at undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gas cylinder, fuel needed to be flushed and two unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel needed to be flushed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,352.
Mileage: 62,352
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated that on numerous occasions, the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The contact then stated that while driving at undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gas cylinder, fuel needed to be flushed and two unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel needed to be flushed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,352.
Mileage: 62,352
The steering wheel started to make a weird noise while turning the airbag light then came on the steering wheel buttons stopped working. Took the car to dealer and the clock spring was defective non working. This is a safety issue I paid 821.57 to fix this issue out of pocket. My car only has 50 k in mileage and the airbag would have not deployed if I was in an accident. This sounds like a safety issue needing a recall for this vehicle
The steering wheel started to make a weird noise while turning the airbag light then came on the steering wheel buttons stopped working. Took the car to dealer and the clock spring was defective non working. This is a safety issue I paid 821.57 to fix this issue out of pocket. My car only has 50 k in mileage and the airbag would have not deployed if I was in an accident. This sounds like a safety issue needing a recall for this vehicle
The steering wheel started to make a weird noise while turning the airbag light then came on the steering wheel buttons stopped working. Took the car to dealer and the clock spring was defective non working. This is a safety issue I paid 821.57 to fix this issue out of pocket. My car only has 50 k in mileage and the airbag would have not deployed if I was in an accident. This sounds like a safety issue needing a recall for this vehicle
The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3 equipped with Continental tires, Tire Line: ContiproContact, Tire Size: P225/40R/19, DOT Number: AF5WWA46 1717. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the tire pressure monitor indicated that the driverâs side rear tire pressure was low. The contact also had heard a humming noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact pulled off the road into a service station and noticed that the rear driverâs side tire only had 20 PSI. The contact inflated the tire to 35 PSI and continued to his destination. The vehicle was taken to a tire dealer who reported that while dismounting the tire, the inner sidewall had a 3-inch gash large enough that the technician could fit his hand through the gash. The tire was replaced. The passengerâs side rear tire was inspected and showed a 10-inch gash that had separated from the inner sidewall. The tire was also replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate vehicle f
Mileage: 33,000
The vehicle is burning and consuming too much oil too quickly between oil changes. Oil pressure light keeps turning off and on even when there is oil. Vehicle has been serviced and worked on by Audi dealership. Currently vehicle is at Audi for exact same issues after Audi claimed to fix it. Vehicle had to be taken back to the dealer for repairs within 30 minutes after picking up the vehicle from dealership for the same light. Paid $2300 for the first time I took the car in for repairs and I had to take it back cause nothing was fixed
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 itâs a common issue and nothing has been resolved
Panoramic sunroof exploded today while driving at highway speeds. Broken glass gave way. Car was not struck by any objects before the glass failed. There were no warnings. Have not yet taken the car to a dealer or service provider. Though it did not happen to me, thereâs danger from the explosion itself and from the glass entering the cabin.
Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.