What breaks most · 2007 to 2026 model years
Audi Q7 problems by year
Owners have filed 1,030 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Audi Q7 across model years 2007 to 2026. Two years stand out: 2017 for exterior lighting complaints and 2018 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 2024, 2016 and 2023.
- Years to check closely: 2017, 2018
- Fewest complaints: 2024, 2016, 2023
- Complaints on file
- 10302007 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2017318 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 337 fires · 96 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 60kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 68Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 95 | 2 | 3 | Electrical system (34) | |
| 33 | 1 | 3 | Fuel system (16) | |
| 21 | 0 | 3 | Fuel system (7) | |
| 29 | 0 | 3 | Fuel system (9) | |
| 23 | 1 | 4 | Wipers and visibility (7) | |
| 29 | 1 | 4 | Fuel system (11) | |
| 41 | 3 | 3 | Fuel system (12) | |
| 45 | 3 | 2 | Fuel system (11) | |
| 44 | 1 | 2 | Engine (12) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (1) | |
| 318 | 7 | 7 | Exterior lighting (133) | |
| 141 | 3 | 3 | Engine (37) | |
| 61 | 5 | 4 | Suspension (10) | |
| 26 | 0 | 5 | Electrical system (10) | |
| 71 | 3 | 9 | Electrical system (43) | |
| 18 | 2 | 3 | Engine (7) | |
| 16 | 0 | 3 | Electrical system (3) | |
| 1 | 0 | 3 | Unknown or other (1) | |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or other (4) | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 2017 Audi Q7
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 42% |
133 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2017 Audi Q7 |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 19% |
60 | 0 | Shop engine parts for the 2017 Audi Q7 |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 16% |
52 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2017 Audi Q7 |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 10% |
32 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2017 Audi Q7 |
| Unknown or other | 9% |
30 | 2 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
19 | 2 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 5% |
17 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2017 Audi Q7 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 3% |
10 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Warning light for right side marker light comes on. Light seems to be working, but warning comes on. Cost to repair is thousands of dollars. It is a well known complaint of this car.
-
2018 Audi Q7 piston melting diagnosed by a certified mechanic due to excessive oil consumption due to defective pistons. A class action suit was filed. And a warranty extension extension issued. There is no record of a warranty extension and should be. Please advise
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Audi Q7 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2017, 2018 carry the most filings on the Audi Q7. The 2017 alone has 318 complaints, led by exterior lighting.
What is the most common Audi Q7 problem?
On the 2017 model year, the most-reported component is exterior lighting with 133 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Audi Q7 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Audi Q7 complaints that include mileage is about 60,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.