Owners have filed 15 complaints
about the 2019 Audi Q3 with NHTSA between 2020 and 2025.
The largest single group is the electrical system.
Across this model's run it ranks 8 of 8 worst.
The letter says how bad. This says what kind — whether this year drew
an unusual number of complaints, unusually dangerous
ones, or failures that arrived unusually early.
The dashed ring is 50 — the national norm. Further out is worse.
Complaint volume — 18
Against the median year of the Audi Q3. 50 means typical for this
model; 100 means roughly double.
Severity — 0
0% of these complaints
involved a crash, fire, injury or death, against a national rate of
9.7%.
Early failure — 100
88% of failures with a mileage on record happened under
36,000 miles, against a national rate of
29%.
Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade:
A
B
C
D
F
ungraded
What breaks on a 2019 Audi Q3
Every complaint is filed against a part. Follow any row for the complaints about that part alone.
Electrical System
320.0%
Median failure at 4,855 miles
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance
213.3%
Fuel & Propulsion
213.3%
Engine & Cooling
213.3%
Median failure at 6,200 miles
Other & Unspecified
16.7%
Median failure at 6,900 miles
Lights
16.7%
Acceleration & Cruise Control
16.7%
Median failure at 10 miles
Body & Structure
16.7%
Median failure at 56,000 miles
Steering
16.7%
Median failure at 4,000 miles
Transmission & Drivetrain
16.7%
Median failure at 10 miles
When it fails
Odometer readings owners gave when they filed. About half of all
complaints include one.
Under 1,000 miles
337.5%
1,000 – 9,999 miles
450.0%
50,000 – 74,999 miles
112.5%
When owners complained
A spike years after the car went on sale usually means a part wearing
out on schedule across the whole fleet — the kind of pattern no single
owner can see from inside their own car.
Jan 2020peak 3Apr 2025
The most recent complaints
In the owners' own words, exactly as filed with NHTSA.
at 56,000 milesBossier City, LA
STRUCTURE:INTERIOR PANELS:SUN VISOR
The contact owns a 2019 Audi Q3. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving while it was raining, the contact felt water dripping on her. The contact stated had observed water dripping from the sunroof panel in three places to the gear shift, and the passenger’s and driver’s seats and the floorboard. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
NHTSA complaint #11656567 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Columbia, SC
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
After multiple attempts to have my 2019 Audi Q3 repaired the vehicle is still sitting at Audi of Columbia with the following issues (leaking water, drainage system is compromised, mold in the roof lining, sunroof is leaking).
NHTSA complaint #11506722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Columbia, SC
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
After multiple attempts to have my 2019 Audi Q3 repaired the vehicle is still sitting at Audi of Columbia with the following issues (leaking water, drainage system is compromised, mold in the roof lining, sunroof is leaking).
NHTSA complaint #11506722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Columbia, SC
ENGINE
After multiple attempts to have my 2019 Audi Q3 repaired the vehicle is still sitting at Audi of Columbia with the following issues (leaking water, drainage system is compromised, mold in the roof lining, sunroof is leaking).
NHTSA complaint #11506722 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Memphis, TN
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle stalls even while actively engaged in driving. Audi diagnosed performing as designed and advised nothing that they can do until diagnosed as “not performing as designed”. Poses imminent crash issue as vehicle will stall at any time. Please investigate. I am terrified to drive the car from place to place.
NHTSA complaint #11494165 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Memphis, TN
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While driving, Audi Pre sense warning illuminated on dash, then emergency braking occurred while seatbelt tightened. There were no other cars around (neither in front or on the side) I did not hit anything in the street. Safety put at risk from unnecessary braking. Thankfully no cars were behind me. This did startle me but I maintained proper control of the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11474208 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving, Audi Pre sense warning illuminated on dash, then emergency braking occurred while seatbelt tightened. There were no other cars around (neither in front or on the side) I did not hit anything in the street. Safety put at risk from unnecessary braking. Thankfully no cars were behind me. This did startle me but I maintained proper control of the vehicle.
NHTSA complaint #11474208 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Memphis, TN
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle fuel pump fails intermittently even while actively engaged in driving. Engine stalled while driving putting me at risk for an accident. Issue was hard to diagnose because the fault would clear after an episode and reappear 300-400 miles after being driven again. Check engine light appears and then after allowing car to sit for a few hours, the car will start again. Sometimes the check engine light remains, other times it goes away on its own. Vehicle was inspected by Audi Little Rock and was performing as designed but issued occurred again 4 days after pickup. Currently the high pressure fuel pump is being replaced to try and solve the problem but vehicle can be made available for inspection if this does not resolve the issue. Since it is intermittently failing, issue hasn’t been duplicated during inspection. Incident has occurred approx 8 times since purchased in Jan 2022.
NHTSA complaint #11461748 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 6,900 milesSAN Carlos, CA
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
WITH NO WARNING CAR DIED ON THE FREEWAY IN THE RAIN "DRIVE SYSTEM FAILURE". CAR TOWED TO DEALERSHIP.
NHTSA complaint #11386713 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 10 milesStamford, CT
POWER TRAIN
WHILE ON THE ROAD, ON THE FIRST MONTH OF DRIVING THE CAR AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019, THE CAR SLOWED DOWN TO 2-5 MPH WITH A NOTE ON THE DASH SCREEN TO CALL SERVICE. I CRAWLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. GAS PEDAL AND BREAKS NOT WORKING, PULLING THE EMERGENCY PARK BUTTON TO STOP THE CAR. IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT TO AUDI SERVICE IN FAIRFIELD CT FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND NOTHING. EARLY NOVEMBER 2020 THIS HAS HAPPEN YET AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A STOP LIGHT BUT THIS TIME THE WHOLE ENGINE/CAR DIED WITH THE IGNITION FOR 2 MINUTES. WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON, I CONTINUED TO START THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL IT STARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR AND AUDI SERVICES ARE NOT HELPING/CANNOT FIND THE ISSUE. IT NOW HAS HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES. WILL I BE DEAD NEXT TIME IS WHAT GOES THROUGH MY MIND.
NHTSA complaint #11375993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 10 milesStamford, CT
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHILE ON THE ROAD, ON THE FIRST MONTH OF DRIVING THE CAR AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019, THE CAR SLOWED DOWN TO 2-5 MPH WITH A NOTE ON THE DASH SCREEN TO CALL SERVICE. I CRAWLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. GAS PEDAL AND BREAKS NOT WORKING, PULLING THE EMERGENCY PARK BUTTON TO STOP THE CAR. IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT TO AUDI SERVICE IN FAIRFIELD CT FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND NOTHING. EARLY NOVEMBER 2020 THIS HAS HAPPEN YET AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A STOP LIGHT BUT THIS TIME THE WHOLE ENGINE/CAR DIED WITH THE IGNITION FOR 2 MINUTES. WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON, I CONTINUED TO START THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL IT STARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR AND AUDI SERVICES ARE NOT HELPING/CANNOT FIND THE ISSUE. IT NOW HAS HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES. WILL I BE DEAD NEXT TIME IS WHAT GOES THROUGH MY MIND.
NHTSA complaint #11375993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 10 milesStamford, CT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WHILE ON THE ROAD, ON THE FIRST MONTH OF DRIVING THE CAR AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019, THE CAR SLOWED DOWN TO 2-5 MPH WITH A NOTE ON THE DASH SCREEN TO CALL SERVICE. I CRAWLED THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. GAS PEDAL AND BREAKS NOT WORKING, PULLING THE EMERGENCY PARK BUTTON TO STOP THE CAR. IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT TO AUDI SERVICE IN FAIRFIELD CT FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND NOTHING. EARLY NOVEMBER 2020 THIS HAS HAPPEN YET AGAIN IN THE MIDDLE OF A STOP LIGHT BUT THIS TIME THE WHOLE ENGINE/CAR DIED WITH THE IGNITION FOR 2 MINUTES. WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON, I CONTINUED TO START THE CAR SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL IT STARTS. UNFORTUNATELY, I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN MY CAR AND AUDI SERVICES ARE NOT HELPING/CANNOT FIND THE ISSUE. IT NOW HAS HAPPEN MULTIPLE TIMES. WILL I BE DEAD NEXT TIME IS WHAT GOES THROUGH MY MIND.
NHTSA complaint #11375993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 9,700 milesPhoenix, AZ
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
ON THREE OCCASIONS, TOUCHSCREEN FAILED TO TURN ON PREVENTING REVERSE CAMERA FROM ACTIVATING. SCREEN STAYED BLANK OR WAS UNRESPONSIVE FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. VEHICLE WAS BOTH STATIONARY AND IN MOTION -- SWITCHING IN AND OUT OF REVERSE DID NOT RESOLVE ISSUE.
NHTSA complaint #11330567 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 6,200 milesNorth Chary, SC
ENGINE
THE CAR HAD AUTOMATICALLY SHUT OFF SEVERAL TIMES. THIS PAST TIME (WHICH IS WHY I'M REPORTING IT) I WAS DRIVING TO MY OFFICE THAT IS LESS THAN 1.5 MILES FROM HOUSE AND I WAS GOING THROUGH A 4 WAY INTERSECTION AND THE CAR COMPLETED SHUT OFF, STEERING WHEEL LOCKED , BRAKE AND ACCELERATOR PEDALS LOCKED. IT TOOK SEVERAL MINUTES FOR ME TO GET THE CAR STARTED AGAIN.AND I ALMOST GOT HIT FROM ONCOMING VEHICLES. IT IS A BRAND NEW CAR WITH 6,000 MILES ON IT. I HAD IT TOWED TO AUDI DEALERSHIP BECAUSE I WAS NOT COMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I WAS INFORMED LATER THAT DAY BY AUDI THAT IT IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE CAR BUT THEY WILL NOT HAVE THE PART TO FIX IT FOR 2 MONTHS. THEY STATE AUDI SAID IT'S NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. IF YOUR CAR SHUTS OFF RANDOMLY AND YOUR ON THE HIGHWAY OR A BUSY INTERSECTION AND ALMOST GET HIT THAT'S A SAFETY ISSUE. I WAS INFORMED TO TURN THE START STOP FEATURE OFF AND THE CAR WILL BE FINE TO DRIVE UNTIL THE PART IS AVAILABLE. I INFORMED AUDI I HAD THAT FEATURE TURNED OFF WHEN IT OCCURRED. THAT ASIDE WHAT IF I GOT IN THE CAR AND FORGOT TO TURN THAT FEATURE OFF AND IT HAPPENED AGAINS AND THIS TIME I GET HIT AND INJURED. OR ONE OF MY CHILDREN DRIVE THE CAR AND DON'T TURN THAT FEATURE OFF AND IT HAPPENS TO THEM. YOU SHOULDN'T SPEND THAT KIND OF MONEY ON A VEHICLE AND HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT TURNING OFF FEATURES THAT ARE EQUIPPED IN THE CAR BECAUSE THE MALFUNCTION. ALL I ASKED FOR WAS A LOANER UNTIL THE PART TO FIX A KNOWN ISSUE THAT AUDI ACKNOWLEDGES WAS AVAILABLE. I'M NOT COMFORTABLE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND MY FAMILIES SAFETY IS AT RISK. THE FACT THAT AUDI HADN'T MADE IT A RECALL OR SAYS IT'S NOT A SAFETY ISSUE IS UNBELIEVABLE.
NHTSA complaint #11311716 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
at 4,000 milesPhoenix, AZ
STEERING
VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTO START/STOP FEATURE. WHEN STOPPED AT STOPLIGHTS, INTERSECTIONS, ETC, THE VEHICLE ENGINE WILL TURN OFF. WHEN DRIVER'S FOOT IS REMOVED FROM BRAKE PETAL, THE ENGINE REACTIVATES. HOWEVER, ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, THE POWER STEERING DID NOT REACTIVATE UNTIL 1-2 SECONDS AFTER THE ENGINE RESTARTS. THIS LEFT ME WITH NO CONTROL OF VEHICLE STEERING (AS I WAS UNABLE TO EASILY TURN THE STEERING WHEEL). THIS RESULTED IN SEVERAL PROBLEMATIC INCIDENTS WHERE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE ENGINE DISENGAGED WHILE I WAS INCHING INTO A LEFT-HAND TURN THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO THEN START MY TURN, THE ENGINE RE-ENGAGED, BUT I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, CAUSING ME TO DRIVE FORWARD (TOWARD ONCOMING TRAFFIC) INSTEAD OF BEING ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL LEFT TO COMPLETE MY TURN. SIMILAR EVENTS HAVE HAPPENED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS.
NHTSA complaint #11302365 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.