Reliable Auto DB

2015 Audi Q3 reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Audi Q3 holds 23 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Q3 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system, software and Sunroof.

2015 Audi Q3
Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

23

Per year

1

Recalls

2

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (8 of 23), then Fuel and propulsion system (5) and Suspension (4). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Next to 2016

The 2016 Q3 has 28 complaints, 2 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2015 Audi Q3. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall electrical system, software 2016-09-06 · NHTSA campaign 16V642000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 TT roadster, A3 cabriolet, A3 sedan and A3 e-tron, 2016-2017 TT coupe, 2017 A4 sedan and Q7 and 2015-2017 Q3 vehicles. The affected vehicles may have been programmed with new software that inadvertently makes the side marker lights inoperative in conjunction with the parking lights or the headlights. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will upload revised software to correct the issue, free of charge. This recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 97CB.
Recall visibility, sunroof 2015-04-03 · NHTSA campaign 15V200000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Audi Q3 vehicles manufactured April 4, 2014, to November 5, 2014. If the vehicle is turned off while the sunroof is closing, the sunroof may continue to close instead of stopping. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 118, "Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems."
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the sunroof control module software, free of charge. The recall began on April 13, 2015. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 60C1.

Complaints by component (23 total)

Engine
8
Fuel and propulsion system
5
Suspension
4
Air bags
3
Electrical system
2
Powertrain
2
Steering
2
Exterior lighting
1
Forward collision avoidance
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Speed control
1
Structure
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Show 6 more Show less
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

1

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

12015220161201942020320211202242023220241202542026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The rear subframe broke while driving due to rust and corrosion causing the driver side rear wheel to be at an acute angle which caused the car to wobble all over the road. The car is currently not safe to drive."
    Suspension · filed 2026-09-08
  • "Vehicle: 2015 Audi Q3 | Engine: 2.0L TFSI 4-Cylinder Turbo Component: Engine Complaint Description: While driving on the interstate at highway speed, the red oil pressure warning light illuminated suddenly and without…"
    Powertrain, Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-05-31
  • "I am reporting that authorized dealer Audi Knoxville (Harper Auto Square) is KNOWINGLY AND WILLINGLY attempting to force me to operate an unsafe vehicle. Following an intake manifold repair, the dealership’s service…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-05-06
  • "Vehicle experiences sudden, intermittent loss of motive power, severe engine hesitation, and stalling while operating at highway speeds. Diagnostic scans confirm fault codes P2015 and P0341, indicating a failure of the…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-04-17
  • "My Audi Q3 2015 started with The TPMS on and the traction skid symbol also lit up on dashboard. I brought it to Audi of Warwick, Rhode Island and they did a diagnostic testing on it and found that it was the…"
    Steering, Powertrain, Speed control · filed 2025-09-17

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Audi Q3 SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Q3 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $3450
Q3 quattro 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $3450

Specs and fitment

8U Q3, 2015–2018
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-40/5W-30/0W-40/0W-30 (Audi/VW-approved; 2.0T) , 4.8 qt capacity
Tire size 235/50R18, 255/40R19

Known issues for this generation

Recall 16V-642 covers certain 2015-2017 Q3 vehicles (with A3, A4, TT, and Q7 also in the campaign): vehicles may have been programmed with software that inadvertently prevented side marker lights from illuminating, which can reduce nighttime visibility; dealers upload revised software. Other 8U-year campaigns on overlapping VAG platforms should be checked by VIN on NHTSA’s site before purchase or service.

Compare

Next year 2016 Audi Q3 See every Audi Q3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Audi Q3 reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2015 Audi Q3 holds 23 complaints after 12 years, a rate of 1 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Q3 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 2. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Electrical system, software and Sunroof.

What are common problems with a 2015 Audi Q3?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (8 of 23), then Fuel and propulsion system (5) and Suspension (4). Those filings include 1 that reports an injury.

Is the 2015 Audi Q3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Q3 has 28 complaints, 2 per year. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Audi Q3 been recalled?

The 2015 Audi Q3 has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2015 Audi Q3?

Owners have filed 23 complaints about the 2015 Audi Q3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Audi Q3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 Audi Q3 is 23 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does an Audi Q3 take?

8U (2015-2018) uses Audi/VW-approved 5W-40/5W-30/0W-40/0W-30 (~4.8 qt); F3 (2019-on) uses 0W-20 (~6 qt).

What does recall 20V-273 cover on the Q3?

Certain 2019 Q3 vehicles where the passenger air bag may not deploy properly through the instrument panel—see the NHTSA campaign for the remedy.

Which Q3 generations does this site track?

8U (2015-2018) and F3 (2019-on).