Reliable Auto DB

2017 Audi Q3 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Audi Q3 over 10 years — 0 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 3 recalls on file, including Turn signal, Brake lights, and Electrical system, software.

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

8

Per year

0

Recalls

3

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (2 of 8), then Engine (2) and Steering (1).

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Q3 has 28 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2018 has 26 complaints, 2 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

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 2017 Audi Q3. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (3)

Recall exterior lighting, turn signal 2019-05-23 · NHTSA campaign 19V385000
Summary 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 Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the body control module (BCM), free of charge. The recall began June 21, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 97DK.
Recall exterior lighting, brake lights 2017-06-26 · NHTSA campaign 17V400000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Audi Q3 vehicles. If the parking brake is used during emergency braking, the brake lights on the vehicle will not activate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the vehicle software, free of charge. The recall began July 31, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 45G6.
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.

Complaints by component (8 total)

Air bags
2
Engine
2
Steering
1
Suspension
1
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

12017320222202422026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I am reporting a serious safety concern involving my 2017 Audi Q3 Premium Plus, VIN [XXX]. The vehicle is experiencing excessive engine oil consumption requiring frequent addition of oil. I reported the oil-consumption…"
    Engine · filed 2026-08-24
  • "Local state inspection/repair shop found both front coil springs broken. Car has approximately 60,000 miles. Cost to repair $1600.00."
    Suspension · filed 2026-06-18
  • "pistons and/or piston rings cause excessive oil consumption, which can lead to the engine catching on fire. This triggers certain sensors in the car "EPC" "Check engine" and "Turn vehicle off now due to low oil…"
    Engine · filed 2024-11-06
  • "Car is burning oil at a very rapid pace and is causing knocking and seizing of engine. I had my oil changed recently (10K miles I’m supposed to have prior to my next) it was empty after I drove less then 1,000"
    Unknown or other · filed 2024-04-21
  • "The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q3. The contact stated that while her daughter was reversing at an undisclosed speed, the horn inadvertently activated and the contact had to disconnect the clock spring fuse to deactivate…"
    Air bags · filed 2022-05-13

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Audi Q3 SUV AWD Not rated Not rated Not rated Not rated
2017 Audi Q3 SUV FWD 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

Previous year 2016 Audi Q3 Next year 2018 Audi Q3 See every Audi Q3 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Audi Q3 reliable?

Owners have filed 8 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Audi Q3 over 10 years — 0 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 3 recalls on file, including Turn signal, Brake lights, and Electrical system, software.

What are common problems with a 2017 Audi Q3?

The complaints owners file most often name Air bags (2 of 8), then Engine (2) and Steering (1).

Is the 2017 Audi Q3 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Q3 has 28 complaints, 2 per year, and the 2018 has 26 complaints, 2 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Audi Q3 been recalled?

The 2017 Audi Q3 has 3 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 2017 Audi Q3?

Owners have filed 8 complaints about the 2017 Audi Q3 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Audi Q3 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 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).