Reliable Auto DB

2021 Audi Q7 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 Audi Q7 has 74 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 11 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Q7 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 9 recalls on file, including Camera, Instrument cluster, and Display.

2012 Audi Q7
Photo by Matti Blume, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

74

Per year

11

Recalls

9

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (44 of 74), then Engine (19) and Forward collision avoidance (7). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Q7 has 28 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

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 2021 Audi Q7. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (9)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-12-19 · NHTSA campaign 25V900000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.
Recall electrical system, instrument cluster 2025-03-31 · NHTSA campaign 25V201000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 SQ8, A6 SEDAN, A7, A8, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S6 SEDAN, S7, S8, A6 Allroad, and SQ7 vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail.
Remedy Dealers will update the instrument panel module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 24, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90VC.
Recall back-over prevention, display 2022-10-05 · NHTSA campaign 22V742000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, 2022 E-Tron GT, and 2021-2022 RSQ8 vehicles. Due to a software issue, a blank or black screen may be displayed instead of the rearview camera image when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy Dealers will update the infotainment unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DZ.
Recall Fuel pump 2022-07-20 · NHTSA campaign 22V516000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi Q8, and 2020-2021 Audi Q7 vehicles. A component inside the fuel pump may break, causing the fuel pump to fail.
Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 20DR.
Recall Tires 2022-01-26 · NHTSA campaign 22V034000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
Recall seat belts, rear or other, retractor 2021-08-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V606000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).
Recall Rear non-powered axle assembly 2021-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 21V295000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Remedy Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
Recall air bags, air bag control module, software 2021-02-17 · NHTSA campaign 21V078000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Audi Q7 vehicles. The air bag control module may deploy the second stage of the front passenger air bag too quickly after the first stage when the seat is occupied by an unbelted child. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the air bag control module, free of charge. The recall began March 5, 2021. Owners can contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BV.
Recall Electrical system 2020-12-02 · NHTSA campaign 20V749000
Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A6 Allroad, Q7, RS6 and RS7 vehicles. The electrical connector can detach from the door crash sensor in either of the front doors.
Remedy Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and as necessary, replace the crash sensors in both front doors, free of charge. The recall began December 23, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 69BM.

Complaints by component (74 total)

Electrical system
44
Engine
19
Forward collision avoidance
7
Back-over prevention
6
Service brakes
6
Lane departure
4
Speed control
4
Steering
4
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Seat belts
2
Tires
2
Engine and engine cooling
1
Fuel system, gasoline
1
Powertrain
1
Suspension
1
Visibility
1
Visibility and wipers
1
Wheels
1
Show 10 more Show less
Crash-flagged

3

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

4

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

2202111202220202382024182025152026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "It is listed as Instrument cluster malfunction with a couple lights on like Brake, ABS, steering wheel with exclamation point next to it. Often when I’m driving the screen in front of me that tells me my speed will go…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-23
  • "I have heard a knocking and experienced sudden loss of power while driving- not electrical loss, but vehicle suddenly slows down and unable to pick back up speed effectively creating a safety concern when driving-…"
    Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-09-15
  • "Water pump failure causing coolant to leak into engine."
    Engine · filed 2026-09-08
  • "The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q7. The contact stated that the instrument cluster display had become blank and failed to operate as intended. The failure prevented the contact from viewing critical vehicle information,…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-28
  • "Rear sensors failed for Blind Spot Warning, Parking Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Warning and possibly other safety functions have failed on this car twice now since it was purchased. This is known issue and if…"
    Lane departure, Back-over prevention · filed 2026-08-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 Audi Q7 SUV AWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 4 stars

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
Q7 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 19 23 21 MPG $3800
Q7 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 18 23 20 MPG $4000

Specs and fitment

4M generation, 2017–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 full synthetic (common US fills) , 5 qt capacity
Tire size 255/60R18 to 285/45R20 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 19V-035 covers certain 2016-2018 Audi Q7 vehicles (with A6, A7, and A8 in the same campaign): left and right fuel rails may leak fuel; dealers replace both rails. Campaign 16V-641 covers certain 2017 Q7 vehicles where the third-row seat back may move forward under load (FMVSS 207); dealers install an additional support bracket. Confirm open campaigns by VIN; multi-model unit counts are shared.

Compare

Previous year 2020 Audi Q7 See every Audi Q7 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Audi Q7 reliable?

The 2021 Audi Q7 has 74 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 11 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Q7 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 1. NHTSA has 9 recalls on file, including Camera, Instrument cluster, and Display.

What are common problems with a 2021 Audi Q7?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (44 of 74), then Engine (19) and Forward collision avoidance (7). Those filings include 3 that report a crash and 4 that report an injury.

Is the 2021 Audi Q7 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Q7 has 28 complaints, 1 per year, and the 2022 has 0 complaints, 0 per year. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Audi Q7 been recalled?

The 2021 Audi Q7 has 9 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 2021 Audi Q7?

Owners have filed 74 complaints about the 2021 Audi Q7 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Audi Q7 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Audi Q7 is 20.5 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2018 Audi Q7?

4M generation (2017-on).

What oil does a recent Audi Q7 take?

US generation notes commonly list 0W-20 full synthetic; confirm the Audi/VW oil standard for your engine in the manual.

What tire sizes does an Audi Q7 use?

4M US fits commonly span about 255/60R18 to 285/45R20 depending on trim.