Reliable Auto DB

2021 Audi Q8 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Audi Q8 over 6 years — 4 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Q8 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Camera, Instrument cluster, and Display.

2019 Audi Q8
Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

30

Per year

4

Recalls

7

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (13 of 30), then Engine (6) and Powertrain (5).

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Q8 has 28 complaints, 3 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 Q8. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

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.

Complaints by component (30 total)

Electrical system
13
Engine
6
Powertrain
5
Fuel system, gasoline
4
Back-over prevention
3
Forward collision avoidance
3
Steering
3
Fuel and propulsion system
2
Lane departure
2
Exterior lighting
1
Seat belts
1
Service brakes
1
Speed control
1
Show 5 more Show less
Crash-flagged

0

Fire-flagged

0

Injury reports

0

Death reports

0

Complaints filed per year

220214202272023520246202562026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "At approximately 52,000 miles, on August 11,2026 (or earlier), my vehicle developed a coolant leak that was traced to a failed coolant shut off valve. The coolant shut-off valve failure allowed coolant to migrate into…"
    Powertrain, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-08-18
  • "On multiple occasions, the car states there is a steering malfunction and to stop the car immediately. Power steering fails. The last time I left the car to the dealership to have a recall serviced - it did this. I let…"
    Steering, Forward collision avoidance · filed 2026-08-09
  • "I was driving my car would not accelerate on the highway and it almost caused me to get into an accident with my niece in the car. When I took the car to Audi this is what I was told my the service adviser. “Good…"
    Powertrain, Engine · filed 2026-06-01
  • "Belt Starter Generator failure rendered car undrivable -- power steering failed while in motion. Issue is subject to Class Action Settlement in USDistrict Court, Case # 3:23-cv-02291-RK-RLS. But this should have been a…"
    Steering, Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-03-30
  • "Audi Q8 failed water pump leading to severe loss of power and a major safety issue. I was merging on a very busy highway when I had loss of power with my children in the vehicle. This was alarming as I was not able to…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-01-30

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 Audi Q8 SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 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
Q8 3L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 18 23 20 MPG $4000

Specs and fitment

First generation, 2019–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 , 8 qt capacity
Tire size 265/55R19 to 285/40R22 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 20V-149 covers certain 2019 Audi Q8 and 2017-2019 Audi Q7 vehicles: the bolt connecting the steering shaft to the steering gear may loosen, possibly resulting in loss of steering control. The campaign lists 229 vehicles; dealers inspect and replace the bolt as needed. Recall 22V-516 covers certain 2019-2021 Audi Q8 and 2020-2021 Audi Q7 vehicles: a component inside the fuel pump may break and cause pump failure. That campaign lists 49,443 vehicles across those models; dealers replace the fuel pump. Recall 19V-114 covers certain 2019 Q8 (and Q7/S5) vehicles whose front shock-absorber forks may crack (34 vehicles).

Compare

Previous year 2020 Audi Q8 See every Audi Q8 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Audi Q8 reliable?

Owners have filed 30 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Audi Q8 over 6 years — 4 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Q8 years here — over the median of the other years, which is 3. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Camera, Instrument cluster, and Display.

What are common problems with a 2021 Audi Q8?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (13 of 30), then Engine (6) and Powertrain (5).

Is the 2021 Audi Q8 more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Q8 has 28 complaints, 3 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 Q8 been recalled?

The 2021 Audi Q8 has 7 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 Q8?

Owners have filed 30 complaints about the 2021 Audi Q8 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Audi Q8 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Audi Q8 is 20 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does an Audi Q8 take?

0W-20; capacity is about 8 quarts with filter.

What does recall 20V-149 cover on the Q8?

Certain 2019 Q8 and 2017-2019 Q7 vehicles: the bolt connecting the steering shaft to the steering gear may not be properly tightened—see the NHTSA campaign for the remedy.

What tire sizes does the Q8 use?

About 265/55R19 to 285/40R22 depending on trim.