2021 Audi RS Q8 reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2021 Audi RS Q8 has 2 complaints with NHTSA after 6 years, or 1 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 5 RS Q8 years on this site. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Camera, Instrument cluster, and Display.

2020 Audi RS Q8 — Photo by Vauxford, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (2 of 2) and Steering (1).

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 RS Q8 has 0 complaints, 0 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 RS Q8. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

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 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 Engine 2021-05-12 · NHTSA campaign 21V339000

Summary Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Audi SQ7, RSQ8, RS7, RS6 AVANT, and SQ8 vehicles. Cracks may develop on the surface of the engine cylinder bore.

Remedy Dealers will replace the engine, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 9, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 10G9.

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 (2 total)

Electrical system

Steering

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The car displayed a Electrical System Malfunction and completely shutdown. The car will haft to be towed to AUDI service center for diagnosis. This is extremely unsafe for general operation. Their was not sufficient…"
Steering, Electrical system · filed 2023-07-10
"The car gave an electrical error & said to stop vehicle immediately. I lost steering capabilities. I pulled over & had to wait hours for a tow. I am now being told the part is on back order with over 5000 cars waiting…"
Electrical system · filed 2023-01-20

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2021 Audi RS Q8 SUV AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	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
RS Q8	4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	13	19	15 MPG	$5300

Specs and fitment

4M generation, 2020–present

Body styles SUV

Oil 0W-40 or 5W-40 (Audi-approved; 4.0L V8) , 10.6 qt capacity

Tire size 295/35R23, 295/40R22 (trim-dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Recall 25V900000 covers certain 2019-2026 Audi models including RS Q8 where a software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying; dealers update the software. Recall 23V868000 covers certain 2023-2024 RS Q8 models (with SQ8, Q8, Q7, and 2024 SQ7) for a side/window air bag concern. Recall 25V201000 covers certain 2021 RS Q8 models (with SQ8, A6, A7, A8, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, and RS7) for an instrument cluster concern.

Compare

See every Audi RS Q8 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Audi RS Q8 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2021 Audi RS Q8?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (2 of 2) and Steering (1).

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

The 2020 RS Q8 has 0 complaints, 0 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 RS Q8 been recalled?

The 2021 Audi RS 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 RS Q8?

Owners have filed 2 complaints about the 2021 Audi RS Q8 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Audi RS Q8 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Audi RS Q8 is 15 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a US Audi RS Q8 use?

0W-40 or 5W-40 (Audi-approved; 4.0L V8) With filter, about 10.6 qt is commonly listed for this generation—confirm in the owner manual.

What tire sizes fit a US Audi RS Q8?

Published US specs commonly list front 295/35R23, 295/40R22 (trim-dependent) and rear 295/35R23, 295/40R22 (trim-dependent); confirm on the door jamb placard for your trim.

What NHTSA recalls affect the US Audi RS Q8?