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2018 Audi Q3

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Limited comparison data

There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 9 of 26 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

0 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports

Engine complaints

7 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 3, 2026
Engine

On 5/18/2026 my wife left home to run an errand in our newly purchased 2018 Audi Q3. About 1-2 miles away from home, she experienced a strange sound coming from the engine bay, the car lost accelerating power, and the car displayed a warning message that the oil pressure was low and to stop operating the car. The power briefly r…

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On 5/18/2026 my wife left home to run an errand in our newly purchased 2018 Audi Q3. About 1-2 miles away from home, she experienced a strange sound coming from the engine bay, the car lost accelerating power, and the car displayed a warning message that the oil pressure was low and to stop operating the car. The power briefly returned, and she was able to safely return home. Thankfully, she hadn't gotten onto the highway, where the power loss could have caused loss of control of the car resulting in a crash that could have harmed her or others, perhaps fatally. After she returned, I used a consumer-level reader to get the code, which indicated there was catastrophic failure to one of the engine's cylinders. We had it towed to a nearby Audi dealership, where the service department confirmed one of the cylinders had failed and the car needed a new engine. The car had given numerous signals prior to this. First, the night we purchased the car, we experienced the exact same warning light and loss of power. We had it towed then to the same Audi dealership, who said it only needed an oil change. During that conversation, the Audi tech told me that the car had a head gasket replacement the prior year (2025), at around 55k mi, and that the previous owner reported other oil-related warnings. I was then told the oil sensors are sensitive, the car was fine, just be mindful of oil levels. In the proceeding weeks after that (and prior to the engine failure), we experienced moments when the same oil pressure warning flickered on-and-off. The failure on 5/18 was less than 45 days after our first indicator experience.

NHTSA ODI #11754610

42,000 miles · Jul 12, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the engine. The contac…

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The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed as a carbon build-up in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

NHTSA ODI #11601595

Mileage unknown · Jul 8, 2023
EngineUnknown Or Other

My car stalled. I could not moved the car. Mobile Mechanic came saw the alternator belt was broke. He repaired the Belt and Alternator. When he started the car, smoke and loud squeal came from engine. He immediately shut it off. The car has less than 60k miles. I have not driven the car as much due to travel.

NHTSA ODI #11531020

Mileage unknown · May 15, 2023
Engine

My daughter was driving with her brother and a friend and stopped at an intersection on red signal. The car stopped and would not start. Definitely the safety of the passengers and the people behind were put at risk because of stalled car due to engine failure at a busy intersection. It is a 2018 model and followed the Audi's re…

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My daughter was driving with her brother and a friend and stopped at an intersection on red signal. The car stopped and would not start. Definitely the safety of the passengers and the people behind were put at risk because of stalled car due to engine failure at a busy intersection. It is a 2018 model and followed the Audi's recommended maintenance schedule. Check engine light was on few days before and diagnosed to be a failure of a sensor by an independent service center and was waiting to get the part. After the incident the car was towed to the dealership and they have diagnosed to be low engine compression and needs engine replacement.

NHTSA ODI #11521999

62,352 miles · Feb 27, 2023
EngineFuel System, Gasoline

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated that on numerous occasions, the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The contact then stated that while driving at undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gas cylinder, fuel need…

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The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated that on numerous occasions, the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The contact then stated that while driving at undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the gas cylinder, fuel needed to be flushed and two unknown parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuel needed to be flushed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,352.

NHTSA ODI #11509326

Mileage unknown · Oct 16, 2022
Engine

The vehicle is burning and consuming too much oil too quickly between oil changes. Oil pressure light keeps turning off and on even when there is oil. Vehicle has been serviced and worked on by Audi dealership. Currently vehicle is at Audi for exact same issues after Audi claimed to fix it. Vehicle had to be taken back to the de…

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The vehicle is burning and consuming too much oil too quickly between oil changes. Oil pressure light keeps turning off and on even when there is oil. Vehicle has been serviced and worked on by Audi dealership. Currently vehicle is at Audi for exact same issues after Audi claimed to fix it. Vehicle had to be taken back to the dealer for repairs within 30 minutes after picking up the vehicle from dealership for the same light. Paid $2300 for the first time I took the car in for repairs and I had to take it back cause nothing was fixed

NHTSA ODI #11489429

9,600 miles · Mar 7, 2022
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was assisted by a Police Officer to move the vehicle out of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed but was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notifie…

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The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was assisted by a Police Officer to move the vehicle out of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed but was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 9,600.

NHTSA ODI #11455494

Official recalls

1

19V385000 · Exterior Lighting:turn Signal

May 23, 2019

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Without an indicator informing the driver of an inoperable turn signal, the driver may turn or change lanes without a signal, increasing the risk of crash.

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.