2018 Audi Q7

We were driving down the expressway when the car began to vibrate. We pulled over and had lights on the dash. We had it towed to a dealership where it was diagnosed as a burnt valve and ruined motor. I believe a new Audi engine quote was around $26,000. We took very good care of this car. This is a common issue and will become more common as these engines fail.

I have received two "cylinder misfire" notifications. The first occured in December 2023 on a remote stretch of freeway. The second occured in June 2024 on a remote stretch of highway. In both cases, I immediately lost power and put myself and cars around me at risk because I had to pull over onto the side of the road to re-start the car. After the second incident, I now have no confidence in taking my car, only 6 years old and with 74K miles on it, out of the city and into the countryside. The symptoms of this issue include frequent oil burn / oil top-offs. My car requires a quart of oil every 200-300 miles. There are no leaks in my driveway. The leaking all seems to be coming from the cylinders. I am taking my Q7 into a mechanic, again, next week and I am concerns the solution will be "new engine" which costs more than the car is worth.

The contact owns a 2018 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the oil level was topped off every 700 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed piston and excessive oil consumption. The contact was informed that the piston needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Noticed a lower level of coolant (below the MIN mark) at the coolant reservoir - checked with mechanic and was told there is a slow coolant leak at the one of the water pump seals (which has corroded). Need a water pump replacement. Was told it is a very common occurence with these cars - but was surprised to experience this issue on a car with less than 20K miles driven.

We have had major problems with our 2018 Audi Q7 that are consistent with allegations made in various lawsuits against Audi and Volkswagen Group of America for alleged defects with Audi piston rings and piston ring assemblies. The defects have purportedly caused excessive oil consumption, engine damage, and engine failure. As noted in one such lawsuit (that apparently settled), the engine failure caused by the defective Audi piston ring and piston assemblies could result in sudden loss of power to the engine. “It goes without saying that a sudden loss of power poses a clear-cut safety risk—it can prevent the driver from accelerating, maintaining speed, and even adequately controlling the steering wheel, engaging the brakes, all of which drastically increase the risk of collisions …” [XXX] v. Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. {XXX]) The problem with our Audi is consistent with the reports by plaintiffs in these lawsuits, as well as other Audi owners—including Q7s—who have shared their experiences online. Starting at around 60,000 miles, our vehicle increasingly consumed oil until eventually, we needed to add a quart of oil less than every 600 miles. And that’s despite our: 1) having followed all of the required oil change and other related maintenance standards published by Audi; and 2) having replaced the car’s CCV valve and PCV breather, which we were told sometimes corrects the problem. Most recently, in December 2023, I was driving with my children in the vehicle, and the engine started sputtering and laboring. Then the check engine light appeared. I was able to drive the car home but have been advised that, in order to make the car drivable, we’d have to replace the engine. Obviously, even if we have the engine replaced, the rebuilt Audi engine could have the same problems. Given the risk that the affected Audi engines will fail in vehicles traveling at high speeds on U.S. highways, the NHTSA should investigate this matter immediately. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (