2018 Audi Q7 Reliability Report

This category collects several unrelated problems. The sunroof glass shatters on its own at highway speed with a loud bang. The 360-degree camera switches unpredictably from camera view to graphic mode while reversing. Engine mounts leak fluid, a fault only visible with the car on a lift. Doors can lock with the key inside, trapping people in the rear seats. Other reports cover water pump coolant leaks, a punctured AC condenser, and app features lost after the 3G network shutdown. One injury involves a passenger hitting the C-pillar while getting out.

The car locks itself with the key inside. In one case a child was trapped, and that report is recorded as an injury. The Pre Sense system slams on the brakes in turns and at low speeds, sometimes mid-intersection. The fuel gauge can stick and keep showing range until the engine dies on the highway. The MMI screen also reboots over and over, and the backup camera falls back to graphic mode. False side marker warnings come back too, with repair bills over $4,000.

The wheel can seize, or a malfunction warning can appear without notice, sometimes with loss of control on the interstate. One low-speed turn ended with the car striking a curb and spinning. Diagnoses point to a failed steering rack or lost communication with the steering module, at about 60,328 to 64,851 miles. Other reports describe drifting toward the passenger side with cupped front tires, a pecking vibration in right-hand curves, and a wheel that sits off-center from the seat.

Drive system malfunction warnings come with sudden power loss at highway speed. In one case the transmission slipped into neutral while the display still showed drive, and the car would not move. Near a full stop, the stop-start system can leave several seconds with no response to the accelerator. Other complaints cover a failed water pump and thermostat at 59,000 miles, oil use of a quart every 600 miles, Quattro differential noise in tight turns, and the cluster showing P while in reverse.

Front brakes squeal loudly, mostly when backing up. Most reports come from around 20,000 to 27,700 miles. Owners cite a service bulletin for the noise. Dealers turn down the fix once the car is past its age or mileage limit, and some owners only learned of the bulletin by calling Audi directly. New pads do not always stop the noise. In one report the brakes locked briefly at low speed on ice.

Original tires wear out fast and unevenly, often between 6,500 and 17,000 miles. Goodyear run-flats chunk on the outer edges or lose tread sections. Other brands wear in a wavy pattern on the inner half even after an alignment. Dealers call it normal wear or a tire-maker problem and refuse replacement past 12,000 miles. In one crash-related report, a stabilization error appeared and the brakes cut out during a U-turn, and the car hit a barrier.

Three unrelated reports fall here. In the crash-related case, the vehicle rolled into a parked car because it was not in Park, and no alarm sounded. In the same report, the hands-free liftgate would not open with a foot. The soft-close door kept closing on a child's finger and caused an injury, because it did not sense the obstruction. A rusted exhaust tip and clamp rattled loose and fell onto the road within 50 miles.