Engine, airbag, and seat belt issues are the cause of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
A large luxury sedan, the 2022 Audi Q7 “leverages improvements from 2021 for safety.” That’s the good news. The bad news is that all the consumer complaints to the NHTSA during 2022 are related to safety issues. Drivers are complaining about unintended acceleration and stalling, engine failure, faulty airbags, and seat belt issues.
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Complaints to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) about the 2022 Audi Q7 are varied, with engine issues being the most common. There are also complaints about a faulty airbag that was installed in a new Q7 and a problem relating to the seat belt system.
Additionally, there are 2 recalls on file, both due to faults and failures that relate to the rear view camera. In terms of NHTSA Campaign Number 22V806000, because of an issue with potential internal damage to the rear view camera display, driver’s rear visibility may be reduced. This increases the risk of a crash. Audi has undertaken to replace the infotainment main unit free of charge for owners whose cars are impacted.
There are also complaints on other platforms, including Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book (KBB). For example, a comment on KBB states that a 10-day-old Q7 has already been in the shop for 5 days. The problem appears to be a minor one, simply “an annoying warning light” that is reporting an Exhaust Control System error. Eventually, the dealership identified a fuel system error, but there had been no resolution when the owner complained online. Despite this, the owner awarded the Q7 4 out of 5 stars.
Several complaints on Edmunds relate to the technology used in the 2022 Audi Q7.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Engine | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Air Bags | |
| Electrical System | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| Power Train | |
| Seat Belts | |
| Vehicle Speed Control |
One of the primary reasons owners complained to the NHTSA about the 2021 Audi Q7 was because the sedan randomly accelerated or braked. There are no recalls or manufacturer communications related to the issue, so it’s not clear what the diagnosis of this problem is, if any.
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An owner from Oklahoma filed this complaint under Engine and Vehicle Speed Control. It is very similar to 2021 Q7 complaints. “The vehicle experienced multiple different issues. The vehicle would lunge forward while the brake was depressed. While driving slowly and making left turns, the vehicle would accelerate to an unsafe speed. On a few occasions, while stopped at a light, the vehicle would roll backward several feet. While driving, the vehicle would make abrupt stops, causing the seat belts to restrain the occupants.”
When contacted, the dealer “stated the vehicle was operating as designed.”
An owner from Georgia was told that a stalling issue was due to engine failure and that Audi would replace the engine. At the time of his complaint in October 2022, he was waiting for confirmation of this in writing.
What happened was, “the vehicle just stalled in the middle of the highway with a loud noise” without any warning. “There was absolutely no sign or engine light that was displayed.” But, luckily, there was a police department vehicle behind the Q7, “and he helped me to push the car to the side of the road.” The owner reached out to Audi and they dispatched a tow truck. “This was a critical safety issue since the vehicle stalled in the middle of the road.”
It looks as if Audi is going to help this owner. “The dealership explained to me (yet to receive a written statement) that this is a failure in (the) engine and Audi USA has agreed to replace the engine. As a consumer, I believe lives would have been lost had there not been a police car behind me at the right time.” It would have been a major accident if anyone had hit me from the rear, the complaint says.
Airbag problems are always safety issues, and Audi has had a lot of them with multiple models in recent years. While there are airbag recalls for several other 2022 Audis, they don’t apply to the 2022 Q7.
An owner from Kansas had airbag problems just a few days after buying a new 2022 Audi Q7 in May 2022. The “airbag warning light came on,” so he took the sedan in for a service. “Audi service told me that the light was in error and they fixed it. After I left, the airbag light came on again that same day and I took the car in again… at which time they told me the passenger side airbag was bad and does not work, so they disabled it.”
When he complained to the Audi dealer that it wasn’t safe not having an airbag for the passenger side “they disagreed. They said an airbag is on order… (there is) no date on when it will arrive… but, it’s safe to drive with a passenger. How can this be when the airbag is not working for my passenger side?”
When the problem hadn’t been fixed by the end of October 2022, he filed this complaint. It’s “a serious safety issue! Not having an airbag for my passengers is not safe. I drive the car daily with the airbag warning light on. I call my Audi dealer daily asking when I will have an airbag and they continue to tell me they have no date.”
The owner of a 2022 Q7 Premium complained on the Edmunds platform, stating, “Malfunction and Audi takes no responsibility.” The airbags in his vehicle malfunctioned for no reason while going down the road at 35 miles an hour. His 2 small children were in the car at the time.
“Audi will not take responsibility, even with all their recalls, and now I’m stuck with a car that doesn’t work and still have to pay for it. Audi is not a good company and cares less about their customers who pay a lot of money for these cars.”
A New Jersey owner of a 2022 Q7 wants to install a child car seat but is unable to do so using “the belt path.” This is “a major concern related to the safety of the current model Audi Q7,” the complaint states. “The problem is with the left and right 2nd-row belt buckles. Both are attached to a plastic fixture, sit a few inches in front of the back seat, and cannot be moved beyond a forward 45-degree angle. The position and orientation prevent you from safely/correctly installing any child seat using the belt path. (The) latch works fine but it has an upper weight limit.”
So, they took the car to the local police department and the certified child seat expert confirmed the buckle design would “not allow us to safely install any forward-facing car seat using the belt path.”
We tried to install our Nuna Rava car seat rear-facing as well. (This is) one of the safest and most expensive convertible seats available – and the buckle position prevented me from securing it properly as well. The belt kinks and the position creates a slightly forward angle from the passthrough on the seat to the buckle.” This left “way too much lateral motion.
“I took the car to my local Audi dealer recently and they confirmed there is no available solution from Audi. I asked the service rep to escalate this with HQ but no progress. As a result of this, we are unable to safely install any car seat using the belt path, forward- or rear-facing, on either side of the Q7 second row. Please investigate for yourself. This is a serious issue. Audi needs to take action here ASAP before someone gets hurt.”
At least 5 owners of 2022 Audi Q7 Premium Plus or Prestige sedans have recorded complaints on Edmunds about the technology used by Volkswagen Group of America, manufacturers of Audi. And it seems that they are finding fault with everything.
Awarding 3 stars, an owner says: “I have had 4 Q7s and this one is killing me. The touch screen MMI is fine, but the controls screen below is blank… again… no control of air right now. (I am) super scared to have this happen forever.
This owner says there’s just “too much tech.” The complaint highlights a “terrible map” that can’t be adjusted while driving, and an air conditioner that “resets itself after you’ve gotten it the way you want it.” Ultimately, awarding 2 stars, the owner says the 2017 Audi Q7 he traded in “was much more user friendly than my 2022.”
Only 1 star was awarded for this Q7, which has “Absolutely zero consul space. The faulty finger touch panel is so complicated and I am not able to set the heater on. No fan!. The GPS is horribly faulty too. Not close to ergonomic design.”
If you believe your Audi Q7 might be a lemon, you can take action. If it malfunctions and you are affected adversely, a lemon law firm like Lemberg Law can help you. We have many years of experience handling lemon law cases and will assess your case free of charge. If we believe your claim has merit, we can negotiate a settlement on your behalf. The law says that Audi must pay your legal fees for lemon law cases, so it’s not going to cost you anything.
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Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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