2016 Audi Q3 problems and recalls

Owners have filed 28 complaints on the 2016 Audi Q3, and NHTSA has issued 3 recalls. The most cited component is the Electrical System (10 complaints).

28
Complaints
3
Recalls
1
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
0
Injuries
55.4
Severity index

Severity index 55.4 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 55.4p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Components cited in complaints

Electrical SystemElectrical System: 10 complaints (35.7%)10 36%EngineEngine: 7 complaints (25.0%)7 25%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 3 complaints (10.7%)3 11%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 3 complaints (10.7%)3 11%Air BagsAir Bags: 3 complaints (10.7%)3 11%SteeringSteering: 2 complaints (7.1%)2 7%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 2 complaints (7.1%)2 7%StructureStructure: 1 complaints (3.6%)1 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1035.7%
ENGINE725.0%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER310.7%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM310.7%
AIR BAGS310.7%
STEERING27.1%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING27.1%
STRUCTURE13.6%

Complaints filed per year

0362016: 22017: 42019: 22020: 22021: 62022: 12023: 22024: 32025: 42026: 2 (partial year)161719202162223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20162
20174
20192
20202
20216
20221
20232
20243
20254
2026 (year to date)2
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2020 to 2022 (9 against 9).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
19V38500023/05/2019EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNALVolkswagen 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 requ
17V40000026/06/2017EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTSVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Audi Q3 vehicles. If the parking brake is used during emergency braking, the brake lights on the vehicle will not activate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Stan
16V64200006/09/2016ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWAREVolkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2016 TT roadster, A3 cabriolet, A3 sedan and A3 e-tron, 2016-2017 TT coupe, 2017 A4 sedan and Q7 and 2015-2017 Q3 vehicles. The affected vehicles may have been programmed with new software that inadver

Other Audi Q3 model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 6 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.