2016 Audi Q3: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 28 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 3 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
28
Complaints
3
Recalls
1
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
0
Injuries
35.7
Severity index
Severity index 35.7 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 10 | 35.7% |
| ENGINE | 7 | 25.0% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 10.7% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 10.7% |
| AIR BAGS | 3 | 10.7% |
| STEERING | 2 | 7.1% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 7.1% |
| STRUCTURE | 1 | 3.6% |
The single most-reported system is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, cited in 10 of 28 complaints (35.7%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2017 | 4 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 3 |
| 2025 | 4 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 2 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V385000 | 23/05/2019 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | 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 requ |
| 17V400000 | 26/06/2017 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS | Volkswagen 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 |
| 16V642000 | 06/09/2016 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:SOFTWARE | Volkswagen 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 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.