8.7

pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,977 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2020 Audi Q3 engine problems

engine problem

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2020 Audi Q3 Owner Comments

problem #20

Apr 182022

Q3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Had service at 34999 - reported hard shifting between 1st/2nd then revved abnormally high at 32k. Dealer was unable to reproduce during service - appointments are a month out. Car has had propulsion/fuel system not responding at random at various severities and rough idle like the engine was struggling to get fuel. Also reported during last service. On one occasion vehicle shutoff at lower speed at approx 20k.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #19

Apr 142021

Q3

  • 1,937 miles
Car leased July 2020, has 1936 miles, check engine light came on 4/14/21, took to dealer, left for repair. Dealer states 'replace fuel pump module ' required. This car also had problem in March 2021 which I reported where car shut off while driving. Dealer said software update was required from recall that I had not gotten notice for.

- Manhattan Beach, CA, USA

problem #18

Feb 212021

Q3

  • 4,500 miles
We stopped at an all way stop intersection and the car's stop-start system had turned off the engine. When the engine restarted the engine hesitated, warning lights lit up on the dash, and the car went into its "limp home" mode. We were in the process of making a left hand turn and the car would not accelerate above a very slow speed. Luckily it was on a city street with a 25 mph limit and traffic was light. We were able to make it through the intersection and pull to the side of the road. We turned the car off and waited a few seconds and restarted it. The car worked normally after restarting and the problem has not happened again. I have received a notice for a recall that seems to address the issue (oem id: 96H5. Recall name: Engine control unit (ECU) software) and have scheduled an appointment with my dealer to have it installed asap.

- Saint Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #17

Mar 182021

Q3

  • 9,900 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I purchased my Audi 2020 Q3 in November 2019. Since the purchase, on three separate occasions, the car has failed to accelerate under very specific speed conditions. In each case, the vehicle had slowed either due to a sharp curve while entering a freeway or for a slower vehicle in front of my vehicle while entering the freeway. When time came to accelerate to match the speed of the freeway traffic, adding power was futile. Drifting on to a freeway at 20 miles per hour and decelerating; while freeway traffic is moving at 70 to 80 mph (California) is unnerving at best and certainly, potential deadly. Audi calls the the problem "limp mode". Audi of America, Inc. Issued emissions service action 96H5 - engine control module (ECM) software which cleverly dances around the real threat which is the potential for a serious or fatal accident. In March 2021, when 96H5 came available it was installed on my vehicle. The next week I took a road trip of several hundred miles. Unfortunately, the third " engine limp mode" occurrence happened nearly resulting in a major accident while attempting to enter the freeway. NHTSA needs to recognize the seriousness of this specific problem. The current software fix is not a fix. People will eventually die.

- Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA

problem #16

Mar 122021

Q3

  • 10,000 miles
On four occasions, the engine stopped working and the steering wheel was not able to be turned. This prevented the driver from moving the vehicle forward and steering off to the side of the road. This is an extremely dangerous situation. If the car is turned off and restarted, the problem resolves with this reset. The intervals between these episodes have been several months. There are no specifically common variables, other than a lower speed - start/stop as in waiting to cross a line of traffic or proceeding through a stop sign. I have taken the Q3 to the dealer 3 times now and have been told that a software update is the fix. Recently the car has been making a vibrating noise when coasting, and it lost power in an intersection on the way to the dealer for service. The car completely shut down and even activated the parking brake. We always disable the car's auto start-stop feature, as we suspected that to be involved, but that is not the issue. We feel this car is unsafe and the Audi dealer seems unable to diagnose and resolve the problem. Our first Audi purchase, we had one of the first 2020 Q3 to arrive in the us and four shut-off incidents since we purchased the car in Oct 2019. The car was driven less than anticipated due to covid, remote school/work and no travel. Perhaps more frequent driving would have accelerated the claim process for us. Ironically, we chose the car for its safety features primarily for our teen/young adult drivers. The car has shut down for three drivers, twice for our teen and once for each of the parents, so we are confident that the problem exists as described and persists despite attempts to fix it. Each time we felt it was resolved due to a long interval between incidents, but today was more frightening than others due to the intersection where it occurred. This could cause a critical accident.

- Southport, CT, USA

problem #15

Mar 082021

Q3

  • 10,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Audi Q3. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph and while making a right turn, the vehicle stopped independently. The vehicle was placed in park however, was jerking. The braking system message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact called Audi rochester hills (45441 dequindre rd, rochester hills, mi 48307, (248) 997-7400) and was informed that a software update was available. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

- Troy, MI, USA

problem #14

Mar 032021

Q3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car completely shut down, driving 30 miles an hour, had no power or steering. Dealer 'never heard of it' but had a recall software update I had not been told about for the 'engine control unit''software EA888 Bosch and Continental. And 'internal control module performance caused lost power to vehicle ' also clock sets to midnight and they don't have a fix for

- Manhattan Beach, CA, USA

problem #13

Feb 012021

Q3

  • 682 miles
After stopping at a sign on a busy road, the engine fully shut down after a second or two of acceleration. A warning came on the dash to pull car over and call dealer. The engine was completely dead, but I was able to coast to side of road. After thinking about the situation for a few minutes, I started up the car again since I was in a precarious location. I drove it another ten miles to my destination without any issues. After reaching my destination, I called Audi roadside assistance. They sent a tow truck (it took just under four hours to arrive). They then towed car to elk grove Audi, which is when I learned that Audi knew of this problem but was not updating the software until problems developed in the cars. I feel that I was very lucky that the stalled engine did not happen on highway or that I did not have any passengers in car. The outcome could have been very bad. After contacting Audi customer service a few days later, they ('maria' on message line) said they would look into the issue and contact me by Friday Feb 12. I never received any further communication from Audi.

- Lockeford, CA, USA

problem #12

Jan 162021

Q3

  • 1,545 miles
On January 16, 2020, I was driving on a local street and started slowing down for a stop sign. I had forgotten to turn off the auto start/stop switch as is my usual practice, so I deactivated it before stopping. When I hit the switch, I got an error message telling me the cruise control was no longer available, the engine warning light came on, and the motor started shuddering. As I tried to pull away from the stop sign, the car wouldn't accelerate more than 7 mph. Towed to dealer. They are trying to track the fault. I have also had problems with the lane keeping detection system since I bought the car in August, 2020. The system is supposed to come on automatically when the vehicle is started. Half the time it doesn't come on when started; other times, when making multiple stops during a day's driving, it comes on at random times. Some days it never comes on. Other days it comes on each time. Dealer can't find fault. Turning it on manually doesn't guarantee that it'll turn on the next time you start the vehicle.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #11

Dec 052020

Q3

  • 2,000 miles
Drive system malfunction- 05dec2020 as I was driving on the city street (35mph) the speed stalled(decelerated) at 12mph, I pressed on the accelerator pedal all the way down in order to increase the speed but will not increase. I pulled to the side and stopped and then turned off the vehicle. I waited for about 5mins then restarted the vehicle. Drive system malfunction alarm cleared afterwards; I was able to accelerate to the speed of 35mph. The vehicle returned to normal operation state.

- Harleysville, PA, USA

problem #10

Nov 172020

Q3

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The start stop feature needs to be deactivated otherwise the wheel locks up once stopped and vehicle does not move forward once foot releases off brake. The vehicle shuttered and RPM dial lit up and engine was revving once start stop was deactivated. Car had to be pulled over and shut off. Started again to move. Clock changed time on its own. Interior reading lights came on spontaneously numerous times. Car we T to service at dealer and was told software update for start stop. Going back in now for engine reaction to start stop deactivation, clock, lights. Still no software update available. Bought car new March 2020. All events happened while driving or with foot on brake. All happened on streets both driving straight and turning.

- Northport, NY, USA

problem #9

Oct 292020

Q3

  • 1,000 miles
While driving on roadway yesterday (10/29/2020) the vehicles engine and electrical system completely shut down without warning. Power steering went out. Was able to drift to side of road and restart. Went home and had car towed to valenti Audi, who determined there is a technical service bulletin for software update. Not a recall! researched this on the internet and others have reported similar issues. This vehicle is dangerous! tsb printout is in vehicle and will be returned to me at salisbury ct. However, NHTSA must issue a recall on this.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #8

Aug 202020

Q3

  • 100 miles
I bought my 2020 Q3 sline premium on August 15, 2020. The vehicle had stalled twice, first on August 17, 2020 and second on August 20, 2020. In both cases, the engine stopped as soon as I stopped in auto with my parking brakes engaged. The display screen also went dead/blank in both cases. In both cases I had to restart before I can drive. I also notice that when stopped and the auto stop engages the steering wheel locks making it difficult to turn a corner from a red light. Additionally, while driving the car identifies tar on the road as lanes and jerks the car away and it is very difficult to pull the steering back.

- Harleysville, PA, USA

problem #7

Jun 292020

Q3

  • 6,000 miles
When accelerating the vehicle jerks like it is losing power. It has done this on both the interstate and on regular roads in motion. I have had to pull to the side of the road in fear that the vehicle will stall on me. On several instances I have been driving the vehicle and several warning lights show up and then it will not accelerate at all. Thankfully I have been able to roll off of the road each of these times. Theres no warning or any indicators that come up prior to the car completing dying in the road. I took the car to the dealership and was told theres software issues but nothing they can do for it until an update comes out. I was told to turn off the auto shut off feature and it will work ok, but that has not helped. The vehicle is unsafe to drive because it could completely fail at any given moment without notice. After further research this is a known issue with 2020's. it has been going on for the past month 1/2

- Chesnee, SC, USA

problem #6

May 302020

Q3 4-cyl

  • 2,000 miles
We were sitting on a freeway off ramp at a stop. When starting to move from a stop, the car shuddered and the console lit up and we were unable to move faster than 5 miles an hour to pull over to the side of the road. It was a miracle we were not rear ended. We had the car towed to the dealer and have been told this is related to the start/stop function and is a software problem that Audi does not yet have a fix for. It is incredibly dangerous and I refuse to drive the car. The car is sitting at the dealer who to date has done nothing. There have been problems with the start/stop function prior to this where when you are trying to move forward from a stop, the steering wheel would lock up and you could not steer for a few minutes until the car would start to move. It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously injured or killed due to this problem.

- Bellevue, WA, USA

problem #5

Feb 152020

Q3 4-cyl

  • 1,500 miles
While sitting at a light or stopped, the engine surges/jumps the car forward. You need to leave more space to not hit the car in front of you. This occurs in both cases (emissions mode and non emissions mode).

- Manhasset Hills, NY, USA

problem #4

Jun 102020

Q3 4-cyl

  • 4,300 miles
My life was almost taken away by my cars engine failing in the middle of making a left turn on a 4-lane road where traffic is going 50 mph. When it stalled, the engine just quit leaving only electrical (lights & media) working. I felt I was trapped as a car was headed right for me and I could not even increase speed because the whole car just seem to not move forward. I eventually pulled into a median, but nonetheless I am scared to drive this car. Much like the person who also reported this issue.

- Greenville, SC, USA

problem #3

May 312020

Q3 4-cyl

  • 1,700 miles
I leased my Audi Q3 2020 on 04/30/2020. The main issue happened recently where I was driving on a busy boulevard doing about 50mph and the engine stalled leaving only the electrical components working. I managed to pull the car to the side with my hazard lights on but had oncoming traffic doing at least 60-70mph. I felt in danger and that this could have been a grave accident. I brought the car to Audi who says it's in need of a software update, they do now know when it will be available but would be in the 3rd quarter of 2020. They will call me to being my car back in for the update when available. They deemed it safe to drive, did not offer a courtesy vehicle or rental. I explained I do not feel safe and even made a report to Audi of America without any help. I have a 1 month old car that I feel is going to put my life and the lives of people around me in danger if this should happen again. They did not leave me with any choice other than to take the car back because I need to get to and from work. I explained that should the car be damaged, I be injured or worse that they are liable given that I brought the car in and the issue was not resolved. I see this report has been made multiple times and I can say this is a very scary situation to happen at full speed with many cars around you. I have also had multiple alerts saying driver assistance malfunction. I also notice that when stopped and the auto stop engages the steering wheel locks making it difficult to turn a corner from a red light. Additionally, while driving the car identifies tar on the road as lanes and jerks the car away and it is very difficult to pull the steering back.

- Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA

problem #2

Feb 242020

Q3

  • 2,070 miles
The vehicle stalls for no reason while being driven. Audi has advised us that they do not have a fix for the problem. Apparently it is a software issue but the software is not available yet. My wife was driving down the road yesterday and the car suddenly stalled. The vehicle was in the shop for 5 weeks when it was first purchased due to multiple electric malfunctions.

- Chester, NJ, USA

problem #1

Jan 152020

Q3

  • 310 miles
I purchased my 2020 Q3 on Dec 31 2019. Within 2 weeks my car stopped at the signal light with a malfunction of auto stop/start issue and would not move forward. I had taken to the dealer and they mentioned that this is a known issue with 2020 Q3 and the software to fix the auto stop/start function will not be available untill end of 1st quarter. Now I am seeing the gas consumption high and the vehicle does not drive as before.

- Elkridge, MD, USA

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