9.7

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
654 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 steering problems

steering problem

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2020 Audi Q3 Owner Comments

problem #9

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 #8

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 #7

Apr 152020

Q3 4-cyl

  • 2,600 miles
Have had several instances where lane assist has suddenly turned the car into another lane, often following a crack in the road. Have nearly had accident related to this sudden loss of control. Dealership not helpful, declaring that everything is working fine. Purchased this car for my 16 year-old daughter...because of the extra safety features. Very worried about this malfunction.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #6

Mar 032020

Q3

  • 350 miles

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

There is a 3-4 second delay in the steering assist after engine restarts from a start/stop event. (auto start/stop feature) I almost got into an accident because I expected the power steering to be active while the car is on. I attempted to make a right hand turn on a traffic light, when I let go of the brake, the engine started and car started moving forward. I was unable to turn my steering wheel so the car went forward and I almost hit the car in the next lane over. After taking it to the dealership, they said that Audi knew about this and stated that this is within specification. (attached their internal technical service bulletin about this particular issue) meanwhile my car was in the shop for a week, I had a loaner Audi SQ5 that did not have this problem. Nor any of the cars I've ever driven before. I even showed this issue to a few of my friends and even they agreed that this was not safe. What's even more upsetting is that Audi's response was "Audi technical assistance recommends turning off start/stop system to avoid steering concern" so why would I pay for a feature that I am not able to use and if I do use the feature, I'm endangering myself as well as others on the road? (this is also included in my attachments.) I do home someone can help me because Audi will not.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #5

Jan 222020

Q3

  • 1,400 miles
My 2020 Q3 purchased December 21, 2019 malfunctioned in the middle of an intersection January 22, 2020. It had 1400 miles on it. The steering wheel locked and I had no engine. I could not turn the steering wheel and it shut off the brake lights, which left me in a seriously unsafe situation. This was the third time it happened. The other two instances happened in a parking lot. I thought I had done something wrong with the start/stop. My dealership has dismissed my safety concerns and have offered no resolution to the problem, other than disengage the start/stop every time I get in the vehicle. There was no guarantee of when this would be fixed and was told it could be months to get the parts. There was also no guarantee that this wouldn't happen with the start/stop already disengaged. I am driving a vehicle that could potentially shut down without warning leaving my life and the lives of others at risk.

- Aurora, OH, USA

problem #4

Jan 032020

Q3

  • 150 miles
I bought my Audi Q3 on December 21 and on December 22 I started noticing issues with the steering, specifically related to the auto stop/start function. Now, as detailed below, I did not have a positive experience with my purchase of the vehicle, so when I started to notice the slow belabored turning, I thought that I was making more out of it because I had such a negative experience at the dealership. And, I wish that's what it was. As I continued to drive the vehicle more, the problem with the steering wheel locking up not only became more frequent, but also more aggressive, where it went from a short split-second delay to a delays that lasted many seconds. This is highly dangerous and terrifying. The last time it happened was in the middle of an intersection where I was trying to turn left, and the vehicle was moving forward but the steering wheel wasn't engaging - this occurred as traffic was coming towards me, one of which had to swerve to miss slamming into me in the intersection. Obviously, my next step was to bring the car into the dealership to fix the clear defect. So you can imagine my surprise, horror, and dismay, when days later I received a call from the service department telling me that not only did Audi know about the defect, but that to them it wasn't a defect at all but an adequately performing 'slight delay.' Of all the responses that I could have imagined, that was the one that never crossed my mind because that would me that Audi was willfully ignoring the safety of their customers. The service representative did his best to show me work arounds for the problem, but as I said to him, steering your car while driving is not something that should have to be 'worked around.' There shouldn't need to be a work around where safety is concerned. The unsafe delay has continued to occur.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #3

Nov 022019

Q3

  • 200 miles

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

Vehicle misfires/ stutters resulting in the vehicle shutting off. Driver has to manually restart car. This can be hazardous when driving in traffic as the vehicle will shut off. Not sure if this is a fuel injection issue. I've had this happen twice while ascending a hill. I picked up my new car on 10/22/2019, since 11/02/2019, I've experienced this issue 5 times. My vehicle has been in the repair shop twice for this issue and continuously since 11/25/2019. The car is not storing any faults. Vehicle also recognizes road repair sealant as a traffic lane and will take control of the steering. You have to wrestle with the steering wheel to command control of the steering. Lastly, when using these auto start/stop function, after releasing the brake the steering locks and you have to wrestle for control of the wheel.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #2

Nov 012019

Q3

  • 85 miles
The lane-departure assist does not always recognize the tar lines on the road as non-lines. The lane departure assist almost pulled me into a guard rail on the highway when exiting!!! this has happened on several occasions and is terrifying! it takes quite a bit of strength to obtain control back from the car!! it is also very hard to steer when the lane assist takes over and does not allow you to veer out of the way when someone swerved into your lane! again, it takes quite a bit of strength to wrestle back control from the car! please help! these assist features are a hazard to normal driving! if I had known about these flaws, I would had never leased the car. I am not stuck in a dangerous car for 3 years! help others! please!!

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #1

Nov 022019

Q3

  • 100 miles
When the auto start-stop function activates (turning the engine off), the steering wheel locks. The car can continue to roll when you let your foot off the brake to start moving again, but the steering wheel remains locked not allowing you to steer the car when necessary. I almost got hit because of this and it is very scary not to be able to steer out of the way when necessary!!! this is horrible function of the car which can cause a lot of accidents!!

- Dallas, TX, USA

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