Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Audi Q3, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Fuel/propulsion system4
- Electrical system3
- Engine3
- Unknown or other2
- Seat belts2
- Seats1
- Forward collision avoidance1
- Lane departure1
- Structure1
- Steering1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 2 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 5 2021 Q3 vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 0 people died inside them. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2021 Audi Q3 failed the safety check 0.61% of the time — 36% less often than the average 2021 passenger car (0.95%). Median odometer at inspection: 22,237 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2021
75,527 new Audi Q3 cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2021; the largest markets were Germany (22,344), Italy (12,800), France (11,410).
- Average mass
- 1,688 kg
- Average CO₂
- 130 g/km (WLTP)
- Average power
- 116 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 44% · Petrol 33% · Petrol/electric 23%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Real-world fuel consumption
14,112 Audi Q3 cars first registered in Europe in 2021 report their fuel use through the on-board meter. Diesel versions use 6.7 l/100 km on the road against 5.8 in the WLTP test (+16%).
| Fuel | Cars | On the road | WLTP | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 2,223 | 8.5 | 7.6 | +13% |
| Petrol hybrid | 3,025 | 7.8 | 6.7 | +16% |
| Diesel | 7,770 | 6.7 | 5.8 | +16% |
| Plug-in hybrid | 1,094 | 5.4 | 1.8 | +196% |
Litres per 100 km from the cars' own fuel meters (OBFCM), collected in 2024; the year is the year of first registration. All years together · European Environment Agency · CC BY 4.0
Engines
The most common engines in 2021 Audi Q3 cars on Dutch roads are the 1.4 hybrid (110 kW, 148 hp), 1.5 hybrid (110 kW, 148 hp) and 1.5 petrol (110 kW, 148 hp), out of 6 versions with at least 20 cars.
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 1.4 hybrid | 110 kW 148 hp | 3,198 |
| 1.5 hybrid | 110 kW 148 hp | 1,288 |
| 1.5 petrol | 110 kW 148 hp | 110 |
| 2.0 petrol | 140 kW 188 hp | 64 |
| 2.0 petrol | 180 kW 241 hp | 41 |
| 2.0 diesel | 110 kW 148 hp | 33 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
4,752 first registered in 2021 are on Dutch roads; 82% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €58,246.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde886
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld299
- Band onvoldoende profiel262
- Band(en) aanwezig met een profieldiepte van 1,6 t/m 2,5 mm224
- Remschijf ernstig gecorrodeerd98
- Band beschadigd94
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht57
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage40
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
11,023 cars built in 2021 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 30 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 443 of these cars first registered in 2021 took their annual MOT test. 93% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2021 the figure was 91%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| Visibility | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| Brakes | 0.5% | 1.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 0.5% | 0.4% |
| Identification of the vehicle | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 0.2% | 2.9% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
341 of these cars first registered in 2021 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 67,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
318 2021 cars are on the New Zealand register; 0% arrived as used imports, 100% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 Audi Q3 SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | 16.4 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- No
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 9.3–10.2 L/100 km (about 23–25 mpg US), CO₂ 218–239 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q3 40 TFSI quattro · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.6 | 7.7 | 9.3 |
| Q3 45 TFSI quattro · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 11.7 | 8.4 | 10.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
2 Transport Canada recalls for the 2021 Audi Q3.
| 2026439 11 Sept 2026 | Steering Issue: On certain vehicles, one of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe could corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housi… |
| 2021486 4 Aug 2021 | Seats And Restraints Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger seat belt assemblies may contain defective automatic locking retractors (ALR). As a result, the seat belts may not p… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Tiguan, 2018-2019 Atlas, and 2019-2021 Audi Q3 vehicles. One of the bolts that attaches the steering rack to the subframe may corrode and break. If this happens, the steering rack housing can break.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Audi Q3 vehicles. The vent pipe within the fuel tank may have been damaged during fuel tank assembly.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Volkswagen ID4, Audi A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A5 Sportback, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, E-Tron Quattro, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, Q3, Q5, Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S4 Sedan, S5 Cabriolet, S5 Coupe, S5 Sportback, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, SQ8, and 2021-2022 S3 Sedan vehicles. The rear seat belt automatic locking retractors may deactivate early, which can prevent the child restraint system from securing properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Audi told its dealers about the 2021 Audi Q3: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11011308 | This bulletin provides information when DTC U112200 is stored in the lane change assistance control module. |
| 11011303 | This bulletin provides information when the anti-theft alarm activates for no reason, or when the anti-theft alarm does not activate. |
| 11011296 | This bulletin provides service-info relating to lithium-ion high-voltage batteries; determining energy content. |
| 11011285 | This TSB Provides information when parking assistance provides false warnings. |
| 11011282 | This bulletin provides information when speaker rattles, vibrations, or audio interference is noted. |
| 11011274 | This bulletin provides information when the restricted function icon for Audi Pre sense is displayed after engine starts. |
| 11011269 | This bulletin provides information about Audi pre sense warning, warning jolt, and/or brake engagement. |
| 11011263 | This bulletin provides information regarding cleaning exterior glass. |
| 11011241 | This bulletin provides information when the engine warning lamp lights up in the instrument cluster, and the vehicle has reduced power. DTCs P256300, P056E00, P00AF00. |
| 11011240 | This bulletin provides information about professional noise analysis with the VAS 611 015 PICO-NVH tool |
| 11009997 | This special notice is to inform dealers to return the parts listed and only order the successor parts going forward. |
| 11009983 | Vehicle Concerns Before Recall Repair Available |
| 11009967 | This bulletin provides information when there is an issue with wireless charging/wireless charging not working with Audi Phone Box. |
| 11009965 | This bulletin provides information when the calendar function is not available. |
| 11009962 | This bulletin provides information when there is interference on telephone calls that is synced with the engine's RPMs. |
| 11009951 | This TSB provides information when the Virtual cockpit has a pixel error. |
| 11009948 | This bulletin provides information when there is noise from the backrest of the front seat. |
| 11009944 | This TSB provides information when the sun visor lighting is not working. |
| 11009943 | This TSB provides information when the wheel arch trim on the front fender is loose. |
| 11009941 | This bulletin provides diagnostic information regarding the locking system. |
| 11009939 | This bulletin provides information when a cracking noise is heard fron the front or rear end of the vehicle when changing direction. |
| 11009928 | This bulletin provides informatin when the engine does not run smoothly at idling speeds. |
| 11009393 | This bulletin provides information when the Audi Roadside or Audi Incident assistance call automatically hangs up after 30 seconds. |
| 11009388 | This bulletin provides information when ACC inop / PreSense Malfunction, DTC B200FF0 (sym 196672) in 0013. |
| 11009378 | This bulletin provides inormatin when the guages is faulty in the Audi virtual cockpit. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)