2022 Audi Q8 Problems And Complaints

2022 Audi Q8 User Complaints and Problems

In terms of the quality of their products, the German brand Audi has always kept up a good standard. They have provided cars that satisfy every need and want of their owners and continue to do so for several years. Coming to cars in this particular category, are built to the highest standards, and hence, they have extremely expensive parts. Therefore, it is advised that if you’re investing in a car of this price range, it should be reliable and trustworthy in terms of maintenance. Although a lot of cars from this manufacturer have been good in terms of their dependability reputation, there have been bad apples in this bunch as well. 

Hence, broadly applying common theories about each brand being reliable or not reliable does not work. There are many ways to gauge how reliable a car is but one sure shot way is to identify what customers have been saying about it. For this purpose, we feel that the best way is by going through the complaints listed on the NHTSA website. The NHTSA, being a governmental entity lists all the major complaints that have been reported by the consumers of that particular car. Cars vary greatly between generations, and hence one cannot apply results from a different one. Let us take a look at Audi 2022 Q8 issues in the section below.

Mechanical problems:

1. One owner stated that while driving, the steering suddenly turned to the right and the owner lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into the curb but there were no injuries reported. One more owner has reported a similar incident where the car turned itself to the right and caused a crash.
2. One owner has raised an issue concerning the Audi Q8 transmission problems. The owner noted a specific hesitation when slowing down and coasting at a slow speed and then trying to accelerate. This is especially evident when taking a turn.

Electrical system problems:

1. An owner reported that while driving, the vehicle shut off its electrical system completely. There was a warning message asking the owner to contact a dealer and the owner pulled the car to the side of the highway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and it had not been diagnosed properly.

Safety problems:

1. One owner has stated that while slowing the car at a red light, the seatbelt tightened and caused him shortness of breath and chest pain. According to the dealer, the seatbelt tightened due to a safety feature engineered into the vehicle but it seems to be an ineffective one.
2. Several owners have raised complaints about the Pre-Sense auto braking and braking alert jolt have been activating without the need for them. The system cannot be disabled as it activates itself upon ignition restart. It detects obstacles that are not there and aggressively brakes the car. Since the system is inaccurate, it can be the cause of accidents rather than mitigating them. This is common in the list of 2020 Audi Q8 problems.

Category	Number of complaints
Mechanical	4
Electrical System	1
Exterior	0
Interior	0
Safety	2
Miscellaneous	0

The 2022 Audi Q8 has not reported any complaints yet. The complaints listed above have been from the 2021 and 2020 models. However, the reassuring fact is that the number of complaints reported is still very small compared to most cars that sell a similar number of units. This is a good sign as well as reliability goes. Let us take a look at the recalls history of this car to have a more accurate picture.

2022 Audi Q8 Recalls

The Audi 2022 Q8 is not a mass-market car like several of its stablemates. It appeals to somebody willing to shell out a lot of money for something practical and yet, fun to drive. Hence, the fact that it has very few complaints does not conclusively say anything about its reputation of being complaint-free. Although the low sales volume is a factor here, the number of complaints of the 2022 Q8 is on the lower side. But then, there is one problem that we have been able to note as a common complaint in the 2021 Audi Q8 problems list. And especially since this is concerning safety, we have to be worried. 

We’re talking about the two complaints that owners have raised about the steering suddenly pulling to the right. We do hope that Audi has had some solution for these owners. However, there might be other small issues that could have affected large numbers of units and could be fixed through recalls. The Q8 2022 has had one recall concerning the rearview camera. The 2021 model has had three recalls, while the 2020 model has recorded only a single recall. We discuss the recalls in detail below.

S. No.	Date	NHTSA Campaign Number	Issues Noticed	Additional Remarks
1	January 26, 2022	22V034000	Rear-axle may be misaligned	The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after certain repairs. This might cause uneven tire wear.
2	August 5, 2021	21V606000	Seat belt locking retractor malfunction	The child restraint system may be unsecured due to the seat belt locking retractor malfunctioning.
3	April 26, 2021	21V295000	Rear-axle lock nuts may break	A broken lock nut can misalign the rear axle and cause loss of control.
4	October 20, 2021	21V825000	Rearview camera image may not display	The rearview camera image may not be displayed properly. Since this reduces the driver’s rear view, it increases the risk of a crash

Audi has done a good job in terms of the recalls and has been proactive in fixing the different issues that have happened to this car. We do believe that the manufacturer has taken up the issues listed in the complaints on a case-by-case basis and done the necessary remedial action to address the concern of the owners. We feel that they might be one of the most responsible luxury automobile manufacturers in the market currently.

Which model year of the Audi Q8 should you avoid?

The current generation of the Audi Q8 is the first one and it has been on sale since 2019. From the looks of it so far, it certainly looks like a reliable car for all it is. However, it has had a few complaints here and there from owners that have faced certain issues regarding both the failure of components and the faulty design of certain components. This is expected when dealing with a machine with as many moving parts as a car. 

What matters is how the manufacturer has responded to the complaints by owners and how they have arrived at a solution. In that respect, we feel that Audi has done a good job in addressing the concerns of the owners. If we had to ask you to avoid any particular model year, it would be the 2019 model which had a total of 40 complaints and 2 recalls. It is expected that every car in its first year will have some issues that it has to sort out and this is what has happened here.

Should you buy the 2022 Audi Q8?

The Audi Q8 is one of the fan favorites of the segment due to its eager handling and its high build quality. It is also quite gorgeous to look at which can be attributed to its incredibly proportionate design. It might be a bit large if you’re somebody who likes to slice through traffic, but then again, you have enough power to make up for the time you lost. Some rivals are a bit more entertaining in terms of the driving experience but they also differ in many other aspects. We would include the 2022 Audi Q8 in our recommendations for the best cars to buy.