Friday, August 7, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2013 Audi Q7 problems & reliability

41 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2013 Audi Q7, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
41
Recall campaigns
3
Fire reports
1 (2%)
Crash reports
3 (7%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating
Not rated
NHTSA 5-star program
EPA fuel economy
18–22 MPG combined
City 19 · highway 27 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
1,226
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
0
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

1 complaint report injuries (60 injured).

Federal crash records (FARS 20202023): 2013 Audi Q7 vehicles were involved in 10 fatal crashes with 3 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.

Most reported problems

ComponentComplaints
Fuel/propulsion System12
Engine11
Visibility/wiper7
Power Train4
Electrical System3
Service Brakes3
Air Bags2
Steering2
Unknown OR Other2
Vehicle Speed Control2

Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.

Common symptoms owners describe

Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.

Mileage when problems occurred

Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 72,000 miles (middle 50% between 55,525 and 99,542 miles), based on 22 complaints that included mileage.

under 20k
1
20–40k
1
40–60k
5
60–80k
5
80–100k
4
100–150k
5
150k+
1

Complaints by incident year

12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26

What owners report

  • On XXX, I was driving northbound on US-101 from [XXX] to [XXX] to pick up a family member for an appointment. The vehicle had been operating normally at freeway speed. As traffic slowed for a construction zone near Summerland, I intentionally reduced speed to approximately 20 mph. At that point, I heard a sudden…

    Power Train · filed Jul 31, 2026

  • The fuel pump flange repair was a joke on this car. It should've been replaced not just put a black tar like sealant on it. That was an error on Audi's part. The sealant didn't keep it from forming a leak in the stress cracks that were being reported. Mine says all recalls have been completed. I just experienced a…

    Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jul 15, 2026

  • My gas tank started to leak while I was driving putting the my safety and the safety of my entire family at risk. This is know major recall 20Z8 that Audi has never got to fix properly. The recall remedy demonstrably did not prevent the failure it was issued for. This is an active fuel leak with fire risk. I'm…

    Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jul 13, 2026

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Technical service bulletins

1,226 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2013 Audi Q7. The 10 most recent:

  • This bulletin provides a statement regarding the bottleneck of supply for VW approved oil types VW 504.00 and VW 507.00.

    TSB_2082846_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 27, 2026

  • This bulletin provides information when there is a film/visible rings on the clear glass cover of the headlight when the dipped beam is switched on.

    TSB_2073282_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 9, 2026

  • This bulletin provides inormation when the ATF pipes leak; Q7 with 0C8 gearbox.

    TSB_2082615_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 2, 2026

  • This bulletin provides information when there are noises from the area around the instrument cluster.

    TSB_2059335_7 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026

  • This bulletin provides informaiton when the transmission warning message appears in the cluster; P074100 stored in the TCM.

    TSB_2028902_5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 23, 2026

  • This bulletin provides informaiton when the engine is not running smoothly, misfiring.

    TSB_2082323_1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 10, 2026

  • This Reporting Obligation requires technicains to contact the Technical Assistance Center (TAC) in cases where the airbag/seatbelt is deployed/not deployed; general accident information; and fire and overheat damage.

    TSB_2052680_6 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 4, 2026

  • This is a notice for software changes with the ODIS diagnostic program to correct the communication during vehicle programming function: A software fix is needed to correct the issue: The ODIS Audi Brand update 2.41.1…

    AOS-26-25 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 26, 2026

  • The high-voltage batteries in electric vehicles are subject to various ageing effects which could lead to the energy content (energy density) being reduced. This reduction in the energy content, which is due to factors…

    TSB_2074808_4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 6, 2026

  • This bulletin provides diagnostic information for the vehicle locking system.

    TSB_2022032_12 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2026

TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.

Safety recalls

The 2013 Audi Q7 has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.

Check whether your specific vehicle is affected

Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.

Check VIN on NHTSA →

Buying a used 2013 Audi Q7?

  • · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
  • · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
  • · Owners most often reported problems around 72,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.
About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Audi or NHTSA.