- Safety
- 5
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 7
- on record
- MPG
- 0
- combined
Open recalls on record
7 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.
Vehicle Summary
2021 Audi Q8
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 7
- Owner complaints
- 30
- Complaints citing a crash
- 0
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
7 Recalls on Record
These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.
Safety recalls
7 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 21V606000high
Safety restraint issue
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR
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."
Consequence
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect, and replace as necessary, the middle-rear seat belt assemblies, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 27, 2021. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 69CR (VW) and 69CS (Audi).
- 22V034000high
Tire/wheel issue
TIRES
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi A5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, RS5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, 2020-2021 A4 Allroad, A4 Sedan, A5 Cabriolet, A5 Coupe, A6 Allroad, A6 Sedan, A7, A8, Q5, S4 Sedan, S5 Coupe, S5 Cabriolet, S6 Sedan, S7, S8, SQ5, 2021 Q5 Sportback, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ7, and SQ8 vehicles. The rear axle alignment may not have been inspected after the repairs for Recall 21V-295 (42L1) were performed.
Consequence
Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will inspect the rear axle, adjust the alignment as necessary, and replace any prematurely or unevenly worn tires, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 3, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L5.
- 21V295000high
Suspension issue
SUSPENSION:REAR:AXLE:NON-POWERED AXLE ASSEMBLY
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 Q7, Q8, Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, RS6 Avant, RS7, RS Q8, 2020-2021 Audi S6 sedan, Q5, A8, S8, A7, A6 Allroad, A5 Cabriolet, A4 sedan, A4 Allroad, SQ5, S7, A6 sedan, S5 coupe, S4 sedan, S5 Cabriolet, A5 coupe, 2019-2021 RS5 coupe, A5 Sportback, S5 Sportback, RS5 Sportback vehicles. The lock nut on the trailing arm of the rear axle may break due to stress corrosion.
Consequence
A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the lock nuts and, if necessary, the associated bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 4, 2021. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 42L1.
- 22V516000high
Fuel pump may fail
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Audi Q8, and 2020-2021 Audi Q7 vehicles. A component inside the fuel pump may break, causing the fuel pump to fail.
Consequence
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will replace the fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 22, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 20DR.
- 22V742000high
Rear-visibility system issue
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2021 Audi A8, RS7, RS6 Avant, RS5 Sportback, RS5 Coupe, Q8, Q7, Q5 Sportback, S4 Sedan, Q5, A7, A6, A6 Allroad, A5 Sportback, A5 Coupe, A5 Cabrioleet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, E-Tron Sportback Quattro, SQ7, S5 Cabriolet, E-Tron Quattro, SQ8, SQ5 Sportback, SQ5, S8, S7, S6 Sedan, S5 Sportback, S5 Coupe, 2022 E-Tron GT, and 2021-2022 RSQ8 vehicles. Due to a software issue, a blank or black screen may be displayed instead of the rearview camera image when the vehicle is placed in reverse gear. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Consequence
A blank rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will update the infotainment unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 25, 2022. Owners may contact Audi's customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 91DZ.
- 25V201000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021 SQ8, A6 SEDAN, A7, A8, Q7, Q8, RS6 Avant, RS7, RSQ8, S6 SEDAN, S7, S8, A6 Allroad, and SQ7 vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail.
Consequence
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will update the instrument panel module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 24, 2025. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90VC.
- 25V900000high
Rear-visibility system issue
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2019-2026 vehicles. Please see the recall report for a complete list of models. A software error may prevent the rearview camera image from displaying as intended. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Consequence
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Full campaign recordRemedy
Dealers will update the software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2026. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90TV. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 23, 2025.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2021 Audi Q8.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 4 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 5 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 15.8%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2021 Audi Q8 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 15.8% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2021 Audi Q8, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
0
City
0
Hwy
0
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $3,800
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 453 g/mi
- Charge time
- 0 hours (240V)
How this compares
The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2021 Audi Q8 against its peers.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 453 grams per mile — about 6.8 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
30 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 30
- Total
- 0
- Crashes
- 0
- Fires
- 0
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ENGINE9
- ELECTRICAL8
- FUEL SYSTEM4
- OTHER4
- STEERING2
Normal Range
30 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Audi Q8, newest first.
- Recall
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A blank rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
- Recall
A broken lock nut may misalign the rear axle, causing a loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
- Drive type
- All-Wheel Drive
- Engine
- 3L 6-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Automatic (S8)
- Seats
- 0
Fuel economy
0
City
0
Hwy
0
Comb
- Annual cost
- $3,800
- Fuel
- Premium Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Recall
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
- Recall
A blank rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Recall
Rear axle misalignment may cause premature or uneven tire wear, increasing the risk of a crash.


