What 139 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Audi Q7

I’m reporting a serious safety issue with my 2018 Audi Q7. Both rear suspension springs failed suddenly while I was driving at highway speeds 70 MPH, with no warning at all. This was extremely dangerous—I almost lost control of the vehicle when it happened. The rear of the car dropped and handling became unstable immediately. There were no prior signs, noises, or issues leading up to the failure. This kind of failure should not happen under normal driving conditions, especially on a vehicle like this. Having both springs fail at the same time creates a major safety risk not only for me but for others on the road. I had to replace both rear springs at my own expense. Based on what I’ve seen, this may be a known issue and not just a one-time occurrence. I’m asking NHTSA to look into this problem and determine if there’s a defect with the suspension system on the 2018 Audi Q7 that could require a recall or further action.

NHTSA ODI 11729693

Both rear coil springs broke which the Audi shop has said is very rare to have happened

NHTSA ODI 11688937

Passenger side rear coil spring broken, shocks leaking. Confirmed by dealer. No warning lamps, messages. Potential safety risks include: Suspension compromise with the balance and alignment of the vehicle. There is a risk of loss of control especially with emergency maneuvers or sharp turns. This leads to poor vehicle control, increase risk of roll of vehicle and braking control. Can cause uneven wear on tires which can cause a blow out or loss of grip on roads. The leaking shocks puts stress on other parts of the vehicle. Suspension may not respond correctly if the vehicle were to hit a pothole or make a sudden turn. The broken coil can puncture a tire, causing loss of control which can result in an accident. The vehicle is garaged year round, maintained very well, with no excessive wear and tear. One owner vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11677881

The rear passenger side suspension spring coil broke while driving. The possibility of this failure puncturing a tire, dislodging from the vehicle into traffic, or causing control/stability issues of the vehicle is significant. The vehicle has been towed and is sitting until a fix is determined. No warnings were given before the incident. It happened on a smooth, flat, straight road at the time of occurrence.

NHTSA ODI 11672328

Rear spring and lower plates have snapped and are broken. This happened at around 60,000 miles. A lot of 2017 & 2018 Audi Q7 owners are complaining at Audi Forums. Please take a look at this issue. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11623158

Rear Drivers side spring cracked failed and corrosion on the bottom mount. Passenger side corrosion also visible and needed to be replaced. Confirmed and documented by dealer and repaired on 7-12-24. Vehicle has 93K miles and was last brought in for multi point inspection at 50K.

NHTSA ODI 11601452

left and right rear coil spring broken.

NHTSA ODI 11580283

Rear passenger side coil spring broke. Vehicle has 85K miles. Happened when traveling on a highway - heard a loud bang. Car still ran however sitting 1' lower on that side. Repair estimate in the $1500 range. Research in online forums shows this is happening to a lot of 2017-18 Q7s. definitely a design/component flaw.

NHTSA ODI 11579215

67,000 miles and broken rear right coil spring. Very serious issue as it can cause an accident while driving. No warnings or messages. Heard loud pop and rear right was sagging. Many other people with this model Q7 have had the same problem. A part like this should not be failing at 67,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11573723

The rear passenger side coil spring broke at 43,000 miles—no hard driving or potholes.

NHTSA ODI 11564818

Rear spring failure which has been reported as a common issue based on research.

NHTSA ODI 11562092

Rear coil spring broke without any load on the vehicle. This condition causes some of the safety features to not work such as adaptive cruise control and automatic emergency braking.

NHTSA ODI 11558157

Both rear springs broke at 70000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11543967

Just had the vehicle in for the it’s 60k mile service and no issues reported. Today, at 63k miles I had the same dealer look at a headlight malfunction and the service technician reported the rear coil springs are failing and need replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11538808

Passenger side rear spring broke near the base on a 2018 Q7 with 66k miles. From looking online, this is a common problem with this model/year. VWofA issued a recall for rear springs for the same year of the VW Atlas, a car that shares the same platform with the Q7, so they know there's a problem. Looking online, many people are having this issue, and it costs, $2400 to replace the springs.

NHTSA ODI 11525032

This vehicle was maintained by Audi/VW for 60000 miles under a service contract. While changing my snow tires I noticed the spring was broken. My wife did claim she heard a rattling in the back of the car, this must have been it. I’ve found multiple complaints from different owners on car online forums claiming they found the same spring, the right rear, unexpectedly broken. A suspension failure can have devastating results especially with a 7400 pound towing capacity.

NHTSA ODI 11499844