What's Wrong with the 1st Generation (2006–2016) Q7?

Q7 owners have made 35 complaints about the 2006–2016 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it 33rd out of 39 Audi generations in overall reliability, with real brakes and electrical concerns.

Compare With Other Q7 Generations

Common 2006-2016 Audi Q7 Problems

Some of the worst issues 1st generation Q7 owners have to deal with.

  1. Fuel Pump Flange Leaking

    It’s been quite a journey figuring out how to stop Audi's Continental fuel pump flanges from leaking, but it appears the automaker is finally offering a solution after years of interim repairs.

    Continue reading article "Fuel Pump Flange Leaking" test

  2. Cheating Diesel Emissions

    Audi was caught cheating on its diesel emissions with defeat devices. Twice. It started with the widespread dieselgate story for 2.0L 4-cylinder engines and was followed with a lesser known cheat for vehicles with the ZF 8-speed transmiss…

    Continue reading article "Cheating Diesel Emissions" Cloud of emissions from a tail pipe

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

1st Generation (2006–2016) Q7 Key Numbers

  1. 11 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 35 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 33rd in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 39 eligible generations.

Recent 1st Generation (2006–2016) Q7 News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  2. A couple years ago the 2007-2012 Q7 and 2009-2012 Q5 were recalled to fix leaking fuel pump flanges.

    At the time, there weren't enough replacement flanges to go around. In a let's-see-if-this-works move Audi slapped some butyl tape around the existing flanges to prevent future leaks. It didn't.

    Turns out if the flange has already been exposed to outside contaminates, covering it in tape will only prolong the inevitable leak. About 6,000 vehicles are being recalled again, hopefully this time for a more permanent repair.…

    keep reading article "Previous Q5 and Q7 Fuel Pump Repair Being Recalled"

  3. When Volkswagen agreed to a multi-district settlement for selling polluting engines marketed as clean diesel,

    it did so knowing it’d have to pay billions of dollars to customers that owned or leased an affected vehicle when the news about the scandal broke.

    Some owners that had sold their affected vehicles before the news came out tried to file for compensation in court, but didn't get very far. That may be about to change due to an interesting court decision in California.…

    keep reading article "Judge's Decision May Open to the Door to New Diesel-Scandal Claims"

  5. A Q7 owner has sued Audi over his squeaky brake pads and defective rotors.

    But in a twist, the brakes that come with the car aren’t the problem … it’s the $1700 replacement parts.

    In April 2018, the plaintiff heard loud squealing noises when he used the brakes even though the replacement parts had been on the Q7 less than 3,500 miles. He took the SUV to technicians who drove the vehicle but couldn't replicate the squealing and squeaking sounds.…

    keep reading article "Audi’s Replacement Brakes Are A Genuine Headache"