NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Audi A7. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
The first time, while driving at 50-55mph, the engine decelerated suddenly. After about 10-15 seconds struggles with the gas pedal and brake pedal, the car accelerated normally. I pulled safely to side of the road to shut off the engine and start again. Things seemed to work like normal. The control panels did not show any warning signs. The second and third times (couple weeks later), while driving around 40-45mph, the engine decelerated suddenly again. After some struggles like I did the first time, the engine accelerated like normal. Like the first time, the control panels did not display any warning signs. I took the car to the Audi dealer garage and they couldn't identify the problems. They performed two "engine software updates" and said hopefully it should address the engine decelerate issue. I was charged $299 for the diagnostic tests. I am worried what would happen if I was driving on a busy and highspeed Freeway!
Water pump design failure caused a leak of coolant into vacuum lines preventing coolant from cooling engine and causing immediate overheating. Known issue previous class action lawsuit.
At first, the yellow electrical system malfunction warning light came on. After a short time of driving, the light turned red, and very shortly after than (within five minutes as I was trying to drive the vehicle to the dealership for repair), all of the electrical systems in the vehicle failed. It created a very dangerous driving situation. I brought the vehicle to the Audi dealership, where they made repairs (replacing the generator) and returned the vehicle to me. Two days later, the yellow electrical system malfunction warning light returned while I was driving on the highway. I was able to drive the vehicle home, but along the way, the air conditioning failed. I will be bringing the vehicle back to Audi for further repairs. This defect is very dangerous because, in a very short amount of time, the car not only becomes inoperable, but essentially all of the car’s systems fail.
The virtual cockpit (dashboard) went completely black except for an exclamation point. Speed, warning symbols, engine temp etc were not visible. Dealers has confirmed the issue and is currently trying to remedy the situation. The danger was not knowing how fast I was traveling.
The contact owns a 2021 Audi A7. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that the speed control software needed to be reprogrammed. The software was updated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.