2020 Audi Q3 Fuel system Problems

I purchased my 2020 Audi Q3 in August of 2020. I am submitting this complaint regarding the recurring and unacceptable issue with my Audi. In February of 2023 my vehicle started shaking and stalled while driving. I could not restart for awhile, after a few minutes it restarted. I took it to Audi and they verified that the output of fuel pump did not meet minimum flow. They replaced the pump. Then in November of 2025 my car stalled again, doing the same thing, after a few minutes it would restart but kept intermittently stalling. This Fuel Pump malfunctioned again, and now this time both of them were not working properly. Both the High Pressure and Low Pressure Fuel pump was replaced again in January 2026. Having to replace a major component like the fuel pump twice on a 2020 luxury vehicle is unreasonable and deeply concerning. A fuel pump failure is not a minor inconvenience, it affects the reliability, safety and drivability of the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11709675

Incident

Nov 4, 2025

Had service at 34999 - reported hard shifting between 1st/2nd then revved abnormally high at 32k. Dealer was unable to reproduce during service - appointments are a month out. Car has had propulsion/fuel system not responding at random at various severities and rough idle like the engine was struggling to get fuel. Also reported during last service. On one occasion vehicle shutoff at lower speed at approx 20k.

NHTSA ID

11472997

Incident

Apr 18, 2022

CAR LEASED JULY 2020, HAS 1936 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 4/14/21, TOOK TO DEALER , LEFT FOR REPAIR . DEALER STATES 'REPLACE FUEL PUMP MODULE ' REQUIRED . THIS CAR ALSO HAD PROBLEM IN MARCH 2021 WHICH I REPORTED WHERE CAR SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. DEALER SAID SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS REQUIRED FROM RECALL THAT I HAD NOT GOTTEN NOTICE FOR .

NHTSA ID

11408429

Incident

Apr 14, 2021

Mileage

1,937 mi

WE STOPPED AT AN ALL WAY STOP INTERSECTION AND THE CAR'S STOP-START SYSTEM HAD TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN THE ENGINE RESTARTED THE ENGINE HESITATED, WARNING LIGHTS LIT UP ON THE DASH, AND THE CAR WENT INTO ITS "LIMP HOME" MODE. WE WERE IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE A VERY SLOW SPEED. LUCKILY IT WAS ON A CITY STREET WITH A 25 MPH LIMIT AND TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT. WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE INTERSECTION AND PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE TURNED THE CAR OFF AND WAITED A FEW SECONDS AND RESTARTED IT. THE CAR WORKED NORMALLY AFTER RESTARTING AND THE PROBLEM HAS NOT HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAVE RECEIVED A NOTICE FOR A RECALL THAT SEEMS TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE (OEM ID: 96H5. RECALL NAME: ENGINE CONTROL UNIT (ECU) SOFTWARE) AND HAVE SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY DEALER TO HAVE IT INSTALLED ASAP.

NHTSA ID

11405108

Incident

Feb 21, 2021

Mileage

4,500 mi

I PURCHASED MY AUDI 2020 Q3 IN NOVEMBER 2019. SINCE THE PURCHASE, ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, THE CAR HAS FAILED TO ACCELERATE UNDER VERY SPECIFIC SPEED CONDITIONS. IN EACH CASE, THE VEHICLE HAD SLOWED EITHER DUE TO A SHARP CURVE WHILE ENTERING A FREEWAY OR FOR A SLOWER VEHICLE IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE WHILE ENTERING THE FREEWAY. WHEN TIME CAME TO ACCELERATE TO MATCH THE SPEED OF THE FREEWAY TRAFFIC, ADDING POWER WAS FUTILE. DRIFTING ON TO A FREEWAY AT 20 MILES PER HOUR AND DECELERATING; WHILE FREEWAY TRAFFIC IS MOVING AT 70 TO 80 MPH (CALIFORNIA) IS UNNERVING AT BEST AND CERTAINLY, POTENTIAL DEADLY. AUDI CALLS THE THE PROBLEM "LIMP MODE". AUDI OF AMERICA, INC. ISSUED EMISSIONS SERVICE ACTION 96H5 - ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) SOFTWARE WHICH CLEVERLY DANCES AROUND THE REAL THREAT WHICH IS THE POTENTIAL FOR A SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENT. IN MARCH 2021, WHEN 96H5 CAME AVAILABLE IT WAS INSTALLED ON MY VEHICLE. THE NEXT WEEK I TOOK A ROAD TRIP OF SEVERAL HUNDRED MILES. UNFORTUNATELY, THE THIRD " ENGINE LIMP MODE" OCCURRENCE HAPPENED NEARLY RESULTING IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ENTER THE FREEWAY. NHTSA NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS SPECIFIC PROBLEM. THE CURRENT SOFTWARE FIX IS NOT A FIX. PEOPLE WILL EVENTUALLY DIE.

NHTSA ID

11404126

Incident

Mar 18, 2021

Mileage

9,900 mi

ON FOUR OCCASIONS, THE ENGINE STOPPED WORKING AND THE STEERING WHEEL WAS NOT ABLE TO BE TURNED. THIS PREVENTED THE DRIVER FROM MOVING THE VEHICLE FORWARD AND STEERING OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IF THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, THE PROBLEM RESOLVES WITH THIS RESET. THE INTERVALS BETWEEN THESE EPISODES HAVE BEEN SEVERAL MONTHS. THERE ARE NO SPECIFICALLY COMMON VARIABLES, OTHER THAN A LOWER SPEED - START/STOP AS IN WAITING TO CROSS A LINE OF TRAFFIC OR PROCEEDING THROUGH A STOP SIGN. I HAVE TAKEN THE Q3 TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES NOW AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT A SOFTWARE UPDATE IS THE FIX. RECENTLY THE CAR HAS BEEN MAKING A VIBRATING NOISE WHEN COASTING, AND IT LOST POWER IN AN INTERSECTION ON THE WAY TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN AND EVEN ACTIVATED THE PARKING BRAKE. WE ALWAYS DISABLE THE CAR'S AUTO START-STOP FEATURE, AS WE SUSPECTED THAT TO BE INVOLVED, BUT THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE. WE FEEL THIS CAR IS UNSAFE AND THE AUDI DEALER SEEMS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE AND RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. OUR FIRST AUDI PURCHASE, WE HAD ONE OF THE FIRST 2020 Q3 TO ARRIVE IN THE US AND FOUR SHUT-OFF INCIDENTS SINCE WE PURCHASED THE CAR IN OCT 2019. THE CAR WAS DRIVEN LESS THAN ANTICIPATED DUE TO COVID, REMOTE SCHOOL/WORK AND NO TRAVEL. PERHAPS MORE FREQUENT DRIVING WOULD HAVE ACCELERATED THE CLAIM PROCESS FOR US. IRONICALLY, WE CHOSE THE CAR FOR ITS SAFETY FEATURES PRIMARILY FOR OUR TEEN/YOUNG ADULT DRIVERS. THE CAR HAS SHUT DOWN FOR THREE DRIVERS, TWICE FOR OUR TEEN AND ONCE FOR EACH OF THE PARENTS, SO WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE PROBLEM EXISTS AS DESCRIBED AND PERSISTS DESPITE ATTEMPTS TO FIX IT. EACH TIME WE FELT IT WAS RESOLVED DUE TO A LONG INTERVAL BETWEEN INCIDENTS, BUT TODAY WAS MORE FRIGHTENING THAN OTHERS DUE TO THE INTERSECTION WHERE IT OCCURRED. THIS COULD CAUSE A CRITICAL ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ID

11402696

Incident

Mar 12, 2021

Mileage

10,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING MY 2 MONTH OLD AUDI Q3 THIS MORNING THE CAR COMPLETELY STALLED WHILE GOING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. I RECEIVED AN ERROR MESSAGE, DRIVE LINE MALFUNCTION. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND AT ALL AFTER APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR. I WAS ALMOST HIT BY 2 TRUCKS!!! I THEN PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND IT WAS ABLE TO START IT UP. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER, THEY JUST CALLED ME AND TOLD ME THEY FOUND AN ERROR CODE P060C00 INDICATING AN INTERNAL CONTROL MODULE PROBLEM. THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NO KNOWN FIX AT THIS TIME BUT THEY SAID THAT THERE IS A KNOWN SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS ISSUE. THEY SAID THAT I NEED TO DISABLE THE AUTO START STOP FEATURE ON THIS CAR EACH TIME I START IT UP. WHAT DO I DO NOW? MY WIFE WILL NOT DRIVE THIS CAR ANYMORE AND DOES NOT WANT ME TO DRIVE IT EITHER! THIS IS NOT A SAFE CAR TO DRIVE. PLEASE HELP!

NHTSA ID

11309844

Incident

Feb 18, 2020

Mileage

1,964 mi

MY 2020 Q3 PURCHASED DECEMBER 21, 2019 MALFUNCTIONED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION JANUARY 22, 2020. IT HAD 1400 MILES ON IT. THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED AND I HAD NO ENGINE. I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND IT SHUT OFF THE BRAKE LIGHTS, WHICH LEFT ME IN A SERIOUSLY UNSAFE SITUATION. THIS WAS THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED. THE OTHER TWO INSTANCES HAPPENED IN A PARKING LOT. I THOUGHT I HAD DONE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE START/STOP. MY DEALERSHIP HAS DISMISSED MY SAFETY CONCERNS AND HAVE OFFERED NO RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM, OTHER THAN DISENGAGE THE START/STOP EVERY TIME I GET IN THE VEHICLE. THERE WAS NO GUARANTEE OF WHEN THIS WOULD BE FIXED AND WAS TOLD IT COULD BE MONTHS TO GET THE PARTS. THERE WAS ALSO NO GUARANTEE THAT THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN WITH THE START/STOP ALREADY DISENGAGED. I AM DRIVING A VEHICLE THAT COULD POTENTIALLY SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING LEAVING MY LIFE AND THE LIVES OF OTHERS AT RISK.

NHTSA ID

11308010

Incident

Jan 22, 2020

Mileage

1,400 mi

I PURCHASED MY 2020 Q3 ON DEC 31 2019. WITHIN 2 WEEKS MY CAR STOPPED AT THE SIGNAL LIGHT WITH A MALFUNCTION OF AUTO STOP/START ISSUE AND WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. I HAD TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY MENTIONED THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH 2020 Q3 AND THE SOFTWARE TO FIX THE AUTO STOP/START FUNCTION WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTILL END OF 1ST QUARTER. NOW I AM SEEING THE GAS CONSUMPTION HIGH AND THE VEHICLE DOES NOT DRIVE AS BEFORE.

NHTSA ID

11306882

Incident

Jan 15, 2020

Mileage

310 mi

VEHICLE MISFIRES/ STUTTERS RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE SHUTTING OFF. DRIVER HAS TO MANUALLY RESTART CAR. THIS CAN BE HAZARDOUS WHEN DRIVING IN TRAFFIC AS THE VEHICLE WILL SHUT OFF. NOT SURE IF THIS IS A FUEL INJECTION ISSUE. I'VE HAD THIS HAPPEN TWICE WHILE ASCENDING A HILL. I PICKED UP MY NEW CAR ON 10/22/2019, SINCE 11/02/2019, I'VE EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE 5 TIMES. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE REPAIR SHOP TWICE FOR THIS ISSUE AND CONTINUOUSLY SINCE 11/25/2019. THE CAR IS NOT STORING ANY FAULTS. VEHICLE ALSO RECOGNIZES ROAD REPAIR SEALANT AS A TRAFFIC LANE AND WILL TAKE CONTROL OF THE STEERING. YOU HAVE TO WRESTLE WITH THE STEERING WHEEL TO COMMAND CONTROL OF THE STEERING. LASTLY, WHEN USING THESE AUTO START/STOP FUNCTION, AFTER RELEASING THE BRAKE THE STEERING LOCKS AND YOU HAVE TO WRESTLE FOR CONTROL OF THE WHEEL.

NHTSA ID

11286753

Incident

Nov 2, 2019

Mileage

200 mi