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Audi lemon law
If your Audi keeps going back to the dealer for the same problem, your state's lemon law may make the maker buy it back or replace it, and pay your lawyer when you win. Here is what Audi owners report to the federal government, and how to check your own car.
What Audi owners report most
A complaint can name more than one area. 166 complaints name none.
Models with the most complaints
- Q5 210
- Q7 132
- Q3 79
- E-Tron 73
- Q8 65
- Q5 E 52
Latest Audi recalls
- Electrical System, October 21, 2026: 2025 Q4 Sportback E-Tron, 2024 Q4 Sportback E-Tron, 2025 Q4 E-Tron, 2024 Q4 E-Tron, about 9,048 vehicles.
“A vehicle fire increases the risk of injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V698000 - Steering, September 11, 2026: 2021 Q3, about 208,724 vehicles.
“A broken steering rack housing can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.”
NHTSA recall 26V590000 - Seat Belts, April 24, 2026: 2025 Q5, 2025 Q5 Sportback, 2025 SQ5, 2025 SQ5 Sportback, about 7,425 vehicles.
“Improperly restrained occupants have an increased risk of injury during a crash.”
NHTSA recall 26V266000 - Service Brakes, Hydraulic, April 15, 2026: 2021 E-Tron Sportback, 2022 E-Tron Sportback, 2023 E-Tron Sportback, 2021 E-Tron Quattro, about 18,853 vehicles.
“Brake pedal detachment can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.”
NHTSA recall 26V240000 - Visibility, April 1, 2026: 2026 Q3, about 6,077 vehicles.
“Closing the sunroof without the ability to see it can increase the risk of injury to occupants.”
NHTSA recall 26V209000
Check your own car by its VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at any Audi dealer.
Recalls, repairs and the lemon law
A recall alone does not make a car a lemon. What counts is a defect the dealer cannot fix: most states presume a lemon after 3 or 4 repair attempts for the same problem, fewer for a defect that could cause a crash, or about 30 days in the shop, inside the first one to two years. A recall repair for a defect that keeps coming back is a repair attempt like any other, so keep the repair order from every visit.
In California, Audi was not on the state's list of makers in the new lemon law process on October 26, 2026, so the older rules apply. The list
How a Audi lemon law claim and buyback work
Keep the repair order from every visit, then write to Audi, not only the dealer, at the customer relations address in your owner's manual or warranty booklet, and ask for a buyback or a replacement. In a buyback Audi refunds the price, taxes and fees and costs like towing, minus a deduction for the miles you drove before the first repair, and pays off the loan.
The steps · Letter template · Buyback or cash and keep · Estimate a buyback
Audi lemon law in your state
The rules depend on the state where you bought or leased the car:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Questions about Audi lemons
How many complaints have Audi owners filed with NHTSA?
1,110 for 2021 to 2027 model years, received through October 22, 2026. The most reported area is wiring, battery, lights and electronics.
How many Audi recalls are there?
71 safety recalls cover 2021 to 2027 Audi models, for about 1,946,679 vehicles in all.
Is a recall enough to make my Audi a lemon?
No, not on its own. But if a defect keeps coming back after repairs, recall repairs included, each visit can count as a repair attempt under your state's lemon law. Keep every repair order.
How do I start a Audi lemon law claim?
Keep every repair order, then write to Audi at the address for customer relations in your owner's manual or warranty booklet, asking for a buyback or replacement under your state's lemon law. Send it by a tracked method and keep a copy.
Does Audi have to buy back a lemon?
Yes, when your state's lemon law rules are met. The maker must buy the car back or replace it, and most states let you choose. The rules differ by state: see your state guide.
Did Audi opt in to California's new lemon law process?
Not on the state's list on October 26, 2026, so California's older lemon law rules apply to Audi cars.
About the data
From NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation files (complaints received 2020 to now, and recalls), counted for 2021 to 2027 model years and filed under the make AUDI. Read on October 26, 2026. Complaints are what owners report, not findings, and big sellers get more of them: a count is not a defect rate, and it says nothing about your car. We keep no complaint text or personal details.
Is your Audi a lemon? Find out free
Free, about ten taps. You see what your state's law says first. If you want a lawyer, we find a lemon law firm in your state that takes cases like yours, and they contact you.
Your state: Ohio
What model year is it?
Who pays the lawyer? In Ohio, an owner who wins can make the maker pay the lawyer.* * So most lemon law lawyers ask nothing up front. Some charge costs, or a share of a settlement: ask before you sign. You never pay us. More