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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2021 Audi Q8 Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
5about this part
Share
17%of 30 total for the year
Median mileage
3,500miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2021 Audi Q8, 17% of the 30 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 3,500 miles.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was driving my car would not accelerate on the highway and it almost caused me to get into an accident with my niece in the car. When I took the car to Audi this is what I was told my the service adviser. “Good afternoon. The technician has been looking into the vehicle and has found the cause of the issue. He has found the coolant water pump has failed internally causing coolant to leak internally into the vacuum system. This is causing the vacuum to be blocked for the turbo and thus causing the sluggish feeling when accelerating. …”

NHTSA complaint #11741357, filed 2026-06

“Audi Q8 failed water pump leading to severe loss of power and a major safety issue. I was merging on a very busy highway when I had loss of power with my children in the vehicle. This was alarming as I was not able to accelerate as anticipated and had no warning/notice that this was going to occur, and others around me did not know what was going on as well. This is a known complaint and issue in these vehicles and a major safety issue. Audi should stand behind their quality and it is dissapointing costly repair that shouldn’t be needed at 50 k (right outside of warranty). …”

NHTSA complaint #11714623, filed 2026-01

“The vehicle recently started to behave uncharacteristically when navigating around the curbs and changing lanes, it feels like you have hit a patch of black ice or an oil slick which I attributed to needing new tires. I purchased new tires according to the vehicle Audi manufacturer specification and had an alignment done on 2/14/2024 as is required for all-wheel drive vehicles. The situation was explained to the Audi South Atlanta Service Desk on 2/14/2024 and was logged as Customer states that the vehicle stutters/shakes and tires seem to lower when changing lanes & going around light curves. …”

NHTSA complaint #11573249, filed 2024-02

“At approximately 52,000 miles, on August 11,2026 (or earlier), my vehicle developed a coolant leak that was traced to a failed coolant shut off valve. The coolant shut-off valve failure allowed coolant to migrate into the vacuum harness, vacuum reservoir which contaminated the water pump. This resulted in the vacuum system becoming filled with coolant, compromising components that rely on vacuum pressure to function correctly. …”

NHTSA complaint #11757601, filed 2026-08

“The contact owns a 2021 Audi Q8. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle shutoff as the electrical problem, see local dealer warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The contact pulled off to the side of the highway and had the vehicle towed to a local dealer. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and had yet to be diagnosed. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 3,500.”

NHTSA complaint #11432422, filed 2021-09, 3,500 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2021517%
202027%
20194339%

Other parts of the 2021 Audi Q8

Electrical system
13 complaints
Engine
6 complaints
Fuel system
6 complaints
Back-over prevention (rear camera)
3 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
3 complaints
Other or unknown
3 complaints
Steering
3 complaints
Lane departure
2 complaints
Brakes
1 complaints
Exterior lighting
1 complaints
Seat belts
1 complaints
Vehicle speed control
1 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Audi Q8

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology