2011 Audi Q7: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
23 NHTSA owner complaints · 4 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Editor's note
Avoid the 2017 Q7, which has 319 owner complaints and a score of 29, the 2018 car at 43 on 141 complaints, and the 2021 car at 31 on 71. Buy a 2011 to 2015 car, which scores 86 to 88 on 23 to 45 complaints a year, though with evidence the site marks low, or the 2020 at 79 on 26 complaints. Read the full note on the model page. 2011 specifically: a year the record favours — 23 complaints, score 87/100. The caveats in the note apply to other years of this nameplate more than to this one.
Read the guide
Used Audi Q5 and Q7: the years to avoid, including 2011 — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-16.
Owner complaints: 23 filed with NHTSA
Complaints per year on the road: 1.53
What owners say
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Driving on a country road with no vehicle in front of me - a loud explosion occurred and realized the front panel of the sunroof had exploded. Luckily, the screen was closed at the time and no large glass fragments fell into the occupants of the vehicle - there were five of us at the time. Arrived at a friend’s house to vacuum out the small slivers of glass pieces that fell through the screen. The outside temperatur…
The smell of gasoline out side on the left and the right behind driver seat. Please help me. I searched on YouTube alot of car audi brand recall to fix the issue. They said cracked and leaked the cap of filter fuel pump.
Driving on a Saturday evening when it started raining. Wipers automatically engaged, suddenly saw passenger side blade warp then snap off and fly off the to the side of the street causing the driver behind me to swerve almost causing an accident. I pulled over immediately, to retrieve the piece to try and determine what happened. Saw that it just snapped off and flew off without any notice.
Recalls: 4 campaigns (3 severe)
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 16V660000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Audi Q5, and 2007-2012 Audi Q7 vehicles equipped with gasoline engines. |
| 23V086000 | Equipment:Other:Labels | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2009-2015 Q7 vehicles. |
| 18V818000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2007-2012 Audi Q7 and 2009-2012 Audi Q5 vehicles, previously repaired under NHTSA recall 16V-660. |
| 15V019000 | Fuel System, Gasoline:Fuel Injection System:Fuel Rail | Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Audi S4, S5, Q7, 2012 Audi A6, Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid, and 2012-2013 Audi A7 vehicles. |
What it costs to buy — and what owning it really takes
Class-level estimates, priced as a mid-size premium car of its model year, re-priced to your country. Not a quote, not a valuation of one specific car — condition, mileage and options move it. How these are computed.
What it costs to run
EPA combined 18 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $4,200
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
What this car's problems cost to fix
Ranked by the components owners of this exact model year actually complain about. Each figure is flat-rate labour hours x the local shop rate plus a parts band — an estimate of what this kind of failure costs, not a quote, and not a prediction that this car will need it. Formula.
- Visibility/Wiper7 complaints · typical job: Wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement (2.5 h labour + parts)$490–$1,200
- Unknown Or Other4 complaints · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair (2.0 h labour + parts)$360–$940
- Fuel/Propulsion System4 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
- Electrical System2 complaints · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement (3.0 h labour + parts)$540–$1,310
- Engine2 complaints · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair (6.0 h labour + parts)$1,040–$2,220
- Fuel System1 complaints · typical job: Fuel pump or injector replacement (3.5 h labour + parts)$680–$1,620
Other Audi Q7 years
FAQ
What is the most common problem with the 2011 Audi Q7?
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Visibility/Wiper (7 complaints in our indexed sample).
Is the 2011 Audi Q7 a good used car to buy?
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 87/100, computed from 23 NHTSA complaints and 4 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
How much does it cost to fix the 2011 Audi Q7's most common problem?
7 of the NHTSA complaints filed against the 2011 Audi Q7 sit in the Visibility/Wiper group — more than any other component on this model year. The representative job there is wiper motor, linkage or windscreen replacement: about 2.5 hours of labour plus parts, roughly $490–$1,200 at a US independent shop and re-priced to your country at the top of the page. It is an estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote for this car.
What does a 2011 Audi Q7 cost to run per year?
About $6,718 a year in fuel or energy plus the maintenance band — roughly $33,592 over five years, before purchase price, insurance and depreciation. Figures come from available EPA fuel-economy data and industry maintenance averages, and are re-priced to your country.
Does the 2011 Audi Q7 have recalls?
Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaign(s) for the 2011 Audi Q7, 3 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 13/09/2016. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Compare with
Other luxury midsizes of about the same age.
What will a 2011 Audi Q7 really cost YOU per year?
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorData sources
Complaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-10-04.
Thin evidence — 23 complaints, 4 recalls on record
- 23 NHTSA complaints on record (1.5/yr of exposure) — better than a typical year of this model (4.3/yr)
- 4 recall campaigns, 3 touching safety-critical systems
- Thin complaint record — this score is held close to the model's own average rather than read as evidence of quality