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So I just read this months Consumer Reports and was very surprised to see the Q8 as the most unreliable vehicle across all makes. It scored an 8 on a 100 point scale and it is on the wrong side of that scale . While there are certainly some complaints about throttle lag I have not seen many reliability issues. Knocking on wood I have had about 4 k trouble free miles since I took possession.
I'm pretty surprised to the point of wondering if there is an error? I have had the car nearly a year with only one issue it is going in for this month (a rattly head up display - all my Audi's have had this issue after driving for a bit). Only one data point but I wonder what the reliability of the A6, A7 and A8 are since they share so much of the same tech and drivetrain? I know a few people who have one outside of this forum and they also have not had any issue to report.
I don't have the latest paper version of CR, but I did a search for Q8 in the digital access CR. All I can see is that "Audi dropped to 14th. Both the redesigned A6 and the new Q8 had well-below-average reliability because of issues with power equipment, engine computers, and in-car electronics." I can also see that predicted reliability is very low, and while a rented Q8 was test driven, it was not tested. (Blue emphasis is mine.)
The digital CR seems to be missing that test and rating... This is a snippet from the New Car Ratings:
Last edited by Chiclet11; 12-06-2019 at 10:35 AM.
Reason: typo
Not a Q8 owner here but while I expected terrible reliability from all things electronics and engine wise on my A8, it has been nothing but fantastic. The EA839 engine, the mild hybrid elements and the electronics are vastly the same on my A8 as it is on your folks' Q8.
It is relatively easy to extract further data points from the B9 S4 which also has the same EA839 engine (except without the mild hybrid components) and there have been very few issues.
In my total ownership I had 1 issue which is related to the organic LED lights in the rear of the vehicle but other than that...she's been very reliable, as does most of the datapoints reveal on AW.
No surprise to me. I have a 2019 Q8 with 11,000 miles. The most recent issue involved the following list of malfunctions simultaneously occurring while driving down the interstate: "Stabilization control (ESC) malfunction!", "Safety system malfunction!", "Suspension malfunction!", "Lane departure warning currently unavailable", "Start/stop system malfunction!", "Distance warning currently unavailable", "Audi pre-sense currently limited". Turning the car off and on again did nothing but turning the car off for 30 minutes caused warnings to go away but occurred again after about 30 miles. Dealer lost diagnostic files but blamed it on the car needing realigned and recalibrated.
Previous issues have included the engine cutting out during acceleration from near-stop, repeatedly losing all pre-sets (radios stations, etc), trunk was opening randomly while parked (appears fixed), massage mechanism in seats broke twice (hissing sound; fixed), suspension moving up and down when stopped, and a random collection of other "what just happened" instances.
Just hit 10,000 miles (service next week). Other than the occasional "pre-sense not available" messages, the worst problem I've had is that the rear window washer is aimed too low, and does not hit where the wiper blade sweeps. The suspension raising and lowering occurs if the suspension is set to automatic, it lowers at 50MPH, and raises when you stop. I will be asking the dealer why, on occasion, the brake pedal is hard as a brick when I press it to start the car.
Unfortunately, I have been unlucky and had many software and/or hardware problems. Some others have been lucky with few problems. Keep in mind that individual experiences don't mean much and the statistically sound CR data accurately predicts the comparative reliability between different vehicles showing the Q8 at the bottom of the barrel.
So I was the owner of a 2016 Volvo XC90 before my Q8. It had some issues such as a leaking sunroof, replaced front struts, a few software updates, and new spark plugs. It was a new model year car so some bugs are expected. My dealer was great and outside my first 6 months of ownership I had no issues up through 45k miles. The Volvo blog was filled with similar stories for the 2016 model year. Consumer Reports also reported below average reliability as would be expected, though I will say I never consider my Volvo unreliable.
Where I’m confused is that there are relatively few quality/reliability posts on this site that would correspond to such a low CR rating. CRs rating of 8 is off the charts low and pales in comparison to about a Volvo score in the 30s as I recall. Not looking to jinx my good experience this far, but something seems off. Maybe Volvo owners complain more and Audi owners keep their gripes to themselves. 😎
12-06-2019, 07:54 AM
Q8 unreliable?
. While there are certainly some complaints about throttle lag I have not seen many reliability issues. Knocking on wood I have had about 4 k trouble free miles since I took possession. 
