On Thursday, October 30, 2025, when I got seated in my car, put my seat belts on, and put the car in reverse gear to slowly get out of my parking space, it kept on going in reverse and won’t stop with break I tried to change the parking mode or drive mode but the steering column would not take any command. After 350 feet driven in reverse, it went into a ditch where it tried to turn it and the car was still in reverse, climbing out of the ditch, damaging another section of the fence, till I could turn off the engine with the ignition switch. It looks that the gear was stuck in reverse and after engine cut off it went back in drive mode. In the meantime, all four sides of the car were damaged and scratched all over, and there was damage on the bottom. Apparently it is electronic malfunction when the gear got stuck in reverse. Thank God that I was not in a busy parking lot, otherwise would have damaged dozens of cars and hurt many innocent bystanders. Will keep you posted till the Audi repair shop gives me a diagnosis
2017 Audi Q7 steering problems
19 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 32,300. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 32,300
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 2
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Audi Q7 steering problems in other years
Related recalls
Steering
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q8 and 2017-2019 Audi Q7 vehicles. The bolt connecting the steering shaft to the steering gear may loosen, possibly resulting in a loss of steering control.
- Risk
- A sudden loss of loss of steering control may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the steering shaft bolt, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 36A1.
Recall number 20V149000 · Recall details
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi Q7 vehicles manufactured November 11, 2015, to November 23, 2015. In the affected vehicles, the electric power steering assist control unit may short circuit resulting in a loss of power steering assist.
- Risk
- With a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required, especially at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering rack, free of charge. The recall began November 2016. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑822‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 48M5.
Recall number 16V648000 · Recall details
What 2017 Audi Q7 owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Complete loss of steering control while driving at low speeds. Dashboard indicator illuminated for "Severe Steering Malfunction - Do Not Drive." Had the car towed to the dealership. Dealership indicated that the car needed a new steering rack and pinion. Cost estimate was $4000. The car had 72,000 miles with mostly highway mileage.
Was driving on small town road, pulling into gas station, and 'steering malfunction, stop car immediately' notice popped up, with red steering wheel icon above message with line across wheel and exclamation mark. I lost power steering at the same time, immediately. Very difficult to drive, and thankful it was not on busy, interstate road, and that nothing more happened. Very tough to drive, and so far, need to tow to Audi dealership to check and repair. I have been in touch with Audi, nothing they can do over phone, they suspect electronic issue. Very dangerous and disappointing. Just happy it did not cause death or injury.
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering shaft bolt was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the failure was remedied. The contact was informed the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V149000(Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The manufacturer was not yet contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Power steering assistance unit stoped working suddenly while driving. Then car was very difficult to steer. Fault could not be reseted, unit was not accessible with service computer in Audi shop. The steering unit was replaced. Just by luck that did not happen while driving at high speed. This could have been resulting in crash with casualties. While browsing the internet for advice it shows multiple incidents with the Audi electric powered steering unit. In the attached pic’s it shows a wet rubber seal and a corroded drive shaft of the replaced part (note the part numbers). Water and oil can find its way into the resolver unit and render it useless, cause lost of feedback signal hence kill the unit. Additional observation: Month before this incident happen, while driving at low speed in warmer/hot environment, a stepper motor feeling was noticeable on the steering wheel. Also a sound can be heared similar to rubber scratches over a dry surface. The disturbance went away when the car cooled down for some hours. It would be advisable to investigate the issue further as the consequences of loss if steering power could be very serious. Wishing everyone a safe travel.
Start/Stop system malfunction. The vehicle gave me this warning and the vehicle almost stopped completely in the interstate while doing 65mph. The warning disappeared after couple of times of turning the car back on, but it appeared once again. It looks that their are many complaints and a class act lawsuit on Audi about this problem but no recalls. It's dangerous and really mind blowing that nothing has been done on this issue.
SUMMARY Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2019 Audi Q8 and 2017-2019 Audi Q7 vehicles. The bolt connecting the steering shaft to the steering gear may loosen, possibly resulting in a loss of steering control. CONSEQUENCES A sudden loss of loss of steering control may increase the risk of a crash. REMEDY Volkswagen will notify owners, and Audi dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the steering shaft bolt, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 31, 2020. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1‑800‑253‑2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 36A1. Apparently my vin is not covered but others are. My car is telling me that this is the issue. Why are others covered and mine is not?
On intermittent and at unpredictable times while the car is in motion, the vehicle will show a series of two warnings while it appears to turn the steering wheel in the absence of any input from the driver. The first warning light indicates an electromechanical steering failure (indicator light flashes red for approximately one second) and the second states, "Distance warning: currently unavailable. See owner's manual." Unfortunately, there is not a description of a "distance warning" in the owner's manual to refer to for guidance. This has been a long-time issue and I have taken it to the dealership several times over the last two years to have it evaluated; however, since it is an intermittent issue they have not been able to replicate it and have not been able to offer any insight on fixing the problem. These occurrences are also sometimes coincident with with a separate warning that states, "Audi pre-sense: currently restricted. See owner's manual." These warnings also sometimes occur when the vehicle is stopped.
While driving my audi Q7 2017 SUV on highway with my family (spouse and two kids), i got alert on audi dashboard that steering wheel is malfunction and was not able to use power steering, it immediately feels like manual steering. I also lost adaptive cruise control, lane assistance and object identification assistance. I took car to audi dealer and they refused to admit that there was a recall regarding this issue.
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the power steer malfunction warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering control module and steering gear were faulty and needed to be replaced. The steering module and steering gear were replaced, and the failure was remedied. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 20V149000 (Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 47,000.
Questions about the 2017 Audi Q7 steering
Does the 2017 Audi Q7 have steering problems?
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the steering of the 2017 Audi Q7, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2017 Audi Q7 steering problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 32,300 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2017 Audi Q7 steering?
Yes, 2 recalls: 20V149000, 16V648000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Audi Q7 have bad steering?
The Audi Q7 model years with the most steering complaints are 2017 (19 complaints) and 2019 (10 complaints).
Other 2017 Audi Q7 problems
Lights 135Engine 62Electrical 53Suspension 33Fuel system 19Transmission 10Brakes 9Wheels 7Airbags 6Body 6Driver assistance 6Visibility 6Seat belts 4Acceleration 2Locks 2Seats 1
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