Recalls for flagship models aren't uncommon, but Audi's Q7 seems to have a few more issues than most. In July, the recall concerned with the Q7 was for the airbag possibly deploying with excessive force, which to be fair wasn't Audi's fault, it was part of that whole Takata problem. On the 6 September the notice issued by the NHTSA had to do with the third row seat which could possibly move forward under load possibly increasing risk of injury to rear passengers. The fix was an extra bracket fitted by the dealer.

There was a second notice issued that same day, this one affected the electrics and side marker lights - new software installed stops the lights working when used in conjunction with the park lights or headlights. So the Audi Q7 that just cut you off in traffic may actually have indicated for the lane change. There's no schedule for the fix as yet, but the seat recall was expected to begin in October. With this latest release coming just two days after the light and seat recall, on 8 September, Q7 owners may as well just leave their cars at the dealership so that the fix can also be carried out. The new recall notice is quite possibly more serious than the other two, but with all problems combined things could get deadly.

The problem outlined by the NHTSA has to do with the steering. The electric power steering may short circuit resulting in a loss of steering assist. As you can imagine, loss of steering assistance during a bend or sharp turn, that you can't let other drivers know you're about to do, might see you not make the turn and thus need to jump on the clamps. This might make the rear passengers end up on the back of your head. We recommend that Audi Q7 owners contact Audi customer service or the NHTSA to see where they stand.