Audi Q7 owners have reported 151 problems related to exterior lighting (under the exterior lighting category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Audi Q7 based on all problems reported for the Q7.
Warning message on dashboard regarding right side marker light defective. This warning only occurs after sundown when the daylight sensor has engaged. Confirmed by Audi dealer service on 3/12/2026. Dealer reports this is due to a problem with a led light inside the headlamp component. Dealer denies coverage for the repair under my active extended warranty. Dealer states an approximate $5,000 repair, at my expense, to replace the entire right headlamp assembly is the sole remedy. It appears the failed component may fall under the scope of safety recall, Audi 97cb (found on your website NHTSA id 16v642-5761. Pdf) but my VIN number is not specifically included within the recall. As this appears to be the same or directly related issue, perhaps the recall affects a greater amount of vehicles beyond the initially declared VIN number. My safety concern is that any problem with nighttime lighting is a deadly serious matter.
See
all problems of the 2017 Audi Q7
🔎.
I am having issues with my vehicle ( Audi 2017 Q7)that matches Audi recall 97cb NHTSA campaign number 16v642000 regarding the side marker light software malfunction. While my VIN is not currently showing as open on a recall my vehicle is experiencing the marker lights failure. My vehicles mfd date is 05/16 which is in the dates of the recall 97cb but is for some reason excluded from the recall. I have had the vehicle at the Audi dealer to check on the problem. They have had the vehicle two different times totaling 15 hours and are unable to find a problem. They refuse to provide the recall remedy because my VIN is not currently flagged. My VIN is [xxx] . I am requesting my VIN be added to the 97cb NHTSA# 16v64200 my case # with Audi is xxx rep is susan . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Getting error message that the "front left side marker light defective". The light appears to be operational. Service shop looked to read the errors with odb2 and both light modules (left and right) are not communicating any info. In same time the warning in dashboard is continuous and can impede gauges visibility during night. Audible warning noise can also activate at random times. Searched for this issue and Audi recalled some models for electrical software issue but many users outside the current recall report this same issue. Please expand the VIN numbers for the recall action for safety.
The car is displaying "right front marker light defective". This lessens the visibility when turning. This problem is a VIN specific recall of the 2017 Q7 and my VIN is not included, even though I am experiencing the exact same problem as the recall on the other vins from the same year.
Getting error message that the "front right side marker light defective". The light appears to be operational. Searched for this issue and Audi recalled some models but many users outside the current recall report this same issue. Please expand the VIN numbers for the recall action for safety.
I was driving last night and the "marker light is defective" error came on. This is a well documented defect in the Audi Q7 and many are subject to recall for this issue.
Dash light is on saying “front right marker light is defective”. However, the marker light appears to be fine. This seems to be a software issue.
Alert " left front side marker light defective" see owner manual. That is the message.
See
all problems of the 2018 Audi Q7
🔎.
Notifications come on indicating that “front left side marker light defective. ” identical error message for the right side marker.
Right front parking light defective.
Started receiving error message intermittently regarding front right marker light being defective on the dashboard even though the lights are working. From a brief search online, this appears to be an known issue for this make and year as many others are facing a similar issue. There has been a limited recall for only certain vins for a similar issue. The recall should be expanded as it's impact is much broader. It is an expensive fix especially for something that is working.
Front right & left side marker light defective. See owner's manual however my lights are not blown or out.
The console displays side marker light defective warning, but both the side marker lights are working.
Left front side marker light faulty. Is the warning on the dashboard - I have noticed there is a recall I believe 2017 2018 for the same part and this is on a 2019 so it's obviously the part it actually says if there's a software fix.
Front right side marker light is showing defective on 2017 Audi Q7. Light appears to be on but is still throwing error message. Safety issue as I have no visibility when driving to determine whether or not the light is properly working - anything regarding light faults should be considered a safety issue. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by an independent service center, but a quick online search will show this is a known issue and an astronomical cost associated with replacing the entire light assembly.
Yesterday I bought a 2019 Audi Q7 and today I get a warning light stating my right parking lamp is defective. Upon checking the light I found that it was on and working. Upon researching the issue I found that there are numerous complaints on 2017 and 2018 models of the same vehicle, for the same issue. Dealership stating it is an entire right headlight replacement to the tune of over $ 2500.
See
all problems of the 2019 Audi Q7
🔎.
A warning light is showing on the dash about the right side light not working. On inspection all lights are illuminated. Reportedly there has been a recall on some VIN’s for this problem but not ours. On line discussion groups report that the problem is more wide-spread in this model than with the limited VIN’s covered. Since the cost of a dealer replacing the lighting assembly is around $5000, we would like to have our vehicle covered as well.
The "right side marker light" error message comes on when headlights are on, but the marker light is operating fine. I understand that this is part of a recall on other Audi Q7 models, but my 2017 does not appear to be within that recall. I request that the recall be expanded to include my auto. It appears from online information that other owners outside of the recall are having the issue that the recall is aimed at. Thank you for your consideration. [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Left front side marker light defective.
I drive a 2017 Audi Q7 and recently I got a warning light and message on my dash telling me my front right marker was defective and to check my owners manual and contact Audi but when I reached out to Audi they said my car was not one of the cars affect by the recall but I know a lot of people who are not under the recall status who also have had this issue and it is very expensive to fix even if nothing is wrong. My light appears to be working but my service center I take my car too told me to reach out to NHTSA to let it be known that others aside from those under the recall status are having the same issue and we are having to pay out of pocket to get it fixed. Audi recall campaign 97cb (NHTSA campaign id 16v642000).
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side marker warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic with a failing driver's side marker. The contact was informed that the driver's side marker needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that while driving at night, the failure was a safety issue. In addition, the contact stated that the dinging from the sensor was a distraction. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 16v642000 (electrical system, exterior lighting); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Audi Q7. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "side marker light fault detected" was displayed. The contact stated that after a visual inspection, the contact became aware that both side marker lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the side marker light assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 16v642000 (electrical system, exterior lighting); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
Side marker light malfunction warning while light is working properly. There was previously a recall campaign for this issue on this model but the VIN number was not included.
"front left" or "front right" "side marker light defective" message rear brakes loud squeal when reversing.
Side markers lights are failing at an abnormally high rate. The pop up error and chime is incredibly distracting as it pops up every 20 to 30 seconds blocking most of the information on the instrument cluster. The side marker lights still function even when the error pops up. Audi will only replace the entire headlight housing to fix the problem, but that seems extreme to fix what appears to be a software issue, as the side marker lights still is fully functioning.
Campaign 97cb (NHTSA campaign id 16v642000 side marker lights do not illuminate with parking lights or headlights on this poses a risk for my safety and others during night driving making the vehicle less visible at night. I paid Audi of portland $285. 00 to diagnose this issue, due to receiving the message on my car "front left" or "front right" "side marker light defective" and they said it would cost almost $12,000. 00 to replace both left and right-side headlight housing. Marker lights are led and cannot be replaced without replacing entire housing. I checked for a recall and my 2017 Audi Q7 does not have any open recalls. However other models made the same year are being recalled. The side marker lights do not illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment. ".
This issue closely resembles Audi recall campaign 97cb (NHTSA campaign id 16v642000), with details available at [xxx] . In my case, the marker light itself is functioning properly, but the vehicle is displaying a false error message: "front right side marker light defective. " this poses safety risks because the erroneous warning distracts drivers from the road and could lead to the system failing to alert the driver of an actual side marker light issue in the future. Many owners of the same model and year are disabling their side marker lights entirely to avoid the error, as evidenced in discussions such as those on [xxx] . Repairing this issue typically requires replacing the entire headlight assembly, with costs ranging from $2,400 to $5,300, making it prohibitively expensive for many. Although Audi initiated a recall (97cb) for a similar issue, it was limited to a specific subset of vehicles, and the widespread nature of this problem in other vehicles outside the recall’s VIN range suggests a broader defect. Given these safety risks, high repair costs, and the frequency of the issue, I urge the NHTSA to investigate whether this problem warrants a broader recall or corrective actions by the manufacturer. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Front side marker error.
We had a warning light go on on the dash advising there was an issue with the driver's side side marker lamp. In looking at the lamp, it is still illuminating, just not as bright as normal. This is a known issue with Audi - several complaints have been made already and there is even a recall on certain vins. My VIN was not included in this so the cost is falling on me (in the form of $6200 not including tax) despite this being the exact same issue in the recall.
We suddenly ([xxx]) experienced the warning message: "front right side marker light defective" on the dash. The marker lights are however working, and it seems related to the recall for a software update (Audi Q7 2017). Our VIN, however, is not covered by the recall for some strange reason. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
My car start showing me error "side marker light defective" but all the lights seems to work properly, none of them is off.
Front left side marker light defective. See owner's manual.
On my 2019 Audi Q7 anytime the headlights are activated either manually or automatically by the vehicle, it will pull up a "right front parking light defective" error code. This code randomly showed up one day and has persisted ever since. Through research I have done on the issue it sounds like other 2017 Q7 models were also affected and recalled for this exact same issue. Clearly the issue is affecting later models as well that need to be included under the same recall. This issue puts my safety at risk by potentially limiting my visibility at night with a defective headlight.
My car giving me a "front right side marker light defective" fault on the cluster. I searched and there is a recall for that issue. Safety recall code: 97cb. I called dealer about it and they are saying that there is no recall for my VIN number. So they want to charge me for fixing that issue. I search it and it's common problem for 2017 Q7. And also it says there is a software issue on the recall notice. So the problem is not my fault and I need you to add my VIN number to that recall notice.
The vehicle is giving an error message that states " "front left side marker light defective". Not having marker lights that make me visible to others on the road reduces my safety. The problem is apparently a known issue by Audi and several consumers are impacted by this error. The Audi recall campaign 97cb (NHTSA campaign id 16v642000) addresses this exact issue and applies to some affected VIN numbers but not all. It appears that this issue is happening to many more owners outside of the VIN numbers that qualify for the recall.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting problems | |
| Headlights problems | |
| Turn Signal Bulbs problems | |
| Turn Signal problems | |
| Tail Light Switch problems |