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2018 Audi Q5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Q5 years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Audi Q5 are substantially higher than the model-year median of 52.

About this comparison →
202Owner complaints

Model-year median: 52

6Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

View investigation details →

How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
99
201577
201642
2017202
201852
201925
202071
2021
Compare all Q5 years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Electrical System
71Unknown Or Other
44Engine
31Suspension
24Service Brakes
22
All reported categories
Structure
21Forward Collision Avoidance
18Vehicle Speed Control
13Air Bags
12Exterior Lighting
12Steering
11Power Train
10Seat Belts
7Seats
5Wheels
5Back Over Prevention
3Electronic Stability Control (esc)
3Fuel/propulsion System
3Visibility
3Engine And Engine Cooling
2Lane Departure
2Visibility/wiper
2Fuel System, Gasoline
1Tires
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

64 reports with mileage · 138 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 71 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports

What owners actually said

202 reports
Mileage unknown · Jan 20, 2023
Forward Collision Avoidance

Two issues. My temperature housing unit is leaking coolant. This car has very low mileage and is barely driven so it is very strange that this part is already defective. Seems the original integrity of the part may not have been good. Second, My Audi pre sense comes on while the car is driving and brings the car to a screaming…

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Two issues. My temperature housing unit is leaking coolant. This car has very low mileage and is barely driven so it is very strange that this part is already defective. Seems the original integrity of the part may not have been good. Second, My Audi pre sense comes on while the car is driving and brings the car to a screaming halt as is there is something in the cars path. The problem is there is nothing in the cars path when this feature kicks in . It’s quite dangerous as this has happened to me while driving on busy roads .

NHTSA ODI #11502737

Mileage unknown · Dec 21, 2022
Suspension

During a normal service visit it was brought to my attention that the rear suspension coil was broken. They attributed this to normal wear and tear after only 52,000 miles. Upon research it seems this is far more common in 2018 Q5s than it should be this is early.

NHTSA ODI #11498469

Mileage unknown · Dec 19, 2022
Forward Collision AvoidanceService BrakesCrash

I was trying to park my car in my office parking space, after right turn to parking space, I applied brake to stop, but the car suddenly accelerated and within few seconds it crashed into the office building. I was still applying brake when it accelerated and I could not do anything else. The fact that vehicle climbed two levels…

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I was trying to park my car in my office parking space, after right turn to parking space, I applied brake to stop, but the car suddenly accelerated and within few seconds it crashed into the office building. I was still applying brake when it accelerated and I could not do anything else. The fact that vehicle climbed two levels of curbs to hit the building shows that the acceleration was out of my control. And even vehicle's collision system did not kick in when car was climbed over the curb. Polic report #: 22-350-0239C Agency: SCCSO

NHTSA ODI #11498164

Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2022
Suspension

Rear coil spring on passenger side broke and became detached, wedging against lower control arm. Coil spring had no signs of other damage; seems to be defective metallurgy (see attached photographs). Vehicle had 55,645 miles on it. Dealer charged $720 to repair. From online search, there seems to be a high number of Audi Q5…

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Rear coil spring on passenger side broke and became detached, wedging against lower control arm. Coil spring had no signs of other damage; seems to be defective metallurgy (see attached photographs). Vehicle had 55,645 miles on it. Dealer charged $720 to repair. From online search, there seems to be a high number of Audi Q5's from 2018 model year with this problem, but Audi dealers claim it is a 'normal wear' item and is not covered.

NHTSA ODI #11496011

Mileage unknown · Nov 30, 2022
Service BrakesSuspension

Two issues: 1. We have needed to repeatedly replace brake booster. 2. Passenger side rear spring has broken and dealer is indicating the driver side should also be replaced.

NHTSA ODI #11495457

Mileage unknown · Oct 25, 2022
Back Over PreventionUnknown Or Other

Hello, My Q5 top view(360) camera. The MMI wont be able to save my settings - when it is changed from Graphic to Camera. It always goes back to default as Graphic. I need to adjust almost every time when I park the car. It is distracting and safety conerning. This issue came with the car since it was bulit. And this is the …

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Hello, My Q5 top view(360) camera. The MMI wont be able to save my settings - when it is changed from Graphic to Camera. It always goes back to default as Graphic. I need to adjust almost every time when I park the car. It is distracting and safety conerning. This issue came with the car since it was bulit. And this is the common issue across the MY18 for Audi products. Audi dealer needs to charge me to fix the issue, due to the car is out of warrenty. But this is not caused by wear and tear. Thanks,

NHTSA ODI #11490901

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2022
Air Bags

When a front seat passenger is present, the passenger airbag warning light comes on with a "malfunction" error displayed, then goes off.

NHTSA ODI #11488224

Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2022
Air BagsElectrical System

Have been receiving an intermittent warning: Safety malfunction for the passenger airbag. The light comes on intermittently. Comes on most often when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. If I place a small bag (handbag, purse etc.) on the seat sometimes the light goes off sometimes it does not. If someone is sitti…

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Have been receiving an intermittent warning: Safety malfunction for the passenger airbag. The light comes on intermittently. Comes on most often when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. If I place a small bag (handbag, purse etc.) on the seat sometimes the light goes off sometimes it does not. If someone is sitting in the seat the malfunction light is not present. The dealer confirmed the malfunction stating: They found the safety malfunction light is being triggered by a faulty passenger front seat pod and needs to be replaced for $2,233. Doing a quick Audi forum search have found numerous individuals with similar complaints and many have even reached out to Audi. This appears to be a significant safety issue as it calls into question the reliability of airbag operation in the case of an accident.

NHTSA ODI #11487291

Mileage unknown · Sep 21, 2022
Suspension

Both rear coil springs observed to have failed (broken) upon bringing car to mechanic for brake job. Less than 60k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11485724

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2022
Suspension

Both rear springs broke. Possible risk to wheel and arm support. No towing, road hazard or excessive load. Car has 48,000 miles. Others reported same problem on Audi members site. Unable to reach Audi USA. Dealer says my problem.

NHTSA ODI #11484023

Official recalls

6

21V947000 · Electrical System:body Control Module/bcm; Structure:body

Dec 8, 2021

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Structure:body

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.

Consequence: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.

Electrical System:body Control Module/bcm

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Q5 Sportback, SQ5 Sportback, 2018-2022 Q5, and SQ5 vehicles. A liquid spill in the rear seat, or water ingress from an insufficient body seam underneath the vehicle may allow liquid to penetrate the gateway control module, causing it to shutdown.

Consequence: A gateway control module shutdown will suddenly reduce engine power, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will install a protective cover on the gateway control module and seal an underbody seam as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 21, 2022. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 90S9.

19V737000 · Structure:body

Oct 16, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi SQ5 and 2018-2020 Audi Q5 vehicles. The rear wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach from the vehicle.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the four clips securing the forward part of the rear wheel arch trim, free of charge. The recall began November 1, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 66K8.

19V416000 · Wheels:hub

Jun 5, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The wheel arch cover trim may loosen and detach.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The detached trim may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will secure the wheel arch trim with an additional screw and nut, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2019. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 66K6.

19V277000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder

Apr 8, 2019

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Audi) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake master cylinder casting may be too short.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A short casting can cause a sudden loss of brakes, increasing the risk of crash. The electronic parking brake and its emergency brake function are not affected and will still function.

Remedy: Audi has notified owners, and dealers will inspect the brake master cylinder, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 3, 2019. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 47O9.

18V369000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper

Jun 1, 2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, Passat, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Golf, Golf SportWagen and GTI and Audi Q5 and SQ5 vehicles. The brake caliper pistons on these vehicles may have insufficient coating, potentially reducing the brake performance.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A reduction of braking performance can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify their owners. Audi dealers will bleed the rear brakes. Volkswagen dealers will bleed the front and rear brake calipers. Note: Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the brake system has been checked. The recall began June 29, 2018. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 and Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 47N8, 47N9, and 47N6.

16V955000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module; Air Bags:side/window; Seat Belts:pretensioner

Dec 29, 2016

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Additional source detail variants (4)

Seat Belts:pretensioner

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:side/window

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2017 Audi A7, A4, A6, Volkswagen Golf and Tiguan vehicles and 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf vehicles for driver frontal air bags, passenger frontal air bags or head air bags that may not deploy properly. Additionally, certain 2017 Audi Q7, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad, and 2018 Audi Q5 vehicles are being recalled because the seat belt pretensioners may not activate properly.

Consequence: In the event of a crash, if the air bags and/or the seat belt pretensioners do not inflate or function properly, the vehicle occupants have an increased risk of injury.

Remedy: Volkswagen and Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the affected air bags and seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. The recall began April 2017. Owners may contact Volkswagen customer service at 1-800-893-5298 or Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.