Your vehicle report
2018 Audi Q5
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 209
- Received Jan 2018 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Water leaks into cabin during rain25 complaints · 12% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Coil springs break and puncture tires18 complaints · 8.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Automatic emergency braking applies without reason16 complaints · 7.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #18V369000Do not driveVolkswagen 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.
- Recall #21V947000Volkswagen 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Water leaks into cabin during rainFirst signal: Sep 2023
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 10 crashes, 0 fires, 5 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 19 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 15 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 15 |
| 2023 | 45 |
| 2024 | 40 |
| 2025 | 29 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 24 |
| Total | 209 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 25 | 12% | 27.3× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Sep 2023 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 1.2% |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 18 | 8.6% | – | |
| Automatic emergency braking applies without reason | 16 | 7.7% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 11 | 5.3% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 10 | 4.8% | – | |
| Rearview backup camera fails or goes black | 6 | 2.9% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 6 | 2.9% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 5 | 2.4% | 6.3× | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 5 | 2.4% | – | |
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 4 | 1.9% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 4 | 1.9% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 1.9% | – | NHTSA recall #21V947000 |
| Power steering cuts out while driving | 4 | 1.9% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 3 | 1.4% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 3 | 1.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #18V369000June 1, 201810,225 vehicles affected
Do not drive: NHTSA advises this until the repair is done.
service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #21V947000December 8, 2021288,991 vehicles affected
electrical system: body control module/bcm; 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.
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.
NHTSA recall #19V737000October 16, 2019174,278 vehicles affected
structure: body
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #19V416000June 5, 2019126,161 vehicles affected
wheels: hub
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #19V277000April 8, 201912,645 vehicles affected
service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #16V955000December 29, 20165,947 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module; air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module; air bags: side/window; 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.
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.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2018 Audi Q5.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN