Model year record

2018 Audi Q5

6 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 404 owner complaints on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 21V947000

Structure: body

Component
Structure: body
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
288,991
Reported to NHTSA
2021-12-08
Owners notified
2022-01-21

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

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

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V737000

Structure: body

Component
Structure: body
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
174,278
Reported to NHTSA
2019-10-16
Owners notified
2019-11-01

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

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

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V416000

Wheels: hub

Component
Wheels: hub
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
126,161
Reported to NHTSA
2019-06-05
Owners notified
2019-07-26

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

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

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 19V277000

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: master cylinder
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
12,645
Reported to NHTSA
2019-04-08
Owners notified
2019-05-03

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

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.

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 18V369000

Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
10,225
Reported to NHTSA
2018-06-01
Owners notified
2018-06-29

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

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

Manufacturer 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.

Recall campaignNHTSA 16V955000

Seat belts: pretensioner

Component
Seat belts: pretensioner
Manufacturer
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Vehicles affected
5,947
Reported to NHTSA
2016-12-29
Owners notified
2017-02-28

Defect description

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.

Safety risk

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.

Manufacturer 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.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Electrical system9048,000 mi
Unknown or other506,000 mi
Engine4027,260 mi
Service brakes275,750 mi
Suspension2760,000 mi
Air bags1785,600 mi
Structure: body1712,000 mi
Vehicle speed control1610,000 mi
Steering15900 mi
Exterior lighting1312,000 mi
Power train134,600 mi
Forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking11600 mi
Seat belts960,000 mi
Structure858,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: warnings7
Seats6
Wheels512,000 mi
Engine and engine cooling4170,000 mi
Fuel/propulsion system410,000 mi
Electronic stability control (ESC)34,600 mi
Forward collision avoidance360,000 mi
Visibility/wiper3
Back over prevention: rearview system braking2
Back over prevention: warnings2
Electrical system: body control module/BCM258,000 mi
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control2
Visibility: sun/moon roof assembly276,000 mi
Electrical system: ignition172,000 mi
Fuel system, gasoline127,260 mi
Lane departure: assist1
Lane departure: blind spot detection1
Tires1
Visibility1

The 2017 model has 6 times as many complaints as this one. The 2019 model has 3 times as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.