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2016 Audi Q5

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Audi Q5 do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 52.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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

What owners reported most

All reported categories

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

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

24 reports with mileage · 53 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.

  • Engine. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

9 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports

What owners actually said

77 reports
Mileage unknown · Mar 18, 2023
Steering

The entire steering system failed. While the car was in motion, the steering wheel completely locked up and could not be turned even a degree. This caused extreme safety concern as the road was curving but the car could not be steered. The problem was confirmed by an independent mechanic and then by an Audi dealership service de…

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The entire steering system failed. While the car was in motion, the steering wheel completely locked up and could not be turned even a degree. This caused extreme safety concern as the road was curving but the car could not be steered. The problem was confirmed by an independent mechanic and then by an Audi dealership service department. The entire steering component was then replaced.

NHTSA ODI #11512533

Mileage unknown · Feb 24, 2023
Steering

Power steering Control Module failure at cold temperatures. Knows to be an issue on many Audi cars between 2011-2016. This caused my power steering to fail suddenly. My safety was impacted because i lost the ability to steer while driving. The vehicle and the steering rack is available for inspection at any time. Problem continu…

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Power steering Control Module failure at cold temperatures. Knows to be an issue on many Audi cars between 2011-2016. This caused my power steering to fail suddenly. My safety was impacted because i lost the ability to steer while driving. The vehicle and the steering rack is available for inspection at any time. Problem continues to be in effect. There are warning messages and lights on the instrument cluster along with fault codes significant for power steering module failure.

NHTSA ODI #11508930

Mileage unknown · Feb 13, 2023
Service Brakes

In short my front right brake caliper failed. To be clear, brake fluid seeped out of the main 2 halves of the caliper. After some investigation there appears to be a recall on this issue on 2017 models and newer but not on my 2016. Per my mechanic this failure is rare and unusual and could have been catastrophic. The brake l…

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In short my front right brake caliper failed. To be clear, brake fluid seeped out of the main 2 halves of the caliper. After some investigation there appears to be a recall on this issue on 2017 models and newer but not on my 2016. Per my mechanic this failure is rare and unusual and could have been catastrophic. The brake light warning did come on, but the amount of fluid that seeped was significant in that even 1 day after my light came on and driving a short distance to the shop, almost all of my brake fluid had seeped out.

NHTSA ODI #11506989

Mileage unknown · Jan 23, 2023
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion SystemFire

Component: 2016 Audi Q5 Available for inspection : UNKNOWN Safety risk: YES The car was just driven and parked in the garage, approximately 30 minutes prior to our discovery of the fire. My wife and I had to escape the fire. UNKNOWN YES The Town of Sterling, MA fire department investigated the fire and determined that the vehic…

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Component: 2016 Audi Q5 Available for inspection : UNKNOWN Safety risk: YES The car was just driven and parked in the garage, approximately 30 minutes prior to our discovery of the fire. My wife and I had to escape the fire. UNKNOWN YES The Town of Sterling, MA fire department investigated the fire and determined that the vehicle caused the fire (See attached report). Then, AMICA Insurance Company had [XXX] from NEFCO do an investigation. He verbally told us that he thought it was the car that started the fire, but he was told by the insurance company attorney to not make a written report (See attached email). AMICA had the vehicle brought to SD Lyons Facility in Seekonk, MA to investigate the vehicle's charred remains. Audi's representatives were also present. No physical evidence was found to prove that the car caused the fire. [XXX], Fire Investigator, in his attached email to us indicated that this does not mean the fire did not originate at the vehicle but that they could not find any physical evidence from the burnt remains of the car. In addition, there are eye witnesses, since the garage door was open. Our neighbors across the street saw what seemed to be small flames flickering near the right rear side of the car, which would flare up and decrease. Soon there after the car was consumed in fire. The description given sounds like a possible rule leak. This vehicle was purchased at Audi Nashua in NH and was regularly serviced by this dealership. NO INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #11503183

126,000 miles · Jan 13, 2023
Steering

The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "Steering Fault - Do not drive Vehicle” message was displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact used excessive effort to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective rack…

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The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the "Steering Fault - Do not drive Vehicle” message was displayed on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the contact used excessive effort to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective rack and pinion. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000. The contact stated that the vehicle is also experiencing excessive oil consumption.

NHTSA ODI #11501641

119,000 miles · Dec 23, 2022
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil pressure warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic on several occasions and unknown repairs were performed; however, after each repair, the failure persisted. The con…

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The contact owns a 2016 Audi Q5. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the oil pressure warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic on several occasions and unknown repairs were performed; however, after each repair, the failure persisted. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The contact attempted to reach the manufacturer but had no success. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V229000 (Engine and Engine Cooler). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

NHTSA ODI #11498662

Mileage unknown · Dec 2, 2022
Engine

Purchased a 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus in June of 2022, I only had it for about a month and the light came on asking me to put a quart of oil in it. After adding oil the light went off, Well it has done it two more times since the first time. While having the car serviced in August I asked the service associate why does it do tha…

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Purchased a 2016 Audi Q5 Premium Plus in June of 2022, I only had it for about a month and the light came on asking me to put a quart of oil in it. After adding oil the light went off, Well it has done it two more times since the first time. While having the car serviced in August I asked the service associate why does it do that, I was told that that's just what they do. That made no sense me, So I did a little investigation and found out there was a class action lawsuit filed because of this issue. I didn't own the car at that time, Audi should continue to service these vehicles that might have slipped through the cracks and wasn't repaired during this lawsuit. There are many people just like me who are purchasing these cars, without knowing about this issue and has the vehicle been repaired or not. It is unsafe to drive these cars like this because it can lose power on the highway and thus cause the driver to be injured or even killed. Audi keep telling people that they just do this, when they know that there was a law suit about this issue, but have so many vehicles out there that hasn't been repaired.

NHTSA ODI #11495861

Mileage unknown · Oct 21, 2022
Unknown Or OtherInjury

Confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning. On Tuesday October 19th, 2022, at 11 am, I drove my 19 year old niece, a student at Uni San Francisco, to a transit station about 2 hours from my home. When we got out of the car to say goodbye I felt quite dizzy, sleepy, and a bit nauseous. I got back in the car and drove about an hour to…

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Confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning. On Tuesday October 19th, 2022, at 11 am, I drove my 19 year old niece, a student at Uni San Francisco, to a transit station about 2 hours from my home. When we got out of the car to say goodbye I felt quite dizzy, sleepy, and a bit nauseous. I got back in the car and drove about an hour towards home and felt so dizzy that I stopped and got out of the car to get some food, just incase that was the issue. I walked around at a shopping center for about 4 hours until I felt a bit better. I got back in the car and drove another hour home. As soon as I got out of the car at home, about 7:15 pm, it was very apparent that the dizziness had returned. I called my Dr the next morning and she sent me to the ER for a blood gas test which confirmed carbon monoxide poisoning. I called my niece and she confirmed she felt the same symptoms upon arrival at the transit station.

NHTSA ODI #11490309

Mileage unknown · Aug 3, 2022
EngineUnknown Or Other

Audi Q5 is consuming oil and requiring it to be filled every 300 to 500 miles. It is unsafe for people to continually be pulling over over the side of the road. Audi will not fix, even if car fails oil consumption test. Price to fix is around 9K. The problem is also causing loss of power, which is not safe, especially while…

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Audi Q5 is consuming oil and requiring it to be filled every 300 to 500 miles. It is unsafe for people to continually be pulling over over the side of the road. Audi will not fix, even if car fails oil consumption test. Price to fix is around 9K. The problem is also causing loss of power, which is not safe, especially while driving on the highway. Audi acknowledges the problem and states "they do that".

NHTSA ODI #11477317

Mileage unknown · May 19, 2022
Steering

My 2016 AUDI Q5 got a fault on the steering (Steering Defective! Do not drive vehicle!) after changing a lane on a 35 miles/h road and I had lose all power steering and was nearly un-drivable 6 month earlier on 35k service maintenance I was complaining about jerky steering that happened twice when I change the lane on a highway…

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My 2016 AUDI Q5 got a fault on the steering (Steering Defective! Do not drive vehicle!) after changing a lane on a 35 miles/h road and I had lose all power steering and was nearly un-drivable 6 month earlier on 35k service maintenance I was complaining about jerky steering that happened twice when I change the lane on a highway after 40-50 miles trips. That time Audi Palo Alto Dealer was not able to reproduce the problem and there were no error codes that time. Today, the OBD scanner shows two error codes ABS:01309:Power Steering Module J500 and Power steering:00772:Oil pressure Switch F22. These error codes are not ressetable. The issue has not gone, it is permanent.

NHTSA ODI #11465269

Official recalls

5

18V229000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System

Apr 11, 2018

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet, A5 Sedan and Audi Q5 vehicles, 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles and 2013-2016 Audi A4 Sedan and A4 allroad vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can either become blocked with debris from the cooling system causing it to overheat or can short-circuit from moisture within the pump.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A blocked pump or a short-circuited pump can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the pumps, free of charge. The recall began September 14, 2018. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Audi's number's for this recall is 19N3/19N4. Note: This recall is in additional to the coolant pump software update applied as a remedy under recall 17V002.

17V622000 · Electrical System:wiring

Oct 5, 2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Audi A5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, A4 Sedan, A4 Allroad and Q5 vehicles. Contact corrosion within the electrical connector for the auxiliary heater may cause the heater wires to overheat or melt.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The melted wires can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the auxiliary heater and, as necessary, update the software, free of charge. The Recall began November 27, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-893-5298. Volkswagen's numbers for this recall are 80C5 and 80C6.

17V298000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

May 3, 2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2013-2017 Audi Q5 and 2013-2017 Audi Q7 vehicles. These gasoline-powered vehicles have a fuel pump flange that may crack, allowing fuel to leak.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump flange if cracks are present. Flanges that do not have cracks will have a protective film applied. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began July 3, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 20Z8. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 16V-660.

17V001000 · Air Bags:side/window; Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly

Jan 3, 2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Air Bags:side/window

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.

Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Audi Q5 vehicles. The sunroof drainage system may allow water to soak into the foam surrounding the side head air bag inflator canister resulting in the corrosion of the canister. If this happens, the corrosion can weaken the canister and the inflator could fracture without air bag deployment, propelling fragments into the passenger compartment, striking and causing serious injury to vehicle occupants.

Consequence: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator and either coat it or replace it, as necessary, after removing the surrounding foam, free of charge. The recall is expected to began March 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 69P1.

17V002000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:cooling System

Jan 3, 2017

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Audi A5, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 vehicles, 2013-2016 Audi Allroad and Audi A4 vehicles and 2012-2015 Audi A6 vehicles. These vehicles, equipped with 2.0l Turbo FSI engines, have an electric coolant pump that can be blocked with debris from the cooling system, resulting in the pump overheating.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the coolant pump overheats, it can increase the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Audi will notify owners, and dealers will update the software so that the power supply to the coolant pump is deactivated if the pump becomes blocked with debris, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 20, 2017. Owners may contact Audi customer service at 1-800-253-2834. Volkswagen's number for this recall is 19M1.

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.